Voyage à deux

I think that Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Joanna is her most intense, subtle, and mature. We see her progression from college co-ed to married woman with child, all over the course of about 14 years. In the beginning she is a woman without experience and falls for the boyish charm of Albert Finney. During the course of their marriage, it is she who evolves as she copes with being a parent and with his philandering. This movie portrays what happens to women who enter relationships as innocents, who deal fairly and faithfully with their husbands, only to be done dirt. Had this movie been made twenty years later, we may have seen Joanna progress to a life without Mark and perhaps claim her own identity separate from his. The only movie contemporary to "Two for the Road" that deals realistically with a woman being trapped in a marriage with a cheating spouse is "The Happy Ending" with Audrey's contemporary, the underrated Jean Simmons. I think that "Two for the Road" kind of craps out at the very end by simply devolving into a madcap Swinging 60s frolic, as we see the characters kiss and make up and ride off into their high-end Euro trash sunset.

I read in Danny Peary's "A Guide for the Film Fanatic" that some people have formed a strong emotional attachment to this 1967 film. I am one of them. From the opening notes of Henry Mancini's evocative score (personally I think it's his best work) to the end where the main characters drive off into Italy after some verbal sparring, this movie still provides the same pleasure it did when I first saw it on TV in the early seventies. "Two for the Road" is a time capsule of Carnaby Street fashion and French new wave scene juxtaposition, but it remains timeless in its emotionally piercing view of marriage and in the beguiling presence of Audrey Hepburn. There will unlikely be an actress with more style or grace on screen, and never has she seemed more sexy, playful or innately human. It's a shame she never played a role as rich in texture as Frederic Raphael's script provides here. His dialogue is sharp and insightful, as he has the main characters often repeat one another for the sake of getting a different meaning from the same line of dialogue.

As Joanna and Mark Wallace, Hepburn and Albert Finney get to live out more than a decade in their characters' lives from initial meeting to near-divorce. What makes the evolution more impressive is that the story is not a linear narrative but rather a series of five road trips that volley the viewer back and forth in the relationship. Finney provides a formidable match for Hepburn, and he plays with the right mix of roguish insouciance and insecure ambition that doesn't make his character always likable but certainly believable. Their chemistry is palpable, especially in the early days of their courtship as the movie makes hitchhiking the most romantic of adventures with the couple cutting through the entirety of France in various vehicles in record time. Only in the movies. The episode with the pretentious American tourist couple and their bratty daughter provides some biting and funny moments...ironically, the actress portraying the wife, Eleanor Bron, is British. Not surprising that this movie was not such a huge hit stateside since the four Americans in the movie are portrayed in such an unflattering light.

Regardless, credit needs to go to director Stanley Donen (himself an American), who somehow pulls all these disparate elements together and uses his extensive Hollywood experience to bring a nice glossy sheen to the whole film. His third collaboration with Hepburn (after "Funny Face" and "Charade") really turns into a tribute to her as she makes a remarkable transformation from naïve choirgirl to jaded jet-set housewife that goes well beyond the changing hairstyles and clothing. This is one to treasure.

This wondrous film has been lovingly restored for its much-delayed DVD release. The print quality has been significantly improved over the VHS tape I've had for over a decade. A nice bonus feature is a split-screen before-and-after short that shows the visual improvement. Best of all, there is finally an audio commentary track to accompany the film, and Donen provides illuminating insight on the elliptical narrative structure and the non-chronological juxtaposition of the scenes. He explains that the characters are reliving their memories by association with the feelings they are having in the present. His adoration of Hepburn is pervasive and understandable, as he claims rightfully that this was her best performance (they worked together three times). I just wish Finney was available to add his perspective. Moreover, if you ever wondered why the young Jacqueline Bisset's voice doesn't sound like her at all, he admits she was re-dubbed by another actress due to the blaring noise of generators during the location shooting. She apparently had already moved on to shoot her first Hollywood film. For those like me who adore this film, the DVD is a must-buy.

Thank God that Audrey Hepburn made this film before slipping off into an extended temporary retirement. Was she too old for this movie? Not for the segments that deal with the latter part of the married relationship. The movie spans eleven years and, yes, it is a bit of a visual stretch to see a 37 year old Audrey portraying a 22 year old college woman, but her performance throughout was nothing short of brilliant. This film was a tremendous departure for her. In Two for the Road she does not play the part of the doe-eyed delicate creature of her earlier movies. She even abandoned, reluctantly, her trademark Givenchy wardrobe to sink her teeth into a gritty, visceral part. Many critics of the time remarked on its art house appeal, due in large part to the back and forth sequence editing and the clever juxtaposition of similarities, parallels and contrasts in scenes spanning eleven years. The film must have been incredibly fresh and jarring in its day, abandoning a linear narrative approach to the history of a marriage. Even today it comes across as very "contemporary." Albert Finney delivers an equally strong performance. There is genuine chemistry between Finney and Hepburn. The viewer sees all that is wonderful and horrible about the dynamics of a couple that comes to realize that despite mutual infidelity they still love each other and belong to one another.

This film tells the story of a married couple, played by Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn, who have been married for a decade and are experiencing a rough patch in their marriage. The events of their ten-year marriage unfold through a series of non-linear flashbacks and present day scenes. I felt that the non-linear storytelling format was perfect for this film. A longtime marriage is a relationship that evolves over the course of time. A couple who has been together forever will have experienced happy times, trying times, sad times, etc.

We see Finney and Hepburn meet in the 1950s when Hepburn was traveling with the choir. We see them fall in love. Later, we see the happy couple on their honeymoon. Then we see the couple bickering about children and infidelity. During the more blissful days of their relationship, Finney and Hepburn have modest means. The present day scenes show Finney as a successful architect and he and Hepburn are living the high life. However, Hepburn is very distant and cold to her husband. With money, the couple is unhappy. In one of the present day scenes, Hepburn and Finney are lounging on a beach and conversing very tersely with one another. This scene is juxtaposed with a flashback sequence showing the couple on the same beach but having fun--a very different experience than what they're having now. There are quite a few scenes that show Finney and Hepburn returning to old haunts only to have a completely different experience than they had prior. For some people, these old rendezvous spots may elicit some type of nostalgic feeling, albeit a happy or bittersweet feeling. In Two For the Road, I get the sense that the flashback sequences are all looking back on a relationship with a feeling of sadness.

In Two For the Road, I get the sense that both Finney and Hepburn are unhappy because they don't feel that passion that they used to have and their relationship has become very routine. No longer are they spending the night randomly in concrete construction pipes or frolicking on the French Riviera countryside. Now Finney has a career. Finney and Hepburn are parents to a little girl. From the present day scenes in the film, I get the sense that both parties are bored with one another and are looking for something to spice up the relationship.

As an aside, I loved Hepburn's costumes in this film. Her present day, 1967 wardrobe was especially fun and I loved her giant sunglasses. Hepburn wore a variety of hairstyles in this film, which aided in informing the viewer which era of Finney and Hepburn's relationship they are viewing. In the early days of the relationship (mid-1950s), Hepburn wears her hair in a very prim fashion, a bob with bangs and a headband. Later, before she and Finney have their daughter, she has her hair long and straight. When their daughter arrives, Hepburn's hair is a short bob. Later, in the present day, she sports a very chic, very hip, short hairstyle.

I really enjoyed Two For a Road for it's realistic look at a couple who have experienced many ups and downs in their ten year union.

In 1967, Audrey Hepburn had gotten into the "swing" of things by being with Peter O'Toole in "How to steal a million" and did not want to go back to being in flops like "paris when it sizzles" or wearing the same old Givenchy clothes. In this film you see a change in her, a new haircut, clothes from the grooviest designers of Mod London and elsewhere like Mary Quant and Paco Rabanne, you see her eat! eating casually bread, grapes;making funny noises,etc. you actually see her having fun in this picture.She plays Joanna Wallace who with her husband played beautifully by Albert Finney reflect on the good times and the bad times of their twelve-year marriage.This film is must see because it goes beyond the happy ending and into actually imitating life where marriage is not always perfect. where marriage has fights and arguments and sometimes infidelity and hurt but love usually conquers all.must see.