On January 20th 1993, one of the world’s most iconic actresses passed away. Audrey Hepburn was a shining star in the world of film; so gracious, so beautiful, so talented, and so beloved by people all over the world. This January marks 24 years since she passed on, so as a tribute, I’ll be reviewing five of her films leading up to the 20th. They won’t be in chronological order, but they’ll all be in awe of this amazing woman. First up, is 1966’s Two for the Road, in which she stars alongside Albert Finney as a couple who’s marriage has become bitter and unhappy, and the film chronicles the 12 years leading up to their dismay.
Two for the Road is a tough film to get into; as it starts, the editing is very choppy, a problem that doesn’t persist throughout the film, but does rear it’s head once or twice, but no more so than this opening which just feels very random. It takes a second to find your footing with it, but once you do, the film gets gradually better from then on. The film cross cuts between several different points in their life together, usually contrasting their happy memories with more bitter ones, and often involving the same places, vehicles, people etc. and it’s done so well. The scene transitions after the opening are seamless and very inventive, and it gives the film a nice pace and allows you to keep up with everything that’s happening so it’s very easy to compare on memory to another and see where things are going wrong.
It really reminds me of Blue Valentine in that respect; granted, Two for the Road is nowhere near as crippling or haunting as Blue Valentine, and the similarities aren’t exactly uncanny, but it’s that core idea of a marriage being in a bad place and contrasting with happy, totally different memories of when they first met that leads me to wonder if Derek Cianfrance drew inspiration from this classic. As far as performances go, the lead pair are wonderful; admittedly, Finney’s performance takes a bit of getting used to, but ultimately it’s strong, and Hepburn is as divine as ever.
They both switch between totally loveable and completely unbearable, and as a result, you never really take sides. You can always see it from both perspectives, giving you a nice objective view of the whole thing. There’s rarely a right or wrong in their situations, as they are both complex characters with all sorts of needs and desires that aren’t being met, and thanks to these great performances and stellar writing, both characters feel very real. In fact, just about every character has a big effect on the film. 90% of the time, the other characters are an absolute nuisance to this couple, and they are all grating and annoying, to the point where the audience is feeling the same frustration as our leads and it really helps involve them within the film.
Two for the Road does take a short while to get going, but once it does, it’s really magnificent. Be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of our Audrey Hepburn reviews, and join us in celebrating her wonderful career.