Two For the Road (1967 Stanley Donen)

A double tribute, as Stanley Donen just died (94). A jewel of a screenplay, nominated for both BAFTA and Oscar (A Man For All Seasons and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner won) - Fred's 87, birthday on August 14, and has been married to Sylvia since 1955. You hope they get on better than Mark (Albert Finney) who's very selfish and chauvinistic and Joanna (Audrey Hepburn) who's materialistic - a nicely shaded couple of characters, in fact. Plus the marvellously shallow Manchesters (Eleanor Bron and William Daniels).

Finally tracked down Audrey's poem as the reasonably obscure  'The Bumble Bee' by Laura Elizabeth Richards - the line 'He never got home for early tea' is used quite effectively also in relation to her affair with George Descrières - and the hotel as the Domain St Just, which is now the Chateau St Just and looks like some kind of meetings venue (unfortunately)...

"We've invested $60 in anti-snake equipment."
"Well let's hope someone gets bitten by a snake."

It's marvellously put together too though by Donen and editors Madelèine Gug and Richard Marden.

Maurice's place sure looks like the same villa in La Piscine which was at L'Oumède, Var, St Tropez.