Two For The Road

TWO FOR THE ROAD [1967 / 2015] [Masters of Cinema] [Blu-ray + DVD] [UK Release]
They Make Something Wonderful Out Of Being Alive!

One of the great films by Stanley Donen [‘Singin' in the Rain’ and ‘Charade’] after the studio era had come to a close, ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ was a break-off with the old system, one which allowed Stanley Donen to further stretch his art, aided by screenwriter Frederic Raphael [Stanley Kubrick's ‘Eyes Wide Shut’], in this tale of a couple voluntarily stretching themselves through the long period of their relationship.

Portrayed in fragments that span the couple's time together in marriage, ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ runs the course of a relationship between Mark Wallace [Albert Finney] and Joanne Wallace [Audrey Hepburn] that finds a circumstantial come-together escalate into newlywed-status and, through a series of travails, into the serious situation of bearing a daughter. The disturbance of marriage, and/or life, is chronicled from here on.

After so many studio-system smash-hits, ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ marked a reckoning for director Stanley Donen which went on to influence directors like Jacques Rivette for its portrayal of a couple in interaction and its keen sense of duration across the length of their time together. The “Masters of Cinema” Series is proud to present Stanley Donen's ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ for the first time on Blu-ray + DVD in a Dual Format edition.

FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1967 San Sebastián International Film Festival: Win: Golden Seashell for Stanley Donen. 1967 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Merit Scroll: Win: Best British Comedy Screenplay for Frederic Raphael. 1967 Writers' Guild of Great Britain Merit Scroll: Win: Best British Original Screenplay for Frederic Raphael. 1968 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Screenplay for Frederic Raphael. 1968 BAFTA® Film Awards: Nominated: Best British Screenplay for Frederic Raphael. 1968 Cinema Writers Circle Awards: Win: Best Foreign Film for Mejor Película Extranjera. 1968 Directors Guild of America Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Stanley Donen. 1968 Golden Globe® Awards: Nominated: Best Motion Picture Actress for Audrey Hepburn. 1968 Golden Globe® Awards: Nominated: Best Original Score for Henry Mancini.

FILM FACT No.2: Cars featured in the film, being driven by the couple or ridden in by them, include a white Mercedes-Benz 230SL roadster, an MG TD, a Triumph Herald, an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint coupé, VW Microbus, and a Ford Country Squire; the cars are often used to re-establish the time period after a jump. In one scene in the film, Audrey Hepburn appears dressed in a shiny black PVC trouser suit that was designed by Paco Rabanne. According to 20th Century Fox records, the film needed to earn $8,950,000 in rentals to break even and made $7,200,000, meaning it made a loss.

Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney, Eleanor Bron, William Daniels, Gabrielle Middleton, Claude Dauphin, Nadia Gray, Georges Descrières, Jacqueline Bisset, Judy Cornwell, Irène Hilda, Dominique Joos, Karyn Balm (uncredited), Yves Barsacq (uncredited), Kathy Chelimsky (uncredited), Roger Dann (uncredited), Olga Georges-Picot (uncredited), Clarissa Hillel (uncredited), Jacques Hilling (uncredited), Cathy Jones (uncredited), Joanna Jones (uncredited), Jean-François Lalet (uncredited), Robert Le Béal (uncredited), Paul Mercey (uncredited), Albert Michel (uncredited), Libby Morris (uncredited), Denise Péron (uncredited), Sophia Torkely (uncredited), Hélène Tossy (uncredited), Carol van Dyke (uncredited), Mario Verdon (uncredited), Patricia Viterbo (uncredited) and Joanna Vogel (uncredited)

Director: Stanley Donen

Producers: Stanley Donen and James H. Ware

Screenplay: Frederic Raphael

Composer: Henry Mancini

Cinematography: Christopher Challis, B.S.C., F.R.P.S. (Director of Photography)

Image Resolution: 1080p (Color by DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Panavision)

Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio

Subtitles: English SDH

Running Time: 111 minutes

Region: Region B/2

Number of discs: 2

Studio: 20th Century Fox / EUREKA! Entertainment Ltd

Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ is a slightly forgotten film by Stanley Donen [‘Singin’ in the Rain;’ ‘Bedazzled’ and ‘Charade’], which has been re-released by EUREKA! Entertainment Ltd, in their Masters of Cinema series. It stars Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn and both have rarely been better.

Mark Wallace [Albert Finney] is a well off architect who is married to Joanne Wallace [Audrey Hepburn] in a relationship which is obviously on the rocks. Through a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards the stories of how they fell in love, fell out of love, and got back together are shown. The film is mostly set in parts of Northern France, and more often than not is set on the same road but at different points in their relationship.

It was an interesting period for Hollywood when ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ came out; films like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and ‘Point Blank’ were murdering the classic Hollywood studio system. I think Stanley Donen saw this and decided to make a film which partly owed itself to some of the work from the “French New Wave,” but simultaneously worked as a mainstream romantic comedy. It was also the first big film that Albert Finney did for an American Studio; he had great success a couple years earlier with the film ‘Tom Jones’ (and no this is not about the Welsh male singer). Audrey Hepburn obviously was a massive iconic film star, but even by 1967 Audrey Hepburn star was fading sadly and she only acted in 5 more films in the next 25 years.

Frederic Raphael, who had a massive success with the film ‘Darling’ starring Julie Christie and Frederic Raphael won the Oscar® for it, and wrote the screenplay for ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD.’ It has been said that the interactions between Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn are based on Frederic Raphael own relationship with his wife, and it certainly has a feel of an authentic real life romance. Frederic Raphael deservingly was nominated for an Oscar® for the script. Elsewhere, Henry Mancini's film score brings a welcome balance of upbeat and melancholy aural lubrication to this tale of rocky romance, and the composer confessed that his title track was his all-time favourite of his compositions. The super-stylised opening titles, which use simple road-side iconography to foreshadow the bumpy ride ahead, were designed by Maurice Binder, fresh off creating Bond's signature gun barrel logo.

Christopher Challis did the cinematography for the film and he learned his trade being a camera operator for Powell & Pressburger, eventually graduating to becoming their Director of Photography and Stanley Donen was so pleased to have this very professional cinematographer, as he felt he did a really beautiful job, and he was also the utmost professional on this film. Martin Scorsese once said of Christopher Challis, “Christopher Challis brought a vibrancy to the celluloid palette that was entirely his own, and which helped make Britain a leader in that long, glorious period of classic world cinema.” Christopher Challis’s innovative work is on glorious display in ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD.’ The cinematography of the French landscape just pops out of your screen with the new Hi-Def 1080p transfer. Suffice to say that ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ proves a very welcome addition to the Masters of Cinema series and will be an often revisited title in my collection. The new 1080p presentation of the film does a fantastic job.

Probably one of the greatest depictions on marriages in cinema, ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ is a film that grows on you every time you watch it. A brilliantly composed, choreographed, filmed, written and performed film, it remains one of the most bittersweet films in cinema. Highly underrated however, it is a shame this excellent feature never gets regular showings on the television. There's a terrific thing you find new every time you watch it. For one thing, Henry Mancini's film score is one of the most hauntingly lyrical tunes in film. Audrey Hepburn gives one of her most brilliant performances and in the lead role opposite the amazing Albert Finney, she is absolutely riveting and fabulous, an indescribably inspirational performance. The chemistry they share is just too perfect too miss and Stanley Donen's directing is just amazingly colourful, modern and wonderful. Frederick Raphael's script is also one of the most memorable of the 1960's cinema.

Blu-ray Image Quality – EUREKA! Entertainment Ltd is the very first company worldwide to present ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ with a stunning 1080p encoded image Blu-ray disc, and they have done a remarkable job with it and especially with an equally impressive 2.35:1 [Panavision] aspect ratio. The transfer is totally gorgeous, pin sharp, but not overly so, still carrying a bit of the softness one would find in a Color by DeLuxe print from this era. The colours are captivating, but far from oversaturated; grain is beautifully subdued, lending a hint of texture and detail. I didn’t notice any damage whatsoever, nor is there any overt or intrusive digital enhancement. It looks like viewing a film print without the need of a projector, so well done Eureka Entertainment Ltd for a brilliant effort all round. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.

Blu-ray Audio Quality – EUREKA! Entertainment Ltd brings us a 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio experience. Henry Mancini's beautiful score has a very important role in the film that makes it an even more enjoyable experience. Thankfully, there is a good range of nuanced dynamics that allow it to effectively enhance some of the more delicate sequences. The film music score is also very well balanced with the dialogue with dynamic intensity is very natural. Dialogue is exceptionally crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. So well done again EUREKA! Entertainment Ltd for a brilliant effort all round.

Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:

New 1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray in its original aspect ratio with a progressive encode on the DVD.

Audio Commentary with director Stanley Donen: Here we get to hear an unknown announcer informing us about the legendary director Stanley Donen who has been one of the most influential filmmakers in American cinema for over 40 years or more. Stanley Donen was born on 13th April, 1924 in Columbia, South Carolina and is an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are ‘Singin' in the Rain’ and ‘On the Town,’ both of which he co-directed with actor and dancer Gene Kelly. Stanley Donen got started in show business as a dancer and made his Broadway debut in the chorus for the show “Pal Joey” and of course starring alongside him was Gene Kelly. They both collaborated in the show “Best Foot Forward” in 1941, and eventually that show was adapted for the screen starring Lucille Ball and Harry James. Then other films followed like ‘Cover Girl’ and ‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game,’ but made his directorial debut with the film ‘ON THE TOWN,’ which of course had his old friend Gene Kelly in the film. Stanley Donen other noteworthy films he directed included ‘Royal Wedding;’ ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers;’ ‘Funny Face;’ ‘Indiscreet;’ ‘Damn Yankees!;’ ‘Charade’ and ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD.’ Stanley Donen received an Honorary Academy Award in 1998 for his body of work and a Career Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival in 2004. He was hailed by film critic David Quinlan as “the King of the Hollywood musicals.” Stanley Donen also went onto make other films, that included ‘Movie Movie’ and ‘Blame It On Rio.’ Stanley Donen has been married five times and had three children. Stanley Donen current long term partner is film director and comedian Elaine May. ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ was shunned by critics and the American public at its output, which understood nothing or did not wish to understand anything and its convoluted scenario; this is a genuine masterpiece that for a long time was totally underrated. The film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ directed by Stanley Donen is willingly to confess that ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ was one of his all-time favourite film. “No time was to be the reference of the film. Everything was present” commented Stanley Donen. The assembly partially allowed this delicate operation. Any excuse to string one era to another: a passing car, falling rain, ice, replicas that echo. Stanley Donen also comments on the problems with recording the sound on location, because the equipment was so bulky and heavy when they made the film, as they also had to use loads of generators and made filming very difficult, compared to what equipment is used today’s modern filming techniques. Also because recording on locations was also very difficult, they had to do post syncing the sound later on, especially with Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney, and some problems with the other actors. When we meet the character of the British actress Eleanor Bron, Stanley Donen tells the story of the first time he met Eleanor Bron for an interview, and wondered and asked Eleanor Bron if she could manage an American accent, and Eleanor Bron said that she could do any kind of American accent and proceeded to go through all the American States with each regional accent and Stanley Donen was completely bowled over that a British actress could do so many American accents and of course got the part of Mrs. Cathy Manchester instantly and Stanley Donen also comments that he though the British actress Eleanor Bron was absolutely fantastic and also a very professional actress. As we progress through the film, especially when we get to the point in the film where Audrey Hepburn appears from behind the big red stop sign with the waving armatures, when Stanley Donen thought about this scene for the film, he asked his French team where he can get one for the film, they told him they do not have such items in France, so he had one made specially for the film. Stanley Donen talks about Audrey Hepburn’s clothes in the film and normally when Audrey Hepburn does any film, Audrey Hepburn always to have her clothes designed by a top designer like Hubert de Givenchy, but for this film Stanley Donen wanted bought clothes form a shop so as to be different, and Audrey Hepburn was at first against this, but in the end, Audrey should not of worried, as she looked stunning in the clothes in the film. Because Stanley Donen had seen one of the films that Frederick Raphael was involved with the screenplay, and so impressed was Stanley, that he invited Fredrick Raphael to the home he was living in in London at the time, to discuss the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ he wanted Frederick Raphael to do the screenplay. For ages they scouted around for a book that would suit them both and found nothing, eventually Frederick Raphael mentions that both him and his wife use to do a lot of driving holidays around France in a car and Stanley thought this was a brilliant idea, so when the script was finalised, Universals Pictures wanted to take it over 100%, but because Stanley Donen said that he wanted full control of the film, Universal Pictures pulled out of the deal, so unfortunately Stanley Donen was left in limbo and did not know what to do, but along came 20th Century Fox and Darryl F. Zanuck and rescued Stanley Donen and let him have full control of all aspect of the film and was so happy to now proceed to get the film off the ground. Stanley Donen had Audrey Hepburn under his contract for future films, when he sent Audrey the outline of the film; Audrey Hepburn turned him down, saying it was too complicated plot. So when the script was finally finished, Frederick Raphael and Stanley Donen flew to Switzerland to see Audrey Hepburn personally in her home and when Audrey Hepburn read all of the script and said that she loved it and was no eager to appear in the film and told Stanley Donen that she was wrong to turn down the part when he first sent her the outline and Stanley Donen was so happy that Audrey Hepburn gave him the thumbs up and he now feels that it was one of Audrey Hepburn’s best performance ever, as did the public. Stanley Donen also sent the script to Albert Finney, who initially was not interested, but after reading the script and seeing that Audrey Hepburn was opposite him in the film, he too gave it the thumbs up to agree to be in the film, and Stanley Donen felt the two actors had great chemistry together. Stanley Donen talks about the first ever preview of the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ in Los Angeles, when the film started for the first 5 minutes there was hardly any sound and so Stanley Donen and Darryl F. Zanuck started to panic, so they rushed up to the projection room and found twelve people desperately trying to get the sound working, so as he feared it was a complete disaster, so Stanley Donen had to abandon this first preview and so the next night they finally had his first preview, but we never find out what the audience thought of the film. Stanley Donen also praises the Henry Mancini film music score, but informs us when Henry Mancini did his first film score; he sent a recording to Stanley Donen and on hearing thought it was not suitable, so Stanley Donen ask Henry Mancini to compose a new score and when Stanley Donen heard it, he said it was perfect and this is the music you hear throughout the film. Stanley Donen feels that the film music score for this film is the best work that Henry Mancini has ever produced. As we slowly get to the end of the film, people has asked Stanley Donen if the film was planned the way it is presented on the screen and especially the way it was edited and Stanley Donen feels if you switch horses in midstream because of some complication, or otherwise you have not planned it properly, and in this picture seems to be an example of this scenario, and this is exactly as Stanley planned it. Stanley Donen states right at the end of the film’s audio commentary, that a number of people since this movie was made in 1967, have written to Stanley Donen, and stopped Stanley Donen in the street and come up to him knowing he directed the film and have said to Stanley, that the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ was probably the most important film in their lives and they also say to Stanley Donen, that they proposed and got married when they first saw the film the night before, and it has helped them to stay together, even though very difficult times, which was all because of seeing the film. People have said time after time that they felt the film was their own personal story, as it was so similar to their own life’s experiences and when couples have viewed this film, they both cry throughout the film, because it reminded it of ourselves and of course Stanley Donen feels that the film seems to touch people in a personal way more than any film that Stanley Donen has directed and he feels that there is something in this film that people believe in the characters in the film and again it has toughed their lives a great deal and of course Stanley Donen feels this is a very satisfying feeling and to think that this film has made some difference to people’s lives, just because he feels it is not just a film, but something truly special. So all in all, this audio commentary by Stanley Donen has been a really fantastic experience for me and a real eye opener in finding out what a joy it was for Stanley Donen personally in making this film and especially watching the film today since he directed the film in 1966, and I can tell you it has been one of the best audio commentaries I have heard in a very long time and it is not one you should miss and it definitely gets a five star rating from me.

Special Feature: Frederic Raphael: Souvenirs de Voyage(s) [2005] [480i] [1.37:1] [25:34] Frederic Raphael, screenwriter of the film, talks about his work with Stanley Donen, Actors, his work with the film crew . . . and on his own travels. Here we get a personal video interview with Frederic Raphael in his home in France. Here he talks to the interviewer in French and we have to put up with now and again English subtitles, because I suspect it was filmed for a French Television Special, but while we hear Frederick Raphael’s, you get in the back ground the theme music composed by Henry Mancini of the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD.’ Novelist and screenwriter Frederic Raphael has had his share of notoriety. He wrote the Oscar-winning script for the 1965 film ‘Darling’ and earned a nomination for penning Stanley Donen’s ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD.’ “When you write a book,” he adds, “there are the pages; they’re your pages. If that page is no good, you can change it. If the publisher doesn’t like it, you can get another one and bide your time. That never applies to screenwriting. However noble and clever it might be, it is a service rendered. It is never an autonomous act. That’s partly the horror of it and partly the charm.” Frederic Raphael says doing the screenplay for ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD,’ the intention was to show a modern marriage in which ideal people, in love, and ideally chic and successful, are not happy and is considered daring and possibly even subversive, enough by some groups for the ads to be marked “Recommended for mature audiences.” ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ does represent a change in American film morals and in the 1940s the errant partner would realise he had been wrong and the wife's supposed transgressions would turn out to have been illusory, merely a pretence to make her husband jealous); in ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD,’ both may violate their marriage vows, and no one is at fault. Frederic Raphael thought Albert Finney was like a young Cary Grant, who might have handled the light side of the role better, still couldn't make the script work. It's too bad that the ways in which this couple are shown to be ideal, are so falsely romantic as well as silly and cute, that the film would be far more true to itself if they were shown to be ideally happy. Like Albert Finney, Frederick Raphael was always losing his passport and his wife always came to his rescue and that is why Frederick Raphael decided to add this scenario into the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD.’ When we first meet the American family Mrs. Cathy Manchester [Eleanor Bron], Howard Manchester [William Daniels] and their brat of a child, and we find out that Frederick Raphael and his wife were hitchhiking around France, they had the exact same ghastly experience and felt this would be such a good idea to include this scenario in the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ to make the film more interesting, and as Frederick Raphael describes his involvement with the film, we get lots of highlight clips from the film, when Frederick Raphael is describing certain parts from the film he thought was interesting. Frederick Raphael still thinks ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ was a very good try; and that it is often very pretty, especially the French countryside and has sometimes very funny and hilarious moments. What's implicit in Frederick Raphael's script for ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD,’ as also in the film ‘Darling,’ is that there is a basic emptiness in the husband and wife, and in the institution of marriage? And in that dim way which is becoming fashionable in films, the writer communicates his sense of spiritual malaise as if it were the acrid truth and serious social comment. But the lovers seem shallow and empty not because of some terrible desiccating disease of our time but because he has taken them out of old films and has failed to give them any character. Frederick Raphael makes no effort to create characters that might develop this malaise; Frederick Raphael just assumes the whole society is infected, that we are all carriers, as if he thought we'd all been bitten by the bug of his sensibility. As ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ doesn't show the sources or nature of marital despair, it's quite plausible for audiences that are not familiar with the self-hatred and self-aggravation of that sensibility to assume that the couple would be happy if they weren't living so high, if the husband just didn't care so much about business and spent more time with his wife and remembered his daughter's name, the marriage might have been more fulfilling. What I found most irritating and annoying about this French interview, is that 99.9% Frederick Raphael spoke in French and we are supplied English subtitles, but they only give fleeting interpretations of what he is saying in French and not the whole interpretation of what the majority of him speaking in French about the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD,’ meaning it was only basic minimal English translation and you wonder why us Brits hate the French, as they have the arrogance of expecting us all to speak and understand the French language. So all in all I found this Frederick Raphael interview a totally and utterly a frustrating experience.

Theatrical Trailer [1967] [480i] [1.78:1] [2:14] This is the Original USA Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD.’ Despite this being very soft focus, it is still a great presentation.

BONUS: Beautifully designed 32 Page Booklet featuring a new 2015 essay on the film by critic Jessica Felrice entitled SIGNS ON THE ROAD AHEAD [AND BEHIND]” Plus NOTES ON VIEWING and BLU-RAY & DVD CREDITS. You also get to see lots of very rare archival imagery from the film ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD.’

Finally, the more I see and think about it, the more ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ just seems like, flat out, one of the unique and quirky films ever made, from a director and star that grew in my esteem more and more each year. What they do may look breezy or “light,” but the construction and execution is so carefully considered and so exacting that it’s little wonder so few other films compare and the director and the two main actors do what they do better than just about anybody ever did. ‘TWO FOR THE ROAD’ may be the best of them, capturing the moment when someone looks into your eyes and sees everything you’ve ever dreamed, and eventually what happens when you’re left searching for that look again. This is a film of great affection that not only delightful catches the exuberance of the mid-1960s but also the pains of growing old and maintaining the flame of love. By the end of the film, love remains precious, if not supreme. Highly Recommended!

Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado 
Le Cinema Paradiso 
United Kingdom