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| The End of the Affair | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Neil Jordan |
| Written by | Neil Jordan |
| Based on | The End of the Affair byGraham Greene |
| Produced by | Neil Jordan Stephen Woolley |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Roger Pratt |
| Edited by | Tony Lawson |
| Music by | Michael Nyman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Budget | $23 million |
| Box office | $10.8 million |
The End of the Affair is a 1999romanticdrama film written and directed byNeil Jordan and starringRalph Fiennes,Julianne Moore andStephen Rea.
The film was based onThe End of the Affair, a 1951 novel by British authorGraham Greene, which had been adaptedas a film in 1955 withDeborah Kerr. The film depicts anextramarital affair which lasts from 1939 to 1946. It is set during World War II and its aftermath.
On a rainy London night in 1946, Maurice Bendrix has a chance meeting with Henry Miles, husband of Maurice's former mistress, Sarah, who abruptly ended their affair two years before. Bendrix's obsession with Sarah is rekindled; he succumbs to his own jealousy and works his way back into her life.
As the story unfolds in 1946, we also see flashbacks of Bendrix with Sarah as they began their affair in 1939. Henry tells Bendrix that he believes Sarah is having an affair, so Bendrix hires the bumbling but amiable Mr. Parkis, who uses his young birthmarked son Lance to investigate. Sarah asks Bendrix to meet to talk about Henry and the cold tentativeness of their interaction is contrasted with the passion of their earlier encounters.
Bendrix learns from Parkis that Sarah has been making regular surreptitious visits to a priest named Father Richard Smythe and grows increasingly jealous. Flashbacks show Bendrix expressing jealousy of Henry and asking Sarah to leave him. Though Sarah and Bendrix express love to each other, the affair ends abruptly when aV-1 flying bomb explodes near Bendrix's building. Bendrix awakes bloodied but not seriously hurt, and Sarah is shocked that he survived. Bendrix accuses Sarah of being disappointed and she leaves, telling him, "Love doesn't end just because we don't see each other."
In 1946, Parkis obtains Sarah's diary and passes it to Bendrix, showing him the affair from her perspective. When Bendrix was hurt by the bomb, Sarah ran downstairs and tried to revive him, then ran back upstairs to pray for his survival. Bendrix entered the room just as she vowed to stop seeing him if he lived.
Now knowing why Sarah ended the affair, Bendrix begs her to reconsider, and she admits she's felt dead without him and can no longer keep her promise to God. Henry, aware it is Bendrix who was Sarah's lover, desperately asks her not to leave him but, with more persuasion from Bendrix, Sarah agrees to go away with him for a weekend. Henry tracks the couple down to tell them Sarah has a terminal illness.
Bendrix stays with Henry and Sarah during her final days. At her funeral, Parkis tells Bendrix that his son's birthmark went away after Sarah kissed it during a chance encounter. At Henry and Sarah's house, Bendrix completes his book and it is revealed that his diary of hate is directed toward God. While Sarah doesn't need to see God to love Him, Bendrix prays God will leave him alone, thereby finally acknowledging His existence.
| The End of the Affair | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 7 December 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 10–17 August and 6 October 1999, Whitfield Street Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack,Contemporary classical,Minimalist music | |||
| Length | 46:41 | |||
| Label | Sony Classical | |||
| Producer | Cameron Allan | |||
| Michael Nyman chronology | ||||
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Michael Nyman later used "Diary of Love" to open and close his solo album,The Piano Sings (2006). As with many of Nyman's 1990s scores, he incorporates material from hisString Quartet No.3, which was in turn based on achoral piece titledOut of the Ruins.
A contemporary recording of "Haunted Heart" byJo Stafford is heard in the background during several scenes and the closing credits.
The film holds a 67% rating onRotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 66 critics. The site's consensus states: "Neil Jordan has good direction with solid performances from Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore."[1] OnMetacritic it has a score of 65% based on reviews from 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2]
