Two for the Road (1967)
Country: GB
Technical: col/2.35:1 111m
Director: Stanley Donen
Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney, Eleanor Bron, William Daniels
Synopsis:
An architect and his wife drive through France on the way to a party to celebrate the completion of a key project, and ruefully reflect on their holidays together travelling the same roads.
Review:
Very much a product of its time, Donen's film is full of sixties accoutrements (wistful music, garish costumes, tricksy editing) but mirrors the pessimism that had arrived by decade's end. The screenplay packs in quite a few cynical barbs about men, women and marriage in its running time, and the effect is an antidote to the easy nostalgia of other relationship movies to come, such as The Way We Were. Despite the affirmative ending, one is left with the impression that this particular marriage, built on flimsy foundations, is a fragile edifice indeed, undermined by the monstrous egotism of the male and sustained by the unfailing devotion of the female. As such, perhaps, it is offering a level-headed view of many a match, whose strength is in the mere weight of time shared. In an attempt to sugar the pill, the style can overwhelm the content at times, but this is a neglected gem nonetheless, borne up by the charisma of its stars.
Country: GB
Technical: col/2.35:1 111m
Director: Stanley Donen
Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney, Eleanor Bron, William Daniels
Synopsis:
An architect and his wife drive through France on the way to a party to celebrate the completion of a key project, and ruefully reflect on their holidays together travelling the same roads.
Review:
Very much a product of its time, Donen's film is full of sixties accoutrements (wistful music, garish costumes, tricksy editing) but mirrors the pessimism that had arrived by decade's end. The screenplay packs in quite a few cynical barbs about men, women and marriage in its running time, and the effect is an antidote to the easy nostalgia of other relationship movies to come, such as The Way We Were. Despite the affirmative ending, one is left with the impression that this particular marriage, built on flimsy foundations, is a fragile edifice indeed, undermined by the monstrous egotism of the male and sustained by the unfailing devotion of the female. As such, perhaps, it is offering a level-headed view of many a match, whose strength is in the mere weight of time shared. In an attempt to sugar the pill, the style can overwhelm the content at times, but this is a neglected gem nonetheless, borne up by the charisma of its stars.
Country: GB
Technical: col/2.35:1 111m
Director: Stanley Donen
Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney, Eleanor Bron, William Daniels
Synopsis:
An architect and his wife drive through France on the way to a party to celebrate the completion of a key project, and ruefully reflect on their holidays together travelling the same roads.
Review:
Very much a product of its time, Donen's film is full of sixties accoutrements (wistful music, garish costumes, tricksy editing) but mirrors the pessimism that had arrived by decade's end. The screenplay packs in quite a few cynical barbs about men, women and marriage in its running time, and the effect is an antidote to the easy nostalgia of other relationship movies to come, such as The Way We Were. Despite the affirmative ending, one is left with the impression that this particular marriage, built on flimsy foundations, is a fragile edifice indeed, undermined by the monstrous egotism of the male and sustained by the unfailing devotion of the female. As such, perhaps, it is offering a level-headed view of many a match, whose strength is in the mere weight of time shared. In an attempt to sugar the pill, the style can overwhelm the content at times, but this is a neglected gem nonetheless, borne up by the charisma of its stars.