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The End of the Affair

The End of the Affair

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Adultery, War, and God.
Review: After hooey such as "Interview with the Vampire", weirdness such as "The Butcher Boy", and dullness such as "Michael Collins", it's nice to see the always potentially gifted Neil Jordan working with great material . . . for a change! Besides having a challenging structure (all those flashbacks!), the movie provides a compelling mystery: the hows and whys of an illicit affair in WWII England. Jordan reveals those hows and whys at a measured, though never less than intense, pace, which is all the more restrained when you consider how chatty it could have been with the first-person narrative structure (used sparingly, thank God). Speaking of God, in this movie He makes an impact considerably less touchy-feely than in other films, where He usually comes off as a kindly old Santy Claus or something. THIS God makes you keep your promises. Perhaps this explains why "The End of the Affair" didn't do all that well in this country, by the way.

Plenty of good stuff in this movie; perhaps most notably the Bombing scene, stunningly filmed TWICE, from two different angles and psychological points-of-view. This type of thing is usually done poorly in most films. Here, it offers the rewards of insight. Julianne Moore's reason for breaking off the affair becomes utterly, even horribly explicable. The characters are well-written, as you might expect, and ably performed by the talented actors. Jordan even manages to make the surprisingly heated sex scenes compelling, as opposed to embarrassing, to watch.

To quibble: I almost wished for some bits of levity throughout, if only because the verrry serious tone was a bit much at times, and the ponderous music didn't help -- but that's strictly my taste. But perhaps even because of the seriousness, Jordan succeeds in sweeping you away to a certain time and place. His movie is chock full of real passion and real tragedy. And the religious ruminations are icing on the cake. I strongly recommend this film.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Woeful Affair
Review: There is a (hopefully) intended irony at the beginning of the film when Bendrix takes Sarah to the cinema to see a film version of his book and apologises for the fact that it is nothing like what he has written. This screenplay is so far from the original novel that Neil Jordan should be shamefaced in even admitting it is based on it. The only saving grace of the film is Julianne MOore who is excellent, but in every other respect and for the real story and depth behind the betrayal felt by Bendrix then the book must be the only choice.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One true love....
Review: This film will have you dreaming about your once-in-a-lifetime true love for a long, long time. You may smile and cry at the same time. See this show with the one you truly love. The best.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Bibilical Love Triangle
Review: The End of The Affair is not a love triangle of lovers and jealous husband but one where the third participant is God. For the husband in this movie is not in need of a lover as much as a companion to ease the loneliness of his life.

Throughout this film God will court Sarah(Julianne Moore) as vigoursly, cruely and unrelentingly as any lover might. In fact you could argue that its the idea of God, and not the Almighty himself that fuels the Catholic guilt of these lover and particularly Sarah who unlike Bendrix still believes in him.

This is Neil Jordans best film since the great The Crying Game 1992. It is a masterpiece of structure where some scenes are played over again after we have learned new information, and while we may have shared the cynical viewpoint of Muarice Bendrix the first time we see these scenes played out, when we see them again, we like the Bendrix share in the guilt. Indeed this film is first and foremost about guilt. All the colors in the film are variations on green and brown, creating a mood as morose as our lead characers.

There are scenes of deeply erotic lovemaking. All the more erotic because of the guilt the lovers feel. I've always felt there was somehow a link between sex and religion beyond the fact that most religions consider it a sin. Sex is simaltanously filthy and the purest of things, and that I think is why most Religions adhere to a rigid stance on it, so that they can maintain a clear black and white standard of right and wrong, to attract simpltons into the fold.

I have not been so moved by a film since Terrance Malicks The Thin Red Line and although I thought I'd never use this word in one of these Amazon reviews, but at times this film is simply "devestating".

A cynic looking at this film might find it completely contrived, as events flow almost mercilessly to the film's shattering end. But anyone who can resist the site of a limping Ralph Fiennes chasing the carriage of Julianne Moore in the rain to Michael Nymann's magnifecent score must indeed have a cold heart.

I wouldn't dare spoil the ending except to say that I don't agree with the faith regained at the end of this film. I would never have been so forgiving.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb
Review: "The End of the Affair" is an expertly made film from the great Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game"). This is, in my opinion, Jordan's best film and demonstrates some of Fiennes and Moore's best work to date. Graham Green's novel is a classic, as should this be. This film should have been nominated for more than two Academy Awards, even Best Picture.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: In hindsight
Review: While I sat in the theater watching "The End Of The Affair", I couldn't help but think that in a year of such great movies (Magnolia, American Beauty, The Straight Story, Malkovich, All About My Mother, etc, etc, etc), that The End Of The Affair just didn't stack up. Then halfway through, when my mind was already made up that I didn't like it, the bomb dropped. That changed everything.

Not only was this bomb scene give the movie the coherency that it needed, it was one of the best shot scenes I've seen all year. After that, and the prayer, "Affair" just got better and better. In the end, sitting here, thinking about it, this was really one of the best of the year. It was no Magnolia, but I sure do want to see it one more time.

Buy or rent this one, be patient, and think about it. You'll enjoy it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The End of the Affair
Review: This movie makes most of women feel HOT!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A beautiful but tragic love story
Review: Wow! Moore and Fiennes heat up the screen with this, the closest to the novel yet! A passionate and bittersweet love story, that should make everyone want to read the book. Based loosely on Graham Greene's two affairs. one with a woman named Dorothy Glover and the other, the best known with American, Catherine Walston. Catherine was the basis for Sarah. It is not to be missed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Exceptional
Review: One of the best movies I've ever seen. You don't want to miss this one. From the cinematogophy to the heated scenes between Fiennes and Moore. One of Ralphs finest!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: this movie is wonderful
Review: The chemistry between Fiennes and Moore is perfect. The story has the bittersweet quality of the English Patient combined with miracle and the power of hate and love.


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