William Wyler’s Voyage to Italy: Roman Holiday (1953), Progressive Hollywood, and the Cold War

This chapter explores the complex history of Hollywood, politics, and transnationalism in Wyler’s Roman Holiday, and argues for Wyler’s significance at the intersection of the central developments of post-war cinema, the rise of Hollywood on the Tiber, the eclipse of neorealism, and the Red Scare in America. During production of the film, Wyler became the target of anti-communists eager to take down the liberal filmmaker who had opposed the HUAC investigations into the American film industry. All the while, Wyler pursued his own diplomatic mission to Italy, utilizing Italian film workers in Rome, working with Italians on the script, and employing an Italian second unit director. Wyler’s interests in making Hollywood more international are evidenced in the production of this film. Author: Anthony Smith