criterionforum.org

Two for the Road



One of the great fims 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.

After so many studio-system smash-hits, Two for the Road marked a reckoning for director Donen — which went on to influence directors like Jacques Rivette for its portrayal of a couple in interaction and its keen sense of duration across the length of their time together. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Stanley Donen's Two for the Road for the first time on Blu-ray in a Dual Format edition.

DUAL FORMAT RELEASE INCLUDING BLU-RAY AND DVD VERSIONS OF THE FILM

• New 1080p presentation of the film (on Blu-ray) in its original aspect ratio with a progressive encode on the DVD
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Feature-length commentary with director Stanley Donen
• Interview with critic Frederic Raphael
• 32-PAGE BOOKLET featuring writing on the film by critic Jessica Felrice, and rare archival imagery

Extremely exciting news and somehow a title that hasn't been released by Fox or any of Fox's licensors on Blu-ray. Really interesting early use of non-linear storytelling and Finney and Hepburn are fantastic

manicsounds wrote:DVDBeaver

I'll be sticking with my Region 1 DVD. The comparisons, despite what the reviewer may think, show the DVD to be clearly more natural, particularly the skin tones.

Really appreciate the review which has saved me some money.

I think you might need your monitor calibrating or a visit to the opticians.

I thought this was fine about ten years ago, but it really resonated with me having been through a handful of failed relationships, and a bit more jaded and nostalgic in my 30s. The question mark of if the pain is worth the joy is admirably left rhetorical, and the 'games' they're often playing that simultaneously reveal some pertinent information of their idiosyncratic attraction between the lines while keeping us -and the other partner- at a distance of mystery, is so right-on to the experiential surge we have on the ride of vying to access the wants and needs of our greatest love in any given moment. The manipulation of temporal narrative layering mirrored moments across time is also a very realistic depiction of how memory stacks and of its fluid processing of internal comparison for many of our reflection patterns. Sign me up as a convert of this romance film that dares to venture to the polarities of euphoric celebration and cynical pathos, demanding we see them as integral and not mutually exclusive to an epoch of love.

I never bothered to buy this before its OOP Fox/Disney sitch, but I'm going to take the plunge now, and I'm reading that the TT may actually be the superior release due to a second commentary. Does anyone have an opinion one way or the other on the optimal blu release out there?

I've always liked this film (and is actually one of the few titles I've double-dipped on) I would say that the TT and the Masters of Cinema
are pretty identical in terms of detail, but personally I lean towards the Masters of Cinema as it has better contrast (at least when watching
it projected) and both discs have Stanley Donen's commentary. I had the good fortune to meet him a few years back when he was introducing
the film at the Harvard Film Archive, and it seemed (to me) that this was a personal favorite.

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 4:23 pm I never bothered to buy this before its OOP Fox/Disney sitch, but I'm going to take the plunge now, and I'm reading that the TT may actually be the superior release due to a second commentary. Does anyone have an opinion one way or the other on the optimal blu release out there?

I own both the Eureka and Twilight Time discs and they're practically identical in-motion picture quality wise. Bare in mind that the MoC disc has been OOP since earlier last year and the TT is still reasonably priced both at Screen Archives and secondhand.

Thanks for the responses, I did see that the TT was going for slightly less on third-party sites, and normally I'd go for the MoC but that extra commentary with Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman, if worth a listen, might be the selling point. However, that's weighing against the Frederic Raphael interview and the Felrice essay in the MoC booklet, so I'm really at a loss for how vital those extras are...

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 5:48 pm Thanks for the responses, I did see that the TT was going for slightly less on third-party sites, and normally I'd go for the MoC but that extra commentary with Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman, if worth a listen, might be the selling point. However, that's weighing against the Frederic Raphael interview and the Felrice essay in the MoC booklet, so I'm really at a loss for how vital those extras are...

It's been a while since I listened to the TT-exclusive commentary but I remember thinking it was fine (I will say "the selling point" might depend on how much you like Julie Kirgo). The Raphael interview and the Felrice essay are both okay. Either way, both discs include the most important extra with Donen's commentary.

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 4:23 pm I thought this was fine about ten years ago, but it really resonated with me having been through a handful of failed relationships, and a bit more jaded and nostalgic in my 30s. The question mark of if the pain is worth the joy is admirably left rhetorical, and the 'games' they're often playing that simultaneously reveal some pertinent information of their idiosyncratic attraction between the lines while keeping us -and the other partner- at a distance of mystery, is so right-on to the experiential surge we have on the ride of vying to access the wants and needs of our greatest love in any given moment. The manipulation of temporal narrative layering mirrored moments across time is also a very realistic depiction of how memory stacks and of its fluid processing of internal comparison for many of our reflection patterns. Sign me up as a convert of this romance film that dares to venture to the polarities of euphoric celebration and cynical pathos, demanding we see them as integral and not mutually exclusive to an epoch of love.

I never bothered to buy this before its OOP Fox/Disney sitch, but I'm going to take the plunge now, and I'm reading that the TT may actually be the superior release due to a second commentary. Does anyone have an opinion one way or the other on the optimal blu release out there?

I'll definitely have to revisit this one. As a recent divorcee I can definitely say a lot of films hit me in a more profound way these days (the most recent example being Girl With Green Eyes the other night!