Do they make something wonderful out of being alive?

Yes. I'm still in love with this movie. Totally in my top 5.

(500) Days of Summer/Two for the Road

I know I've mentioned this a few times on this blog, but I love Two for the Road (1967). It's a decade-long story of a couple told in vacation flashbacks. It splits time between several flashbacks, showing us the happy beginning, the middling middle, and the awful present. We know that the marriage is having trouble from the start of the film, and every look back in the relationship tells us why.

(500) Days of Summer does much the same thing. We know from the start that the couple in question isn't going to end up together. The film goes mostly chronologically with two starting points: the giddy beginning of the relationship and the post-break-up losses. The two storylines are intercut together to create the sort of perspective that only a bigger picture can give.

While Two For the Road, I feel, gives us a better look from the romantically-minded female perspective on the relationship, (500) Days of Summer gives us the romantically-minded male perspective. Joanna and Tom both fall in love quickly and fully invest themselves into their respective relationships. Maybe they should get together so neither of them will be let down by their less invested counterparts.

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Joanna (Audrey Hepburn) enjoying their road trip together as their car starts to catch fire.

Incredibly, the two films end on hopeful notes. Two for the Road ends with Joanna (Audrey Hepburn) and Mark (Albert Finney) accepting that they're a permanent fixture and complement each other well (exchanging the magical "Bitch" and "Bastard"of affection). (500) Days of Summer shows us Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finding peace with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) marrying another guy and starting over again (giving us a fun 4th wall-breaking look to the camera).

With humor and retrospective wisdom, these two films give a larger picture of what a relationship is like--not just an anticiption of one--and even tell us it's worth it. Now if only real life would allow me to dance to Hall and Oates in the middle of the park.

Medley of the Day: Audrey Hepburn edition

I rewatched Breakfast at Tiffany's for the first time this week since the epic weekend freshman year that I watched it 3 times. Just a reminder: that movie is crazy! Trying to reconciled Truman Capote's quirky characters with the prudish cinema of the early 60s is a bit humorous, although they still get some naughty stuff in. Anyway, I realized that Breakfast at Tiffany's is not my favorite Hepburn film. She's so much more than just a flighty scared girl with fabulous fashion sense.

Here's a medley of scenes from other great Hepburn films.

This is a scene from The Nun's Story (1959). The film centers around--surprisingly--the story of a nun. It's a straight forward film that never doubt's the nun's sincerity for the work. I appreciate that this is a film without a love story or without malice for religion. It's simply a respectful tale of a nun and how she deals with taking vows, keeping those vows, and following her passion for science without being prideful. Although not as exciting as The Sound of Music, it's still a nun finding her own way in life. The whole thing is on YouTube, but this section perfectly shows what a restrained performance Hepburn gives. You see her struggle with her desire to stay in the Congo and also her sweet relationship with the doctor she assists once she falls ill.



Confession: I don't like My Fair Lady. It so long and Rex Harrison grates on my nerves. And while Audrey Hepburn is fun and humorous, it just gets boring after a while. I guess I should give it another try, but I'm pretty sure Funny Face will always win out for me. It's fluff entertainment, but the combination of Kay Thompson, Fred Astaire, and Audrey Hepburn is just comfortable and charming. Here's Hepburn herself singing the Gershwin classic "How Long Has This Been Going On" in Funny Face:



I've talked about Two for the Road before, but I can't tell you how much I love this film and how much I wish more people would see it. In terms of Hepburn's acting (and Albert Finney), I'll quote myself:

The most impressive thing about the film is how well Hepburn and Finney create a different tone to each segment while maintaining solid chemistry. They have to play young lovers, excited newlyweds, and exhausted cynics. Hepburn shows the change in her character with heartbreaking commitment. Both the actress and the character are fully invested in the role and relationship. Hepburn never looked so natural and spunky; she shows a sincere girl next door quality that she never truly achieves in other films like My Fair Lady or Sabrina. Finney's character is charming throughout, grudgingly revealing sparks of pure emotion between the usual sarcasm and feigned seriousness. These two working together is magical. Few romances are lucky enough to have both leads be so charming and convincing, but Two for the Road has two very charismatic actors excellently playing their parts.

This is the concluding scene of the film. I don't think it really gives anything away, since the film kind of meanders to this point. In case you're confused, all the different cars and outfits connect to a certain road trip that was shown throughout the film. I submit that the conclusion of this film is a big rival for Casablanca as the best ending of a movie ever.

Two for the Road

I first encountered Two for the Road early one summer morning when I was procrastinating finding a job and the parents were out of the house. It was magical moment when I turned the channel to AMC as the movie began, and I was instantly hooked by the stylized credits and the draw of Audrey Hepburn; I knew I would love this movie.

Last night at 2am I watched the movie again. It had been a a good 8ish months since I'd last seen it, and I was craving something tragically romantic in my insomniac state. I always find the best romances are the ones that hurt to watch (no, this does not count 27 Dresses, PS I Love You, A Walk to Remember, et al). Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but this is still a great film.

Two for the Road tracks the relationship between Joanna (Audrey Hepburn and her sunglasses) and Mark (Albert Finney and his rakish-est) through a series of flashbacks of road trips they've taken together. The present day trip that begins and ends the film shows the couple several years into their marriage and cynical. They begin reminiscing about how they got to this point in their relationship: we see the trips where they first met, traveled with Mark's ex-girlfriend from the States with husband and annoying child in stow, had fun and playful trip full of mishaps, and traveled child of their own. The vacations are shown in a seemingly stream of consciousness pattern, with only image matching and emotional connection/contrast to connect them (Hepburn's hair plays a key role in orienting the viewer to the time period, thank goodness).

The most impressive thing about the film is how well Hepburn and Finney create a different tone to each segment while maintaining solid chemistry. They have to play young lovers, excited newlyweds, and exhausted cynics. Hepburn shows the change in her character with heartbreaking commitment. Both the actress and the character are fully invested in the role and relationship. Hepburn never looked so natural and spunky; she shows a sincere girl next door quality that she never truly achieves in other films like My Fair Lady or Sabrina. Finney's character is charming throughout, grudgingly revealing sparks of pure emotion between the usual sarcasm and feigned seriousness. These two working together is magical. Few romances are lucky enough to have both leads be so charming and convincing, but Two for the Road has two very charismatic actors excellently playing their parts.

For all its cynicism, the film really breathes of optimistic romance. To get to the end, the audience endures heartrending drama broken up by bouts of physical comedy and flirtation that keeps Two for the Road from ever becoming painfully realistic. The middle of the film drags when it focuses for extended periods on some of the flashbacks, but the character's charm lasts throughout bringing us safely to the conclusion that leaves us somewhat happy--or at least comfortable with where we've gotten.