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Two for the Road

Director: Stanley Donen
Writer: Frederic Raphael
Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney, Eleonor Bron, William Daniels, Gabrielle Middleton, Claude Dauphin, Jacqueline Bisset
Music by: Henry Mancini
Photography: Christopher Challis
Runtime: 111 min.
Year: 1967

About: The ten-year marriage of Mark and Joanna Wallace is on the rocks. In flashback they recall their first meeting, memorable moments in their courtship and early wedded life, their travels through Europe, their broken vow never to have children, and their increasing tensions that led to both of them having extra-marital affairs.

Trivia:
¤ Audrey narrowly missed getting an Oscar nomination for this film. The Academy had to choose between her performances in this film and in "Wait Until Dark" and chose the latter.
¤ Several biographies of Hepburn state she was very nervous shooting her first nude scenes for this film, particularly a skinny dipping sequence. If such a scene was shot, it didn't end up in the final print.
¤ Paul Newman and Michael Caine were Stanley Donen's first two choices for the role of Mark.
¤ Hepburn and Finney were required to "direct" themselves in several sequences where they were shown inside of a moving automobile. They pushed the camera's buttons while director Stanley Donen rode alongside them in another car.
¤ Jacqueline Bisset is partially dubbed by another actress. Soon after filming, Bisset received a role in a major Hollywood film. She left England and was therefore unavailable when it came time to re-dub some of her lines.
¤ Audrey was Donen's first and only choice for the role of Joanna. When he sent her a treatment, she turned it down because the avant-guard style of filmmaking didn't appeal to her, as she had already done one like it before that hadn't been successful (it was probably "Paris - When It Sizzles"). When he tried again and sent her a whole script, she loved it and agreed to do it.
¤ Hepburn was afraid of water, so the scene in which Mark throws Joanna into the water had to be done with some divers standing just barely outside the camera range. One take was ruined because the diver jumped in too save Audrey too quickly.
¤ Henry Mancini said that although the scoring was the most difficult in his career, the music he composed for this movie was always his favorite.
¤ lots of critics claims that this was the best role in Audrey's career.

Awards:
Oscars: nominations: Best Writing - Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen.
Golden Globes: nominations: Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical/Comedy (Audrey Hepburn), Best Original Score.
BAFTA: nominations: Best British Screenplay.
San Sebastián International Film Festival: Golden Seashell

         

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