The End of the Affair (1999)

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writers (WGA):

Graham Greene (novel)
Neil Jordan (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 December 1999 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

The end was just the beginning.

Plot:

On a rainy London night in 1946, novelist Maurice Bendrix has a chance meeting with Henry Miles, husband of his ex-mistress Sarah...

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Cuckold | Nudity | Adultery | WWII

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 22 nominations

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

MPAA:

Rated R for scenes of strong sexuality.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | Spain:18 | Singapore:R21 | Malaysia:18PL | Iceland:L | USA:R (certificate #36457) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:M | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

'Miranda Richardson' and 'Kristin Scott-Thomas' were both considered for the role of Sarah Miles, before 'Julianne Moore' personally wrote a letter to director 'Neil Jordan', asking for the part in the film. Her method worked, and she was offered the role.

Quotes:

Sarah: I've only made two promises in my life. One was to marry Henry, the other is to stop seeing you. And I'm too weak to keep either.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Behind the Passion (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Haunted Heart

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.