Roman Holiday - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
I have to leave you now. I'm going to that corner there and turn. You must stay in the car and drive away. Promise not to watch me go beyond the corner. Just drive away and leave me as I leave you.
— Princess Ann
Context:
At the end of their day, Joe drives Ann to a corner near her embassy. Knowing her holiday is over, she gives him these specific, poignant instructions for their final goodbye, trying to make a clean break from the freedom and love she has found.
Meaning:
This quote marks the heartbreaking, yet mature, end of their day together. It encapsulates the bittersweet nature of their romance—a mutual and dignified acceptance that their worlds are too far apart. It is a moment of profound sadness, handled with grace and restraint, highlighting Ann's return to her duties.
Rome! By all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live.
— Princess Ann
Context:
During the formal press conference at the end of the film, a reporter asks Princess Ann which of the cities she visited she enjoyed the most. After a moment of diplomatic hesitation, she breaks protocol to give this heartfelt and meaningful answer, looking towards Joe in the crowd.
Meaning:
Spoken during the final press conference, this line is a coded message directly to Joe. While on the surface she is answering a generic question, the emphasis on "Rome" and the heartfelt delivery convey the profound and lasting impact her day of freedom and her time with him has had on her. It is her way of telling him, and only him, that their time together was real and will never be forgotten.
At midnight, I'll turn into a pumpkin and drive away in my glass slipper.
— Princess Ann
Context:
As the day's adventure is winding down and reality is setting in, Ann makes this remark to Joe. It's a whimsical yet sad acknowledgment that their time together is borrowed and that her "fairy tale" of being an ordinary girl is coming to an end.
Meaning:
This line is a witty and poignant reference to the Cinderella fairy tale, but in reverse. Ann acknowledges the magical, fantasy-like quality of her day of freedom, but also its fleeting nature. She is aware that she must return to her restrictive reality, just as Cinderella's magic had a deadline. It's a moment of bittersweet self-awareness.