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The End of the Affair

The End of the Affair

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This movie is beautiful and tormenting and left me utterly drained after I watched it, but I could watch it over and over again. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wishes to have every emotion touched when they watch a movie.

The movie is not about sex, it is about love, passion and desire. The lovers are not together beacuse they are horny, they are together because they adore eachother. Sarah does not leave her husband because of middle class values, and it's a very English sort of thing. There are many sutbleties that Americans may not understand. Just because miracles are attributed to Sarah in the film does not neccesitate her being morally good. Sarah is very weak, and that's part of the conflict. But read the bible and look over the lives of saints, God goes not usually choose already saintly people to do His work, those sorts of people don't need His salvation as much as the weak and tormented do.

Please don't mistake this movie for a film about aduterous affair, but about morality and inner conflict. Yes you have to pay attention and yes you have to think, but you will be very well rewarded when you see this film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The End of the Affair
Review: A great story of love lost, and the belief in God found. As in the Lord of the Rings, some parts of the book had to be changed for the story to work in a movie format (I think the book is one of the best stories ever written). But the movie still is great.

Most of the reviews missed a couple of the key points in the movie.

1. The story is about Sarah not really believing in God until Bendrix is believed to be killed. She prays to God that she would give up Bendrix for the mircacle of him living. When he comes up, that is her proof that God exists.

2. There is a subplot of a return back to God by Sarah and her desire for a Catholic burial. This doesn't work as well in the movie because of a change in the plot from the book (read the book and you will understand).

3. Bendrix, another unbeliever, finally believes in God, because there is no way such hatred of his could exist unless God really took away his love.

All this and more wrapped up in great story of love and betrayal.

If you loved the movie, read the book; you'll love the book more.
If you didn't understand the movie, read the book; you will appreciate the movie once you understand some of the subtle points.
If you hated the move, go watch Gigli.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: could not finish it due to cliche cliche and cliche
Review: don't know what is the big deal of human lust, sexual passion and adultery. do we have to spend two hours to watch how two human beings just want to do things with short breaths and goofy around. what's the purpose of doing this? the bible may said true: even water if stolen would drink sweeter. so what's the big deal of adultery? guess its sweeter than a boring normal marriage or a regular peaceful life?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Chilly and uninvolving
Review: In post-WWII London, government functionary Henry (Stephen Rea) asks an old acquaintance, novelist Maurice (Ralph Fiennes), to discover who his wife, Sarah (Julianne Moore), is having an affair with, unaware that Maurice himself is haunted by the manner in which Sarah abruptly broke off their own affair years earlier. The resulting film is well-acted and beautiful to look at, but chilly and uninvolving. Sarah's reason for ending her affair with Maurice is a deep flaw in this film: it requires a degree of idealism and religious commitment that had not been evident in the character prior to that point.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A magnificent masterpiece.
Review: This movie was, in my opinion excellent. It had a great screen play and the actors were fantastic! This movie was a combination of mystery, drama, and romance all engulfed into one spectacular work. Ralph Fiennes, Juilanne Moore, and Stephen Rea had a wonderful chemistry between them and I thought that they were well choosen for their roles. It was a little confusing in some parts but the overall quality of the movie was still great. I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I liked this film so much I bought the book!
Review: After seeing this film, I couldn't get it off my mind so I bought the book. Yes, the film does take several liberties with Graham Greene's fine work. I admit I may not have enjoyed the film as much if I had first read the book, because the book is centered more on the struggle to believe in God or -- in case of the character Maurice Bendrix -- not to believe, and was masterfully done by Greene. But liberties aside, I can see why this more cerebral focus might be difficult to sustain in film, especially when juxtaposed against a love affair, which is of course more visual!

Also, the ending is rather different in the film version, but in my personal opinion, I wouldn't say it compared unfavorably with the book's ending. (Maybe I just wanted to see a tortured Ralph Fiennes experience some happiness for a change!) Regardless, I have recommended this film to several people because it's so tragically romantic.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not linear storytelling
Review: This is based on the Graham Greene novel by the same name and is set in WWII England. The cast of characters involves a married couple, their novelist friend, a priest, and a private investigator with his son. The story examines love, perception, and faith.

Following the story is a little difficult. The story consists of the story proper, flashback, and different people's version of events. All combined, these illustrate how events are interpreted differently depending on what the interpreter wants to know.

First, the character played by Julianne Moore is passionlessly married to the milquetoast civil servant, Stephen Rea. She then falls in love with Ralph Fiennes who becomes jealous because of his love. When the tryst is called off, he hires a private investigator to find out why. This leads into the changes of perception. The investigator assuming the worst from experience and what Fiennes tells him, he assumes she is in love with someone else. At first glance, these assumptions appear comic until you realize that none of the characters seems to want to believe what they hear.

The question of faith involves Moore's character who rediscovers her Catholic faith. Fiennes' character rejects it out of hand until he sees what could have been a miracle. The priest allows him some physical being to lash out at.

In all, I would recommend seeing this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The End of The Affair- A True Love Story
Review: I found this movie to be one of the best I have seen in a long time. I bought it, I loved it so. The story, score and lead actor, Ralph Fiennes and lead actress, Julienne Moore are incredible. I would recommend this movie to anyone who is even the slightest bit a romantic or who just loves love. Definately another good role chosen by Ralph Fiennes. If you liked Wuthering Heights with Juliette Binoche or The English Patient, you will love this movie as well. A definate must to add to your home library collection. Or give it as a gift!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Hot but Dull
Review: I was disappointed with this, and I'm not sure why, other than it left me feeling empty. I adore Ralph Fiennes, and admire Julianne Moore's wonderful talent, and despite the fact that watching Ralph in the throes of passion is a real turn-on, once that sort of stuff was over with, I dozed off. Too bad, because I've liked all the Neil Jordan films I've seen, and expected more of him.

If you want to see a REAL tale of passionate adultery in wartime England, watch David Lean's classic "Brief Encounter". Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson play a couple of married people who meet and fall in love. Not a stitch of clothing is removed, and we are not subjected to any shots of heaving or thrusting bare skin, but it's even more poignant and romantic to watch Trevor and Celia's brief encounter unravel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great film....two illicit lovers in wartime London
Review: Watching The End of the Affair, a 1951 novel composed by Graham Greene, provided a unique new perspective of World War II England. The book presents the relationships of two illicit lovers, and a jealous husband. Using these characters to depict life during World War II England, Graham Greene is able to demonstrate what an emotion-filled era this was. Filled with strong characters and vivid descriptions, this film was enjoyable because it gives new insight into an era of history that I find fascinating, Europe throughout World War II.


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