Affairs Of The Heart





By Jaya Choraria
Oxford Student
Online Edition
Vol 26, Issue 6
February 17, 2000



The End Of The Affair
18
ABC




Graham Greene is known to have been critical of film productions of his novels. The End of the Affair is based on his semi-autobiographical and supposedly 'unfilmable' novel of the same name. The question is whether scriptwriter and director Neil Jordan is successful where others have failed.

The storyline is simple. Ralph Fiennes' novelist Bendrix is consumed with jealousy and hatred. His married lover -Julianne Moore's Sarah Miles- ends their wartime affair for no apparent reason after a bomb blast nearly kills them both and then she disappears from his life.

Two years later a chance meeting between Bendrix and the husband -Stephen Rea- leads to Bendrix hiring a private investigator to find out why Sarah left him.

The affair is shown through flashbacks as Bendrix is writing his diary- the 'diary of hate'. The flashbacks overlap as we are shown the events from the perspective of both Bendrix and Sarah Miles. The film is set against the backdrop of the Second World War and Nick Jordan's dark cinematography adds to the oppression of the film.

This film is about intense emotion. Obsession. Jealously. Jordan's cast credibly show the audience the depths of these emotions. Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient) convincingly plays the tortured lover whose love has been turned into hate with his usual intensity and Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights) gives a stunning performance. There is also the necessary chemistry between the two leads and the sex scenes have somewhat controversially led to the film being given an 18 certificate.

However, the religious angle of the story which is pivotal to the plot is not successfully translated into the film script.

Sarah Miles promises God that if Bendrix lives she will never see him again and the keeping of this promise when he does live is her dilemma. In the book she keeps it; in the film she doesn't. It is here that Jordan's script unsuccessfully diverges from the novel and loses credibility.

The End of the Affair is engrossing and there are even comic moments provided by Ian Hart's private detective. Where the film left me unconvinced, though, was not Sarah Miles' affair with Bendrix but her seduction by God.




 

Please visit the other link pages on this site:
Ralph Fiennes Links Page

 Ralph Fiennes Astrology Page

Back to the Jennifer Lash Links page
 

Back to the Ralph Fiennes - Jennifer Lash Main Page

This page was created with the Stonehenge.ttf font and is best enjoyed if you
have the font yourself.  If you want it please click on the green name Stonehenge.ttf above to download and install it to your PC.
Sorry not available for Mac's.  Thanks.
 

These pages are Copy written by Mary Sibley.  All rights reserved.
Please do not use anything within these pages without permission.
Please send an EMail to Mary Sibley for permission, thanks.