Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 26-February-06
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Two for the Road (1967)

When you start watching "Two for the Road," you'll notice that multiple people are credited prominently for the wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn. This may seem odd at first, even when you remember that she was (is) closely associated with fashion, but as the story unfolds it becomes apparent that clothes help make the film. For "Two for the Road" uses a web of scenes to chronicle a 10-year marriage, and the characters' clothing serves to indicate where each piece fits into the nonlinear whole. Not only that, but Hepburn really was a knockout, so it makes sense to place her fab '60s costumes front and center with the movie's nifty cars and European settings.

As the title suggests, many important moments in the joint history of Joanna and Mark Wallace (Hepburn and Albert Finney) happen when they're away from home. The movie opens with them heading to France to meet a client of Mark's whom Joanna resents as embodying his immersion in work. (He's an architect.) The trip also gives them a chance to leave their daughter behind while deciding whether or not to divorce. As their conversation and the sights around them stir up memories, we get an overview of the problems that plague them: their adult responsibilities squelched their youthful abandon; she wanted a child and he didn't; she's always pursuing him while he retreats emotionally; he blames her for wanting too much from him and their life, etc. It all boils down to the concept that men are non-sentimental and predatory (in a sexual or economic way), while women are susceptible and want mainly to give love. I think this line is overused and overly simplistic (more so today than in 1967), but it's believable within this context.

Any film that begins with a couple in crisis and wants you to root for their continued partnership must supply a reason to do so, and too often it's because they're beautiful. ("Eyes Wide Shut" comes to mind.) The stars' gorgeousness is definitely a factor here, but each episode from the Wallaces' imperfect past also illustrates the force that might keep them together. On jaunts over hill and dale, by thumb and jalopy, to hotels and beaches, they enjoy many moments of laughter, adventure, and rockin' good sex, none of which should be taken lightly. The exuberant aspect of their relationship is accentuated by contrast with another couple with whom they share a week of vacation. In addition to over-the-top hilarity, the Manchesters (Eleanor Bron and William Daniels) present a picture of spouses who analyze every thought and emotion in an attempt to remove all bumps from the road they're traveling. There is absolutely no spark to their union, which makes them a prime target for ridicule.

Yet despite the screenplay's championing of spark, Mark must finally admit that the marriage derived from and enriched by pleasure has developed into something more: more complicated, more permanent, and more essential. "Two for the Road" implies that the fun of experiencing the world with someone else is the starting point to a journey that leads to real connection.

Copyright © 2006 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.