The End of the Affair (1955)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Lenore J. Coffee (writer)
Graham Greene (novel)

Release Date:

May 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

In wartorn London Maurice Bendrix falls in love with neighbor Sarah Miles. They begin an illicit romance behind Sarah's husband's back...

Plot Keywords:

Father Son Relationship | Infidelity | Novelist | Author | Explosion

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Deborah Kerr	...	Sarah Miles
Van Johnson	...	Maurice Bendrix
John Mills	...	Albert Parkis
Peter Cushing	...	Henry Miles
Michael Goodliffe	...	Smythe
Stephen Murray	...	Father Crompton
Charles Goldner	...	Savage
Nora Swinburne	...	Mrs. Bertram
Frederick Leister	...	Dr. Collingwood
Mary Williams	...	Maid
O'Donovan Shiell	...	Doctor
Elsie Wagstaff	...	Bendrix Landlady
Christopher Warbey	...	Lancelot Parkis
Nan Munro	...	Mrs. Tomkins
Joyce Carey	...	Miss Palmer

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, London, England, UK

Company:

Coronado Productions

Trivia:

Gregory Peck was offered the male lead.

Goofs:

Continuity: Maurice kisses Sarah and lowers his hands just before he enters Henry's house. The next shot shows him gripping his tie with his both hands.

Quotes:

Sarah Miles: What do you believe in, Henry? All these years I've been married to you I've never really known; I've never even asked. Do you believe that there's a hell and a heaven, and an immortal soul, and a god who rewards and punishes and answers prayers?
Henry Miles: It's not exactly the sort of thing to go into over a cup of tea.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Grosse Pointe: The End of the Affair (#1.14)" (2001)

God is a concept by which we measure our hope.

This is the first version of the movie Neil Jordan remade in the late nineties.Based on a Graham Greene novel,it looks like a melodrama ( the chandelier scene is pure poetic melodrama) but with a strong metaphysical side.

The construction of the film is complex,showing the same events from two points of view.Sometimes you may lose the vital lead ,for a lot of important things are not necessarily on the screen.

If the movie is successful ,it's because of Deborah Kerr's extraordinary skills.She is sensational in her part of an unhappy woman,in search of something really worthwhile.Whereas Maurice (Van Johnson) is all passion and jealousy,her quest is much more demanding.

A lot of us have ,at least once in our lives,asked God for something.And if this wish comes true,is it proof positive that God exists?And if the person who prayed Him is an atheist?Does it mean that she has got to change her way of thinking? That she is indebted to Him?That's Sarah's moral dilemma ,lost between her love for Maurice and her moral concern,and trying to find her way ,helped by two men Father Crompton and Smythe.

Deborah Kerr's fans should watch this .

At the time,Edward Dmytryk had probably moral concern too.