The End of the Affair (1999)

On a rainy London night in 1946, novelist Maurice Bendrix has a chance meeting with Henry Miles, husband of his ex-mistress Sarah, who abruptly ended their affair two years before. ... See full summary »

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writers:

Graham Greene (novel), Neil Jordan (screenplay)

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, Stephen Rea, Julianne Moore

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ralph Fiennes	...	Maurice Bendrix
Stephen Rea	...	Henry Miles
Julianne Moore	...	Sarah Miles
Heather-Jay Jones	...	Henry's Maid (as Heather Jay Jones)
James Bolam	...	Mr. Savage
Ian Hart	...	Mr. Parkis
Sam Bould	...	Lance Parkis (as Samuel Bould)
Cyril Shaps	...	Waiter
Penny Morrell	...	Bendrix's Landlady
Simon Fisher-Turner	...	Doctor Gilbert (as Dr. Simon Turner)
Jason Isaacs	...	Father Richard Smythe
Deborah Findlay	...	Miss Smythe
Nicholas Hewetson	...	Chief Warden
Jack McKenzie	...	Chief Engineer

Storyline

On a rainy London night in 1946, novelist Maurice Bendrix has a chance meeting with Henry Miles, husband of his ex-mistress Sarah, who abruptly ended their affair two years before. Bendrix's obsession with Sarah is rekindled; he succumbs to his own jealousy and arranges to have her followed.

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Plot Keywords:

obsession | jealousy | extramarital affair | prayer | star crossed lovers | 

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Taglines:

The end was just the beginning.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for scenes of strong sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 February 2000 (UK)

Also Known As:

El ocaso de un amor

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£574,419 (UK) (11 February 2000)

Gross:

SGD 15,000 (Singapore) (5 May 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Features two Voldemorts: Ian Hart and Ralph Fiennes. Also includes Jason Isaacs, who would play Lucius Malfoy.

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Goofs

When Henry storms out of the pub after Bendrix tells him about Smythe, Bendrix finishes off his whisky in one gulp. In the next shot, there is still some whisky in the glass.

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Quotes

Maurice Bendrix: I am a jealous man.

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Connections

Referenced in Discovering 'Evil Dead' (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Symphonie"
Written by Alex Alstone, André Tabet (as Andre Tabet) and Roger Bernstein
Performed by Vera Lynn
Courtesy of The Decca Record Company Ltd.
Under license from The Film and TV Licensing Division of The Universal Music Group

User Reviews

Remake of the 1955 film of the same name, a fine modern version.

First, my complaint. I saw "The End of the Affair" on DVD, and although the picture is always exquisite, the dialog in quiet scenes is sometimes impossible to understand. We had to resort to using the "subtitles" feature on the DVD to understand dialog in two key scenes. Fortunately you can easily do this on the DVD.

The story is set in London in WWII, spanning 1939 through 1946. I did not see the 1955 movie of the same name, but one critic described it, in part...

<quote>When I thought the film had come so far to bring so much of human existence, with all its emotions, philosophy, belief, and religion to the fore, the film found more fertile ground. The relationships are complicated, and the nature of faith, God, sin, and belief become part of the complex mix, along with the very human desire to do the right thing. Sarah most particularly must struggle with these age old questions as she searches from sources of different, even contradictory viewpoints. The dilemmas and questions all of us ask at one time or another are dealt with in a detailed manner, without passing along the answer to everything. What could have been trite turned out to be a film much more than the premise, and even more than the sum of its parts. <un-quote>

All I can say is "amen" to that for the 1999 version. I found it to be a totally absorbing film and rate it a solid "8" of "10".