Anatole Litvak's "The Journey" from 1959 is easily one of the best movies I have seen. It's suspenseful and passionate, and pulls at the heartstrings more than once before the end of the film. "The Journey" follows a group of travelers who have to leave Budapest for Vienna by bus, because of the ensuing Hungarian Revolution. [side note: The Hungarian Revolution took place in 1956 and was an effort to rid the country of Soviet control.] Along the way, the Soviets are taking steps to put down the revolt and catch all participating revolutionaries.
The travelers are a diverse group, from different countries. One of the woman travelers is Diana Ashmore, who is played by Deborah Kerr. Ashmore is of utmost importance to the story. She is trying to get to Vienna with her loved one, as is everyone else on the bus. One major difference: her boyfriend, Paul Kedes (played by Jason Robards) is a Hungarian. Not only that, but he is part of the revolutionary movement and was wounded before the start of the trip. AND, Ashmore and Kedes (known to the other traveler's by a British name Flemming) have decided to conceal their relationship and distance themselves from one another as much as possible, so that they appear to merely be acquaintances.
Almost at the end of the journey, the travelers are stopped at a small town just outside of Austria. There, the travelers meet Major Surov (Yul Brynner). Major Surov delays the departure of the travelers, and tension builds as Diana struggles to keep Flemming's identity hidden.
Basically, "The Journey" is brilliant! Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner act their parts superbly as can only be expected. Kerr plays a strong woman trying to the best of her ability to control the circumstance she finds herself in. Brynner plays the confident and reflective Soviet leader torn between his duties and his conscience. [side note: I found these two characters to be quite similar to the characters Kerr and Brynner play in "The King and I."] Without a doubt, you will be impressed by the ease with which they portray their characters. And on top of it all, their chemistry is electric! Brynner's character Major Surov has taken an interest in Diana, and while she has a greater love for Flemming, Surov's commanding presence is hard to ignore. That's all I'll say. You should most definitely put this on your list of movies to see!
Here's a trailer for the film, courtesy of TCM. It was hard to find this film on dvd (except for a version in Spanish), but I was able to track it down at the Warner Bros. online shop. You can also vote on TCM's website for it to be released on home video (I guess so that TCM will carry it as part of their online collection). I've put the link to vote below the trailer video.
Basically, "The Journey" is brilliant! Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner act their parts superbly as can only be expected. Kerr plays a strong woman trying to the best of her ability to control the circumstance she finds herself in. Brynner plays the confident and reflective Soviet leader torn between his duties and his conscience. [side note: I found these two characters to be quite similar to the characters Kerr and Brynner play in "The King and I."] Without a doubt, you will be impressed by the ease with which they portray their characters. And on top of it all, their chemistry is electric! Brynner's character Major Surov has taken an interest in Diana, and while she has a greater love for Flemming, Surov's commanding presence is hard to ignore. That's all I'll say. You should most definitely put this on your list of movies to see!
Here's a trailer for the film, courtesy of TCM. It was hard to find this film on dvd (except for a version in Spanish), but I was able to track it down at the Warner Bros. online shop. You can also vote on TCM's website for it to be released on home video (I guess so that TCM will carry it as part of their online collection). I've put the link to vote below the trailer video.
Trailer for "The Journey"
This movie is amazing! You can read more and vote here:
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