One of the great films by Stanley Donen (Singin' in the Rain, 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 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 Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney) 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. It is just because Donen and his associates are seasoned craftsmen that they never stoop to the obvious. They make Two for the Road two things: a Hollywood-style romance between beautiful people, and an honest story about recognizable human beings. Donen, the last surviving notable director of Hollywood's Golden Age, turns 93 on April 13 and his one-of-a-kind love story/road movie celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
This screening of Two for the Road is made possible by a generous donation from the Harry & Mary Perrin Fund of the Coral Gables Community Foundation and hosted by Don & Jeannett Slesnick.
