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Collage of five diverse artworks from the Hammer Museum Collections side by side. From left to right: 1) Contemporary painting of two embracing figures with surreal elements. 2) Post-impressionist style painting of trees with vibrant blues and greens. 3) Black and white illustration of a face with intricate patterns. 4) Japanese woodblock print style image of a figure in a checkered robe. 5) Photograph of a couple dancing, the woman in a black dress and the man in white

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Still from "Roman Holiday" (1953) Dir. William Wyler
Screenings

Roman Holiday / The Coins in a Fountain

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The UCLA Film & Television Archive presents classic film and contemporary cinema each weekend in the Hammer's Billy Wilder Theater. Archive tickets are $9 general admission and free for UCLA students.

These two award-winning films shot in Rome are part of the series Runaway Hollywood: Global Production in the Postwar World.

In-person: Author Daniel Steinhart 

Roman Holiday

“Hollywood on the Tiber” reached a high point in this story of a European princess (Audrey Hepburn in a star-making performance) who escapes her oppressive royal life during a visit to Rome, where she’s taken on a city tour by an undercover American reporter (Gregory Peck). The authenticity of Rome was important to Paramount and director William Wyler, but so were financial incentives. The studio invested its frozen lire earnings in the production while the director took advantage of a tax loophole by working abroad. The result brought a realist touch to the romantic comedy and earned multiple Academy Awards. (1953, dir. William Wyler, DCP, black and white, 118 min.)

Three Coins in the Fountain

The postwar film cycle of Americans abroad was in full swing when Fox released this tale of three single American secretaries navigating work and love in Rome. New to this cycle was the use of widescreen, which heightened the spectacle of the Italian locales. Director Jean Negulesco, who previously employed CinemaScope on How to Marry a Millionaire with mixed results, skillfully uses the format to capture Italy’s architecture in dazzling panoramas. The film won Oscars for Best Cinematography and Frank Sinatra’s titular hit song. (1954, dir. Jean Negulesco, DCP, color, 101 min.)

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