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:

According to USA Today (Dec. 9, 2008), this was Ron Howard's screen debut, as well as Jason Robards'.

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)

One of the Best Cold War Dramas

Whatever the inspiration for this story (the aforementioned Blixen reference is fascinating), as a movie it's maybe the best Cold War drama I've ever seen. Like "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," "The Journey" transcends its genre. The basic plot is about the personal empathy between men and women, some ordinary, some extraordinary, and how it prevails when confronted by political hostility and cultural dislocation. Nevertheless, this is a tragedy, with a final irony that is completely unexpected.