The Journey (1959)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writer:

George Tabori (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 March 1959 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Budapest 1956. A group of Westerners try to leave the city when the the Soviets occupys the country...

Plot Keywords:

Hungary | Bus Trip | Revolution | Freedom Fighter | Budapest Hungary

Cast

Deborah Kerr	...	Diana Ashmore
Yul Brynner	...	Major Surov
Jason Robards	...	Paul Kedes (as Jason Robards Jr.)
Robert Morley	...	Hugh Deverill
E.G. Marshall	...	Harold Rhinelander
Anne Jackson	...	Margie Rhinelander
Ron Howard	...	Billy Rhinelander (as Ronny Howard)
Flip Mark	...	Flip Rhinelander
Kurt Kasznar	...	Csepege
David Kossoff	...	Simon Avron
Gérard Oury	...	Teklel Hafouli
Marie Daëms	...	Françoise Hafouli (as Marie Daems)
Anouk Aimée	...	Eva
Barbara von Nady	...	Borbala (as Barbara Von Nady)
Maurice Sarfati	...	Jacques Fabbry

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Vienna, Austria

Company:

Alby Pictures

Trivia:

During filming, Yul Brynner's hand was cut by a former crazed lover who traveled across Europe to find him. There are scenes where Brynner's bandaged hand is not shown on screen and there scenes where he is holding a prop to camouflage the hand.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the final scene, as the camera dollies back from Major Surov's jeep, a camera/equipment shadow is visible on the jeep's right front tire.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Diner (1982)

Yul Brynner at his best.

Set in Hungary in November 1956, this is the story of a group of foreign nationals who were trying to leave the country at the time of the Uprising.

Once the airport is closed, the titular journey begins on a bus taking them to Austria. As would be obvious, they are stopped on their way which is where they come up against the almost faultless Yul Brynner whose military power as a Red Army Major was marked with loneliness, his internal struggle between right and wrong, his search for the truth and his need to feel emotions for other human beings. He was saddened by the fact that his job had alienated him from his friends and enemies alike and he yearned for social contact.

Robert Morley plays the quintessential stiff upper-lipped Englishman who, no matter how serious the role, manages to maintain an almost light-hearted logical outlook on life while Jason Robards has a stunning movie debut which enforces the reason why he had so many roles throughout his career. Deborah Kerr, as the leading lady, exhibits the grace and femininity we have come to associate with her yet manages to bring over the strength and resolve required for her character.

The film deals with a very tempestuous time in European history but it never ceases to remind us that there is good in all of us and you can never completely judge a book by the cover. Fabulous scriptwriting ensures that for all the seriousness of the subject there can still be great one-liners and comedic instances that add to, rather than detract from the movie. The chemistry in the cat and mouse game between Kerr and Brynner makes you understand why they appeared in more than the one film together.

All in all, a thoroughly engrossing movie which I would definitely watch again. 8/10