Two for the Road

A brilliant, funny, sad and true screenplay is the basis for this, one of the great films of the late 1960's. Director Stanley Donen who is blessed with wit and talent has headed such films as "Singing In The Rain", "Funny Face", and "Charade". Here he has assembled a marvelous cast in one of his finest efforts. It is one of his cleverest works that interlaces the past, present and future in one beautifully realized stream of consciousness in the now. One of the standout supporting performers is Eleanor Bron an accomplished British actress whom American audiences may remember as Patsy's mother from "Absolutely Fabulous". She is incredible with her very Bryn Mawr accent as one half of a parent team who is completely run by her bratty demanding child. She is just a joy to watch as the uncomfortable comedy unfolds. Albert Finney is fine in the demanding role of Mark Wallace, a young reluctant to marry fellow who at first prefers Jacqueline Bisset's more voluptuous charms to the more sophisticated allure of Audrey Hepburn. He hits all the right notes from early romance to bored married man. In this film we are given perhaps the finest of Audrey Hepburn's film performances. She is allowed to go to places in her character that few of her earlier films permitted. In the hands of a brilliant man like Donen she is an unfolding revelation of star power, talent and beauty. It is interesting to note that this is one of the few films in which Hubert De Givenchy did not dress her. Donen wanted a more realistic woman of her means and place. But even in off the rack clothes she looks incredible. Of course a great film always begins with a great screenplay and in "Two For The Road" we have a wonderful example of screenwriting by Fredric Raphael. I am especially fond of his sharp and still fresh use of time bending. Note how the Mark and Joanna of the late 60's pass the Mark and Joanna of the late 50's on the road. This writer takes us on a wonderful and insightful look into a marriage and what it takes to make it work. Cinematography by Christopher Challis is so crisp that it seems to have been shot only last week. Filled with the glorious panorama of France on the road, this is an utterly gorgeous film to watch. Also contributing to the film is composer Henry Mancini who with his haunting and evocative score brings so much to the feel and pace of the story. This is one of his best scores in a career filled with great music. Ultimately with all the wonderful contributions by all the artists and players one must tip one's hat to the genius behind it all, a great director and a fine artist in every sense, Stanley Donen. A real treat in this DVD of the Twentieth Century Fox Film Classics series is the addition of Mr. Donen's witty and delightful reminiscences of the making of the film on the director's commentary track. Like is commentary on the Criterion Collection of "Charade" Mr. Donen is just a joy to listen to. It is as if he has just dropped by to watch the film with you and in so doing he reveals himself to be nothing more than a charming man full of great stories to tell.

AT LONG LAST, Fox has FINALLY put this movie out on DVD. This is one of my favorite films and along with Roman Holiday, my favorite Audrey Hepburn film. Released in 1967, decades ahead of its time, it was over the heads of most viewers and failed to find much of an audience. But over the years its attracted a fanatical cult who just love it. And I'm certainly among them. Road is what I'd call a realistically romantic love story. One that ends HOPEFULLY more so than happily ever after. Rather than tell the story in a conventional sense, writer Frederic Raphael (Darling; Eyes Wide Shut) tells it in a series of flashbacks. But even the flashbacks dont unfold in a conventional sense. Rather, like memories, they weave in and out of time: linked by locales, people, even conversations. The movie opens with Joanna and Mark wondering if its all been worth it after 12 yrs of marriage. Both are somewhat bitter and cynical and wondering what went wrong. Using their summer vacations to France as they travel through their marriage memories, the movie is a unique cinematic road trip. The movie isnt that difficult to follow. There are a half dozen different time periods and you can easily tell where you are in time by the cars, Hepburn's clothes and hair styles and the like. Hepburn and Finney have great chemistry (there were rumors of an affair and it was true her marriage broke up around a year later, so who knows?) There are great bits by Eleanor Bron and William Daniels as buffoonic American tourists, wonderful locales, great scenery, Henry Mancini music. What more could you ask for? Hepburn in particular is a revelation in this. She never had a more complex role (before or since) and gives what is perhaps her career peak performance. (One wonders what roles she could have played had she not retired soon after this movie came out. She was certainly capable of more than Hollywood demanded of her. What a waste!). She swears (charmingly); commits adultery, even has several semi-nude scenes! She has never looked more beautiful on the screen. This movie is a class act all the way. The kind of sophisticated romance that Hollywood, sadly, doesnt make anymore. (Come to think of it, the genre began to disappear after Hepburn stopped making films...). From Stanley Donen's direction, the wonderfully witty script and editing (characters start a sentence in one time period and end it in another; pass each other on the road...);the gorgeous photography and scenery; Henry Mancini's score (perhaps his best). Its amazing that only the script was nominated for an Oscar (and lost to Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, if you can believe that!) Hepburn was nominated that year but for the far inferior film, Wait Until Dark. This is one of the best and best loved movies from the 60's. Join the cult! Buy it for someone you love! More important SEE it with someone you love! I guarantee its one movie you'll want to watch over and over. A wonderful Christmas gift too!

Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn are the two lead actors in Two For The Road. It is directed by Stanley Donen (Indiscrete, Charade), written by Frederic Raphael (Darling) with music by the great Henry Mancini.Need I say more. Finney and Hepburn are a couple, who on road trips in the south of France, reflect on their marriage. A sophisticated comedy/drama done with style and grace.

Una historia de amor a lo largo de la historia de los personajes. Magnifica obra que merece la pena ver.

Firstly, this film is not digitally remastered. Both the sound and picture quality are disappointing: particularly the soundtrack. The film notes were written in the sixties by someone who was obviously a student of fashion and not a lot else. Fortunately, there is no shortage of good reviews on the web. If, like me, you are watching this for the first time in forty years, you may be pleasantly surprised that the superb direction, that engages with Mancini's beautiful score from the beginning right to the very end, has lost none of its charm. Incidentally, for music buffs, I recall buying the original soundtrack, which sadly was recorded with RCA's much criticised Dynagroove technology, and it is pretty awful. There is, however, a digitally remastered CD available Two for the Road (Ost)which might be worth a listen.For those who have not seen it before, the film is produced and directed by Stanley Donan, and rightly regarded as a masterpiece of the genre. In fact it contains a second masterpiece: Henry Mancini's hauntingly romantic music. The script by Frederic Raphael, who wrote Darling, examines the marriage of the two lead characters, their meeting, as impoverished young people hitching through France, to marriage and parenthood, and the trials of career success and infidelity. The scenes that focus on the weaving and unravelling of their relationship, seldom contain more than a few lines of dialogue, and are stylishly mixed together: juxtaposing their observations and feelings over the years. This style of film making will probably be quite new to many people, and it becomes quite absorbing and fascinating. It is one of the reasons Stanley Donan was so highly regarded. Finally, one trivial observation: Ms Hepburn wears her iconic false eye lashes in every single scene. Whether in the bath, bed, or even in the swimming pool, she is never without them. It seems odd, but then it was the sixties!

Good quality and great sound and picture. No troubles. Delivery was over 2 weeks, wish is was faster. Good item and would order again from this seller

Un film incroyablement moderne. L’un des plus beaux rôles d’Audrey Hepburn.