On 2010-02-06 Leif Sheppard, wrote: At first glance, ´The End of the Affair´ appears to have all the earmarks of a classic World War II romance in the spirit of ´Casablanca´. The film features the promise of an old-fashioned weepy love story and a superlative cast in the form of Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore, Stephen Rea, and Jason Isaacs. Fiennes plays Maurice Bendix, a novelist by trade who falls madly in love with Sarah (Moore), the wife of Henry Miles (Rea). As the title subtly suggests, this film takes the atypical route of sympathetically focusing on the adulterers, as opposed to the more familiar yarn of a spurned spouse seething. The film is based off a tale from legendary author Graham Greene (the man who wrote, among other classics, ´The Third Man´) and is the second adaptation of the book (after 1955´s ´The End of the Affair´). Unfortunately, the strong cast and classic premise are undermined by a tepid screenplay that never draws the viewer in. It´s difficult to care much about Maurice or Sarah, not because they´re adulterers or unlikeable, they´re just not particularly interesting characters.
The story unfolds in flashback, with the film frequently alternating between past and present. This disjointed narrative is something of a conceit, as it gives the initial illusion that the rather pedestrian romance is something more complex. The film is well-edited, in the sense that it´s not difficult to follow, but often the film will retread scenes from a slightly varied perspective. If executed carefully this can be a masterful technique, yet its use here is clumsy and ineffectual. It stalls the pacing of the film and begins to bore after awhile. There are copious love-making scenes between Maurice and Sarah which are amply amorous yet don´t drive the narrative forward. Their relationship is devoid of any real pathos, appearing instead based purely on sex. In reality, I suppose that´s a good enough reason for some, but it doesn´t quite make intriguing material for a film. This clearly isn´t the intention, yet no solid foundation for their relationship is ever established. In between the sex scenes are endless voiceovers, mostly from Maurice but also from Sarah, which constantly assure the audience that they are still entirely miserable. They´re often detailed enough to highlight some subtle nuance of misery we might have missed along the way.
Even living in London during The Blitz, Maurice finds it a simple task to ignore the war. He muses to himself, early in the film, wondering how he could feel so peaceful while such a conflict was being waged. The audience has little wonder, however, as we bear witness to Maurice repeatedly having it off with the strikingly lovely Sarah in any number of finely appointed locations. Greene´s novel was written from an overtly Catholic perspective, and God plays a major role in the second half of this film. The priest Sarah visits is portrayed by Isaacs, who despite the limited role provides ample gravitas. The wonderful cast aside, the standout star of this film is the consistently reliable composer Michael Nyman, who previously scored ´The Piano´ and ´Gattaca´. His work here is a fittingly passionate, sweeping score that serves as almost another character in the film. Ultimately ´The End of the Affair´ is a serviceable romance film, yet an entirely forgettable affair (with the notable exception of the score). . And summed up by saying Serviceable Yet Unremarkable Romantic Drama. Currently The End of the Affair has an overall rating of 6 over 10.
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Roger Pratt claimed In post-WWII England, an American writer hires a private detective to learn why his mistress ended their adulterous affair so abruptly.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: RRelease Date: 1-MAR-2005Media Type: DVD
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