Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6636 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-07-19
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 111 minutes

Synopsis
After 12 years of marriage, British couple Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney find themselves wondering whether they should continue forward through life together or go their separate ways. Bickering and bliss get equal time as husband and wife remember the past in its sunny and stormy times, and this perceptive tale of the struggle to create and maintain a fulfilling marriage rings true in nearly every scene.
Seven years earlier, director Stanley Donen explored the stress fractures in marriage with Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, and Robert Mitchum in the marvellously keen dramatic comedy THE GRASS IS GREENER, and Donen returned to the subject again in the early 1980s in BLAME IT ON RIO with less empathy and more nudity. TWO FOR THE ROAD, however, has always been the most popular of this trio of films about marriage on the rocks, as Hepburn and Finney give winning performances of partners who love each other but aren't sure they're in love anymore. Screenwriter and novelist Frederic Raphael's sparkling screenplay gives the movie zest and poignancy. Hepburn's wardrobe was designed by Mary Quant and Paco Rabanne, while Sir Hardy Amies dressed Albert Finney.

Customer Reviews

One of the very best of Audrey Hepburn film's
This is a colourful, stylish and vibrant comedy-drama that,despite having a very 60's feel, certainly withstands the test of time beautifully. We finally see Audrey hepburn matched up with an equally young, handsome and charming co-star in Albert Finney, and the film is all the better for it. Donen expertly weaves a time-shifting plot along a 'road trip', and brings out the best in the two stars. Hepburn's bittersweet performance as the disillusioned wife is one of her most three-dimensional roles ever, and Finney shines his portrayal of a cocky but charming husband. The two together really do capture the ups and downs of a marriage, with all the passion and the fireworks along the way, and this film to this day remains as honest, realistic and as endearing as any that I can remember.
The third 'star' of the film is the incredible score from Henry Mancini, which is amongst the very best work he has ever done. It really is an example of how the score can really make a film special. Don't worry about the DVD transfer, ratios etc. When a film is this good, none of that stuff really matters. Go get it and enjoy one of the most cherished and timeless films of the 60's.

Underated Hepburn film. Well worth a second look.
This is a film that I admire more with each viewing, and without doubt deserves its cult status. It is true that the rather uneasy mix between whimsical comedy and the late 60's Euro-chic feel of the picture can seem at times, a bit dated; but Dolan's interpretation of the ups and downs and complexities of a modern marriage are spot on. Audrey Hepburn plays the charming Joanna who enjoys the luxuries that come with being a successful architect's wife, yet is not prepared to put up with the boredom of having a 'workaholic' husband. Albert Finney plays the bluff, arrogant and impossible husband she ends up with- who has at the same time, considerable charm of a type which makes their sudden marriage seem entirely plausible. A terrific score by Mancini, locations on the Cote d'Azur- and that dream machine of all time- the Mercedes Pagoda Top Convertible remind us all of those halycon holidays in the South of France that we may have had in the past, or would have liked to have had. Not to mention a tiny appearance by a young Jacqueline Bisset which led to her role in Truffaut's Day for Night. Above all, Fredric Raphael's sophisticated and witty screenplay underlines the fact that style and glamour in themselves remain superficial and that with all the will in the world, marriage ain't easy. Highly recommended.

A rarely seen classic
I saw this film recently and loved it. Until I found it on Amazon's site I'd never even heard of it. Audrey and her co-star Albert Finney both give wonderful performances. The film can be a bit confusing as it jumps frequently between various periods in their life together but it has a marvellous story and definitely bears repeated viewings. I have seen most of Audrey Hepburn's films and I rate this as one of her best-almost on a par with Breakfast at Tiffanys. This is a rarely seen classic and deserves to be better known.