The End of the Affair

Rating:
Summary: Romantically intriguing
Review: A highly recommendable romantic drama, The End of the Affair proved to be an indulging and intriguing film for audiences worldwide. It may not have got the Oscar success that Neil Jordan was hoping for, but it was a competitive year and The End of the Affair certainly got mentioned in other ceremonies (the Oscar's did give it 2 nominations, which is less than it deserves), which is refreshing. Anyway, on about the film. It has stunning performances, Ralph Fiennes is at his best, waltzing through jealousy with ultimate passion. Most notable though is the brilliant Julianne Moore, who captures Sarah's romantically unhappy side with grace. The script does have flaws - it gives no real explanation of why these 2 people would want to fall in love, but the literature and meaning have lots of quality to them. Nice costumes and beautiful cinematography added, and you have a very moving story that includes almost every human emotion possible.

Rating:
Summary: my review
Review: This movie is about a love story, told to the audience through the eyes of the lover, Maurice Bendrix (played by Ralph Fiennes). Sarah, (played by Julianne Moore) is the loved one and Henri (played by Stephen Rea) is the husband.

It is true that for the first 40 minutes of this movie you sense that his is nothing else but a jealous's lovers account of their affair, and you start to wonder how it ended. The movie takes shape when you finally understand the reason for the breakup, and how Maurice reacts.

It is finally a great love story in all sense.

The movie tends to be dark but it is never slow. It moves along at a good speed so you can understand the different emotions all characters are feeling and why they act in a special way.

I tryly loved this movie. The sets and costumes and colors used all blend together to maket a very beautiful story. The actors are exceptional and not for one minute do you think they are not right for their roles.

Very good movie, excelent.

Rating:
Summary: The Beginning of Disappointment
Review: As a big fan of Ralph, I was looking forward to The End of the Affair. Maybe my expectations were too high, but this movie is dreadful. Ralph is a brilliant actor, but not even his flawless acting can't compensate for the nonsensical plot and the horrific casting of Julianne Moore. What happened to Moore? It is NOT hard to learn a British accent. From the sounds of it, Moore didn't even try. She sounds so American she fails to convince anyone she has an ounce of English in her. And if that weren't bad enough, the plot is as unconvincing as Moore's accent. She's an adulteress, but miraculously heals a young boy's facial disfigurement and brings Ralph back from the dead. Even the priest admires her--adultery and all! Her husband does not know the meaning of jealously and lets Ralph live in the house even though he knows of the affair. Still amidst the unbelievable, the plot is so predicatable. She coughs a few times here and there. So we know (before anyone in the movie figures it out) that she's dying. We also know why she "ends" the affair long before its "revealed" to Ralph. And by the way, what was with all the nudity? Totally unnecessary and vulgar.

Rating:
Summary: A superlative film in every way
Review: Neil Jordon, the director, remarked 'END OF THE AFFAIR is about England and rain and God.' His adaptation of what is perhaps Graham Greene's greatest (and most autobiographical) novel is one of the moving depictions of God and faith that can be found in any motion picture. The fact the movie can grapple with God and faith in such a moving way, and at the same time be such an adult, ambiguous and intelligent feature makes it even more profound. The movie is remarkably intelligent. It also has an intricate time shifting structure that is so well crafted one doesn't even give a thought as to just how difficult a feat Jordon pulled of narratively. The film also works as a great mystery: Why did Julianne Moore's character break off her affair with her lover, and who is the mysterious third man she is seeing and Ralph Fiennes hates so much? Top notch in every regard, from the filmmaking, the beautiful score, and three terrific performances from Moore, Fiennes and Stephen Rea (particularly good.) It is rather awe inspiring to note that Moore, who here plays a good woman who gradually becomes a saint, filmed this movie back to back with MAGNOLIA, where she plays such a ravaged, crazed woman completely the opposite from the character in this movie. She truly has become of of the greatest actresses of our time.

Rating:
Summary: Rather a surprise
Review: As per the original, or Jordan's attempt to recreate such, the film is unusually subtle, thoughtful, and, yes, mature. One feels that Jordan himself may be a nice person, as the plot is washed in that which was meant to lend interest to many an older, B&W, British drama: character. Whether or not Sarah (or Bendrick, for that matter) could be seen as good despite her/his adulterous frailty isn't the point - it's a red herring, swallowed neatly and idiotically by this film's 1st Amazonian reviewer. In my opinion, this film is about two things: (1)character, and (2) faith, and its surfacing in the least likely of places. As such it's a nice trip back to a time when, at least via art, themes of maturity, character, and the existance of God were more frequently and successfully shopped around to film producers. I might have given this a "4" had Jordan found a way to better express Moore's mounting attraction for something other than her lover, as well as the events leading up to Bendrick's hatred and distrust of same. Still, a film that leaves so much, as well as the latter, to the imagination, is refreshing, as is its crediting viewers with imagination and intelligence.

Rating:
Summary: Mature Love for a Anxious Audience
Review: In these times of youth galore and Generation X, it is indeed rare to come around and find a love story which can be labeled *mature* and have that not be an overstatement of fact. This film, while not blowing away the box office upon it's U.S. release, certainly encompasses three sensational performances, a director who truly keeps to the spirit of the written word, cinematography that plays integral part of the story itself and a score that haunts with subtle yet vibrant beauty.

While no one can deny that Julianne Moore is the centerpiece of the tale as Sarah, Ralph Fiennes and Stephen Rea are also to be lauded for their interpretations of Bendrix and Henry respectively. Fiennes, in a role of quiet intensity and soft-pitched rage takes us into the psyche of Bendrix and gives us perhaps the best visual image as to what life must have been been for Graham Greene himself during the affair that marked his life. Rea as the cuckhold Henry is, as has been written a dullard through and through, but what makes his interpretation noble is the fact that he is well aware of it at every instant. It's obvious that his marriage to Sarah was at all moments a marriage of convenience that hoped for something better, but that never truly reached the pinnacle of love.

The tale begins with Bendrix's "diary of hate" and never loses that. Yes, he hates and never stops hating but as a constant, love is tempered and fed by the fuel of such fires. Ultimately, it is fate that becomes the undoing and the true end of the affair.

Rating:
Summary: Complicated, powerful and intriguing
Review: This is an engrossing tale of love, passion and betrayal invloving three star-crossed lovers. Maurice Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes) is a man haunted by jealousy and pain over an affair he had with the wife of one of his friends, Henry Miles (Stephen Rea). The affair has been over for two years when a chance encounter with Miles takes Bendrix to his house where he once again encounters Sarah (Julianne Moore). The obsession for her returns when Henry tells him that he suspects that Sarah is having an affair. At hearing this Maurice gets jealous, thinking that he has been replaced as her paramour. What follows is a complex and tangled web of suspicion, jealousy and dolor.

This is a wonderfully complicated story that opens slowly like a flower. It is a first person narrative delivered by Bendrix and it gets more intriguing as the film progresses. The use of flashbacks is subtlety effective, where the realizations about misinterpretations come not from the dialogue, but from seeing the same scene from two perspectives. The love scenes are sensuously done and the general tone of the film is poignant and sensitive.

The film was nicely photographed with various filters to give it an old feel without losing the richness. Director Neil Jordan did a fine job of giving the film a genuine look of the period with proper English costumes from the 1940's.

Ralph Fiennes was excellent as the jealous lover. He played the character as civilized and staid with molten lava just beneath the surface. He was masterful at conveying strong emotion with a sideways glance or hand gesture without losing his composure.

Julianne Moore has added another fabulous dramatic performance to her resume as Sarah. She played the part with fatalistic passion, victimized by vortex of events she felt powerless to control.

Stephen Rea also shined as the impassive cuckold. Rea tends to be very understated in his portrayals, often too much so. But he was the perfect choice for the hapless Miles; so intellectual, withdrawn and defenseless. His phlegmatic response upon being confronted by Bendrix about their affair, showed a resigned helplessness that was both pathetic and believable.

I enjoyed this film immensely and gave it a 9/10. It is finespun yet powerful. It takes its time unfolding, so if you like pace this film might test your patience. But if you enjoy a good old fashioned steamy love triangle, this film will do nicely.

Rating:
Summary: A triumph, despite the pace
Review: The original novel packs a real punch, and so does Neil Jordan's 1999 adaptation. Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore and Stephen Rea (playing the part magnificently, and with the perfect amount of pathos) are caught up in a strange menage-a-trois in Graham Greene's classic tale of love and jealousy. Michael Nyman's score sets the tone of the film, deftly blending tragedy with passion.

There are a few lulls throughout the film where the pace slackens, but there are enough brilliant moments to redeem the film, making for an intriguing and moving cinematic experience.

Rating:
Summary: great film
Review: worth seeing if only to watch Julianne Moore's porcelain skin

Rating:
Summary: A tear jerker
Review: It's not the most wonderful film in the world, but:

- It gives the world another Mychael Nyman soundtrack. I bought the CD but I'm just warning you not to listen to it if you're feeling suicidal, because it can really push you over the edge.

- It introduced me to the talent of Stephen Rea, who has become one of my favourite actors. Watch him showing the world how you play an English gentleman, and then see him in "The Crying Game", the role of his life.

- And it made me read the book, which is superior to the film, easier to understand and more profound. The book lets you get to know the character played by Julianne Moore much better and the "miracles" that take place don't seem so bizarre or far fetched. Graham Greene has become one of my favourite authors thanks to it.