Published via Ecency

(source: tmdb.org)

British author Graham Greene had very fruitful relationship with cinema industry, with many of his novels and original screenplays being adapted in classic films. Greene, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly happy with that situation and often feared that, due to many of those films being spy films or thrillers, he would be remembered as author of trivial literature. He tried to prevent it by writing deeply personal “proper” novel The End of the Affair, partly based on his own life experiences. The book, published in 1951, is now considered one of Greene’s finest work. As such, it inevitably brought attention of film producers. In 1955 it was adapted into eponymous Hollywood drama directed by Edward Dmytrik, and in 1999 it was again adapted into film written and directed by Neil Jordan.

The plot begins in 1946 London with a meeting of two old friends – quiet civil servant Henry Miles (played by Stephen Rea) and the protagonist, writer Maurice Bendrix (played by Ralph Fiennes). Henry suspects that his wife Sarah (played by Julianne Moore) is having adulterous liaison and, hoping to prevent scandal, asks Bendrix to find private detective. Bendrix agrees, although he has his own personal reasons to do so. Seven years earlier, shortly before the start of Second World War, Sarah actually started passionate affair with Bendrix. Even the air raids and German bombings didn’t prevent lovers to maintain their relationship; they actually helped them make their affair discreet. However, one day German V-1 bomb has struck house they were meeting and Bendrix barely escaped death. Sarah was also unharmed but she ended relationship without any explanation. Bendrix is convinced that it has something to do with another man, so he spends all his time trying to uncover identity of his romantic rival. What private investigator Parks (played by Ian Hart) discovers will, however, be quite a surprise.

Irish film maker Neil Jordan has quite impressive filmography, but most of his successes are films with contemporary settings (Mona Lisa), while those set in different time periods (like Michael Collins) tend to be disappointments. The End of the Affair follows the same pattern. The main reason for it Jordan’s decision to approach relatively simple plot of Grenee’s novel by “spicing it up” with confusing editing, too many flashbacks and use Roger Pratt’s cinematography which is at times too dark. Religious themes, that were actually quite important for Greene, appear at the middle of the film rather abruptly. Even the casting, despite including some very notable names, leaves much to be desired. While Jordan’s old associate Stephen Rea is very good in the role of quiet bureaucrat, two main leads somehow lose their stellar qualities on the screen. Ralph Fiennes tries and mostly fails to make his character different from the one he had played in similarly played (and overrated) The English Patient. Julianne Moore, although she received Oscar nomination for her performance, can be praised only for mastering English accent in a convincing way. Fiennes and Moore lack chemistry and the supposedly steamy love scenes are mechanical and non-erotic. Impression is, to a point, saved by Ian Hart providing some sort of comic relief in the role of private detective that uses a young son as assistant. Composer Michael Nyman also delivers another effective score. But those efforts aren’t enough to make viewers think that The End of the Affair would have been better as BBC miniseries.

RATING: 4/10 (+)