The End of the Affair (1999)

A desperate man tries to find out why his beloved left him years ago.

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writers:

Graham Greene (novel), Neil Jordan (screenplay)

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore, Stephen Rea

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 26 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:

sex scene | writer | obsessive love | extramarital affair | adulterous wife | 

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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

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 Mr. Parkis enters the apartment and Bendrix is shaving, the shaving cream changes more than once between the various edits.

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Quotes

Maurice Bendrix: You have to understand. I'm jealous of everything that moves. I'm jealous of the rain!

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Connections

Referenced in The Vampire Diaries: The End of the Affair (2011)

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Soundtracks

Symphonie
Music by Alex Alstone
Lyrics by André 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

Love and the spiritual life made beautifully visible.

Love and the spiritual (i.e. inner) life have rarely been better portrayed! Graham Greene's novel has been translated to cinematic imagery with an almost religious devotion. It isn't easy to make profound and meaningful experience so immediate and felt as this film does. Watching it on video...a second viewing...I was even more deeply moved than the first time around.

Julianne Moore, very much on the big screen these days (and for good reason), gives another of her splendid performances, this time as Sarah Miles, a middle-class English woman, married to a good, but dull man who takes her for granted. Her encounter with Maurice Bendrix (played to a T by the consummate actor, Ralph Fiennes) is electric and sets in motion an affair of deep consequence...for all three people involved. Stephan Rea as Henry Miles, Sarah's husband, trapped in his desire, but inability to fulfill the emotional and sexual needs of his much-loved wife, is another convincing and touching portrayal.

The spiritual aspects expressed in the film, reflect the life-long struggle of Grahame between his Catholicism and his doubts. The deep pulls of each character toward both personal and impersonal love give the film a dimension and an honesty that reward the "participant" (for that's how potent the film is) with an indelible human experience.

To Neil Jordan, the director, my wholehearted gratitude for his sensitive, nuanced presentation of this beautiful film.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 January 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

The End of the Affair

Filming Locations:

9 Eastern Terrace, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$198,535, 5 December 1999

Gross USA:

$10,827,816

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,827,816

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1