The ups and downs of a rocky marriage are charted in a series of road trips to the South of France taken by the couple over a 12-year period.
Two For The Road is an original screenplay by Frederic Raphael, who had recently won an Academy Award for writing the film Darling. Director Stanley Donen made his name with many now-classic musicals (Singin' in the Rain, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers), and had since tried his hand at various sophisticated comedy/drama and comedy/thriller hybrids.
Audrey Hepburn was Donen's first choice for the female lead, and she is joined by actor Albert Finney, who had already displayed his range in the recent British run of social-realism "kitchen sink" dramas, as well as the comedic farce Tom Jones. Behind the camera are veteran cinematographer Christoper Challis and composer Henry Mancini, who later claimed this score as his favorite.
The narrative conceit, unique for when it was made, was to fracture the story, jumping back and forth between different periods in the lives of the characters. To signify these distinct stages, Hepburn was given a dizzying number of hairstyles and outfits, and a roster of different car models are featured as well.
Some technical notes include a much higher cutting rate/shorter shot length than most films of the time, something that would become much more prevalent in years to come. To preserve the realism of the characters driving a car in real locations, cameras were attached to the outside of the vehicle and operated by the actors themselves.
While the film was well-reviewed and a moderate success, it was overshadowed by Hepburn's other film from the same year, the thriller Wait Until Dark. Raphael's screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award, and many consider this to be the most complex work of both Donen and Hepburn.
Running time is approx. 1 hr, 45 min.
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