Two for the Road (1967)

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writer:

Frederic Raphael (writer)

Release Date:

27 April 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

They make something wonderful out of being alive!

Plot:

A couple in the south of France non-sequentially spin down the highways of infidelity in their troubled ten-year marriage.

Plot Keywords:

Repeated Line | Marriage | Infidelity | Camera | Passport

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Audrey Hepburn	...	Joanna 'Jo' Wallace
Albert Finney	...	Mark Wallace
Eleanor Bron	...	Cathy Manchester born Seligman
William Daniels	...	Howard 'Howie' Manchester
Gabrielle Middleton	...	Ruth 'Ruthie' Manchester
Claude Dauphin	...	Maurice Dalbret
Nadia Gray	...	Françoise Dalbret
Georges Descrières	...	David
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Jackie
Judy Cornwell	...	Pat
Irène Hilda	...	Yvonne de Florac
Dominique Joos	...	Sylvia Obino

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Singapore:PG | France:U | USA:Approved (Suggested for Mature Audiences) | UK:PG (video rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Beauvallon, Drôme, France

Company:

Stanley Donen Films

Trivia:

Average Shot Length = ~4.5 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~4.4 seconds. Both values are quite fast, and demonstrate the experimentation with faster cutting rates during the mid to late 1960s. For example, even a noted fast cutter like Sam Peckinpah would take until 1969 to produce a film (_Wild Bunch,The (1969)_ ) that is cut faster than _Two For The Road (1967)_ .

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Mark and Joanna are riding away in the concrete pipe, you can clearly see that the truck carrying them has a large set of wheels as the furthest back portion of the truck, which would make it difficult for them to just jump out. But when they cut to the scene where they are jumping out, the large set of wheels is gone.

Quotes:

Mark Wallace: We agreed before we were married that we weren't going to have any children.
Joanna Wallace: And before we were married we *didn't*.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Santa Clause 2 (2002)

One of the Best Film Explorations About Marriage

1967 was a clearly Audrey Hepburn's final peak as a leading lady. With "Wait Until Dark," and 'Two for the Road," finished, she would quietly divorce Mel Ferrer and sit out her final productive years as a movie star, eventually marrying Andrea Dotti, having another child and semi-retire to her Roman apartment to raise her sons. Eight more years would pass until she finally agreed to do 'Robin and Marian." Well Audrey Hepburn is my all-time favorite movie star. This ethereal beauty with the dark expressive eyes, elegant clotheshorse figure, and unforgettable voice rarely made a mistake in her career. Here's another example of her infallible ability to find the right script. If only Julia Roberts had paid closer attention.

If you're going to draw your career to a close, and I'm not sure she realized this was it, no actress could do better than 'Two for the Road,' and 'Wait Until Dark." Audrey was such a natural screen presence, and with 'Two for the Road,' she had a wonderfully

handsome leading man in Albert Finney (there were strong rumors of a relationship during this film), and completely at ease with a director she had successfully worked with in the past--Stanley Donen.

Frederik Raphael's edgy comedy-drama about a young and successful couple's courtship and marriage was completely in step with the time, and when I re-watched it recently, I was totally drawn into their world. The young and carefree early years had the breezy romance and charm of Hepburn's early romantic comedies. As the story criss-crosses throughout the various years, you can see Finney withdrawing as he doggedly pursues his architecture career. You can see Hepburn's disappointment as she loses her husband to his work and most devastatingly to other women. She is finds the right reaction when he discovers she has finally taken on a lover of her own, and just when it looks like he's ready to forgive her, Finney's character lashes out viciously. Hepburn's look of utter horror at his cruelty is amazing. There's no violence here except emotional devastation and both actors deliver detailed and moving performances.

I like the fact that they seem to stay together, the humor of their early years often in evidence (he's always losing things, and when she finds them, he calls her "bitch" and she replies, "b**tard"). I also like the fact that the script doesn't demonize Finney's character, or the lack of it. Marriage is a two-way street here.

I'm a bit confused as to some of the criticism I read here of this movie. TWO FOR THE ROAD is an adult movie about adult relationships and stars two of the most appealing film stars of their era. It is well directed, and I was never confused about what is going on in any scene. Eleanor Braun and William Daniel's are outstanding as the perfectly awful couple you'd never want to be stuck with in a car trip, especially when their odious little girl comes along ! This, I believe, was Jacqueline Bissett's first film, and you can tell right away, she's got star quality. But this is Audrey and Albert's show all the way.