Anatloe Litvak's (1959) resetting of Guy de Maupassant's story "Boule de suif" on the Hungarian side of the Hungary/Austria border as the Soviets are finishing crushing the 1956 Hungarian revolt is overlong and so hobbled by censorship of any representations of nonmarital sex as to be nearly incomprehensible. Deborah Kerr is tremulous in willing herself to be intrepid as the rest of the group demands she give herself to the Soviet commander played by Yul Brynner so that he will let them leave the country. Brynner signs, dances, drinks heavily, sneers, winces, glowers and (as in "The King and I") rather unaccountably lusts after Kerr.
In his film debut Jason Robards mostly looks pained, not least during his Big Speech. A pre-Opie Ron(ny) Howard appears as one of the children of the American couple in the international mix (E. G. Marshall with hair and Anne Jackson with a belly). As the pompous British journalist eager to extend colonial "white man's burden" to governing and speaking for the busload of foreigners trying to get out of Hungary, Robert Morley mixes pomposity the savvy. Indeed, the characters are surprisingly unstereotyped.
The Soviets are portrayed with sympathy (pained and not understanding why the Hungarians hate them, since they liberated Hungary from the Nazis) that is especially surprising for a Hollywood movie made at the height of the Cold War and party at length, both with their prisoners/guests and among themselves. "The Journey" also has one of Georges Auric's best music scores. "The Journey" is considerably inferior to Litvak's "Decision Before Dawn" or "Night of the Generals" (both set during World War II).
In his film debut Jason Robards mostly looks pained, not least during his Big Speech. A pre-Opie Ron(ny) Howard appears as one of the children of the American couple in the international mix (E. G. Marshall with hair and Anne Jackson with a belly). As the pompous British journalist eager to extend colonial "white man's burden" to governing and speaking for the busload of foreigners trying to get out of Hungary, Robert Morley mixes pomposity the savvy. Indeed, the characters are surprisingly unstereotyped.
The Soviets are portrayed with sympathy (pained and not understanding why the Hungarians hate them, since they liberated Hungary from the Nazis) that is especially surprising for a Hollywood movie made at the height of the Cold War and party at length, both with their prisoners/guests and among themselves. "The Journey" also has one of Georges Auric's best music scores. "The Journey" is considerably inferior to Litvak's "Decision Before Dawn" or "Night of the Generals" (both set during World War II).