Worth: $18.00
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Cast:
Rupert Grey, Jan Grey
Intro:
This is a story, romantic in the true sense of the word, that you won’t want to miss.
England, 2011. A comfortable old world cottage bedded deep in the Sussex countryside. It’s the epitome of secure, settled living yet its owner, Rupert Grey, lawyer, traveller, photographer, carpenter, is preparing to embark on a risky adventure. Grey and Jan, his wife of 35 years, are about to drive across India in the family car, a 1936 Rolls Royce.
“At some point I realised that driving a bloody Rolls Royce across India in the post-colonial era is kind of mad,” says Grey.
Now in his late 60s, Grey is a charismatic adventurer in the eccentric English upper class mould, a renaissance man who has been a cowboy, prospector, soldier, successful partner in a law firm and an addicted traveller. In 1981, four years after they married, he and Jan took a long journey through the Himalayas, publishing their articles and photographs in international magazines.
Back home and three daughters later, Grey built a library and a barn for their Sussex cottage – and a bathtub in the garden where he can bathe in the open air.
Interviews with daughters Rose and Carmody reveal they are accustomed to their parents’ adventurous ways, including family holidays on safari. “Most people would have a rationale for why they do something like driving across India in a Rolls Royce,” says Carmody. “It didn’t even occur to me to question it.”
The first part of the documentary sets up the romance and planning of the trip. Grey is adventurous but not entirely reckless. He did a lot of research, including packing plenty of medical supplies and strengthening the Rolls’ running boards in anticipation of the kids that would want to jump on to hitch a lift.
The cinematography in Oliver McGarvey’s feature debut, is beautiful throughout and the sensory details and research are reminiscent of that other great road trip movie, Walter Salles’ The Motorcycle Diaries. One of the most beautiful and moving scenes is of Grey and his wife setting off from the driveway of their rural Sussex cottage, a symbol of the settled life they leave behind to venture into a risky unknown.
Driving the Rolls starts in Mumbai, the first leg of the trail that will end in Dhaka and the Chobi Mela photo festival. Scenes on the crowded city roads are hair raising.
“You have to drive like an Indian,” Grey says. “It’s not true that Indians are bad drivers, you have to be very skilled to drive when there are no traffic lights and regulations.” He adds, “I feel completely at home, as if visiting an old familiar friend.”
Interview clips from family and friends explain that driving the ostentatious car would attract attention and social contact. Grey was concerned there might be hostility to this symbol of colonial wealth and elitism, but the overwhelming reaction was celebration and joy. Soon, the Rolls went viral on India’s social media as people photographed it everywhere.
There were problems that seem almost inevitable. The couple had a bout of ‘Delhi belly’ and the Rolls has more than one mechanical failure. There’s a bad moment at the Bangladesh border, with a tense stand-off with authorities and complicated paperwork, and a dangerous road through the bandit-infested Himalayas seems impossible to overcome.
A particular strength of the documentary, apart from the terrific camerawork and editing, is the deep layer of the story beneath the adventure, the relationship between Grey and his wife. There’s a quiet soulmate dynamic between them that is very nice to watch. Jan is described by her daughter as kind and gentle but the stronger person, who makes it possible for Grey to live out the dream. Grey himself points to the precious 6 months shared experience after being married for 35 years. Over 5000 miles, the road trip simply gave them time together.
This is a story, romantic in the true sense of the word, that you won’t want to miss.
I’m one of Rupes brothers. When is the doco coming to the mid north coast?