Okay, rewind your minds with me. Picture this: you're browsing the towering shelves of your local video store, maybe on a Friday night. You bypass the big new releases, the action blockbusters everyone's talking about, and drift towards the slightly dustier sections – the comedies, the foreign films, the ones with intriguing cover art but names you don't quite recognise. Sometimes, you'd take a chance on something purely based on a gut feeling or a familiar face in an unexpected place. And maybe, just maybe, you stumbled upon a brightly coloured box featuring a sunny European locale and titled "Pretty Princess".
Released in 1993, this Italian romantic comedy, originally titled Piccolo grande amore, didn't exactly set the world on fire outside its home country. Yet, finding it nestled amongst the VHS tapes felt like uncovering a minor, sun-drenched secret. Directed by Carlo Vanzina, a prolific purveyor of Italian comedies often working alongside his brother and co-writer Enrico Vanzina, the film offers a charmingly straightforward fairy tale for the early 90s. It’s the kind of movie that wears its heart, and its influences, quite openly on its sleeve.
Royalty on the Run
The premise is pure, unadulterated escapism. Princess Sofia of Liechtenhaus (played by Dutch model-turned-actress Barbara Snellenburg) is facing an arranged marriage to a distinctly unappealing Frederick. Her father, Prince Max (David Warner – yes, that David Warner, the iconic villain from Time Bandits (1981) and Tron (1982), lending his considerable gravitas to, well, this), insists it's for the good of their small, financially strapped kingdom. Desperate to avoid this fate and experience real life (and maybe real love), Sofia does what any self-respecting, constrained royal heroine does: she runs away.
Under the guise of an ordinary girl named "Lisa," she winds up working incognito at a holiday resort in sunny Sardinia. It’s here she crosses paths with Marco (Raoul Bova), a handsome, carefree windsurfing instructor. Sparks inevitably fly, misunderstandings abound, and the complications of her hidden identity loom large. It’s Roman Holiday meets a teen summer romance, seasoned with a distinctly European flavour.
Sun, Surf, and Surprising Casting
Let's be honest, the plot isn't exactly rewriting the rom-com playbook. You can see the beats coming from a mile off – the initial friction, the growing attraction, the inevitable reveal, the last-minute dash. But sometimes, predictability isn't a bug; it's a feature. Carlo Vanzina knew how to craft accessible entertainment, and Pretty Princess delivers exactly what it promises: a light, breezy romance set against gorgeous Sardinian beaches. The cinematography makes the most of the location; you can almost feel the Mediterranean sun and taste the salt spray. It’s pure holiday fodder, designed to whisk you away for 90 minutes.
The performances are perfectly suited to the material. Barbara Snellenburg, primarily known for her modelling career before this, certainly looks the part of the fairy-tale princess. She brings a wide-eyed innocence and charm to Sofia/Lisa, making her escape and desire for normalcy feel genuine, if a little naive. Opposite her, Raoul Bova, then an emerging Italian heartthrob who would go on to international recognition (you might remember him later in films like Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)), absolutely smoulders as Marco. He’s got the tan, the easy charm, and the slightly rebellious air down pat. Their chemistry is sweet and believable within the film's fairy-tale logic.
But the real curiosity here, for many VHS hunters back in the day, would have been seeing David Warner. An actor renowned for intense, often villainous roles, popping up as a concerned, slightly flustered European prince in a light Italian rom-com? It’s wonderfully unexpected casting. He brings a touch of class and subtle comedic timing to his scenes, grounding the royal shenanigans just enough. You get the sense he might have enjoyed a working holiday in Sardinia and Austria (where the palace scenes were filmed).
A Charming VHS Relic
Watching Pretty Princess today feels like opening a time capsule. The fashion, the music, the sheer earnestness of it all screams early 90s. The English dubbing, if that’s the version you track down, often adds its own layer of slightly awkward charm, as was common with many European films seeking wider release back then. It lacks the slickness (and perhaps the cynicism) of its Hollywood contemporaries, opting instead for a gentler, more old-fashioned romantic sensibility.
It’s not a film loaded with deep themes or groundbreaking techniques. There are no mind-blowing practical effects here, just sunshine, romance, and a plot thinner than a resort brochure. But does it need to be more? Sometimes, especially on a nostalgic trip back to the VHS era, what you crave is something simple, warm, and unpretentious. This Pretty Princess review wouldn't be complete without acknowledging its gentle appeal. It's comfort food cinema – predictable, yes, but satisfying in its own modest way. It didn't make waves internationally, grossing modestly primarily in Italy, but for those who stumbled upon it, it likely provided a pleasant afternoon's viewing.
Rating: 6/10
Pretty Princess is far from a masterpiece, and its plot follows a well-trodden path. However, its charming leads, gorgeous Sardinian setting, the delightful presence of David Warner, and its overall sweet-natured, sun-drenched vibe make it a genuinely pleasant watch. It earns its score by delivering exactly the kind of light, escapist European romance it sets out to be – a perfect little discovery from the back shelves of the video store, brimming with uncomplicated 90s charm.
It might not be royalty in the rom-com kingdom, but it’s a perfectly lovely lady-in-waiting, happy to offer a brief, sunny escape. And sometimes, that's exactly the kind of hidden gem you hoped to find on those glorious VHS hunts.