The End of the Affair (1999 film)

Plot

On a rainy London night in 1946, Maurice Bendrix has a chance meeting with Henry Miles, husband of Maurice's former mistress, Sarah, who abruptly ended their affair two years before. Bendrix's obsession with Sarah is rekindled; he succumbs to his own jealousy and works his way back into her life.

As the story unfolds in 1946, we also see flashbacks of Bendrix with Sarah as they began their affair in 1939. Henry tells Bendrix that he believes Sarah is having an affair, so Bendrix hires the bumbling but amiable Mr. Parkis, who uses his young birthmarked son Lance to investigate. Sarah asks Bendrix to meet to talk about Henry and the cold tentativeness of their interaction is contrasted with the passion of their earlier encounters.

Bendrix learns from Parkis that Sarah has been making regular surreptitious visits to a priest named Father Richard Smythe and grows increasingly jealous. Flashbacks show Bendrix expressing jealousy of Henry and asking Sarah to leave him. Though Sarah and Bendrix express love to each other, the affair ends abruptly when a V-1 flying bomb explodes near Bendrix's building. Bendrix awakes bloodied but not seriously hurt, and Sarah is shocked that he survived. Bendrix accuses Sarah of being disappointed and she leaves, telling him, "Love doesn't end just because we don't see each other."

In 1946, Parkis obtains Sarah's diary and passes it to Bendrix, showing him the affair from her perspective. When Bendrix was hurt by the bomb, Sarah ran downstairs and tried to revive him, then ran back upstairs to pray for his survival. Bendrix entered the room just as she vowed to stop seeing him if he lived.

Now knowing why Sarah ended the affair, Bendrix begs her to reconsider, and she admits she's felt dead without him and can no longer keep her promise to God. Henry, aware it is Bendrix who was Sarah's lover, desperately asks her not to leave him but, with more persuasion from Bendrix, Sarah agrees to go away with him for a weekend. Henry tracks the couple down to tell them Sarah has a terminal illness.

Bendrix stays with Henry and Sarah during her final days. At her funeral, Parkis tells Bendrix that his son's birthmark went away after Sarah kissed it during a chance encounter. At Henry and Sarah's house, Bendrix completes his book and it is revealed that his diary of hate is directed toward God. While Sarah doesn't need to see God to love Him, Bendrix prays God will leave him alone, thereby finally acknowledging His existence.

Cast

• Ralph Fiennes as Maurice Bendrix
• Stephen Rea as Henry Miles
• Julianne Moore as Sarah Miles
• Heather-Jay Jones as Henry's Maid
• James Bolam as Mr. Savage
• Ian Hart as Mr. Parkis
• Sam Bould as Lance Parkis
• Cyril Shaps as Waiter
• Penny Morrell as Bendrix's Landlady
• Simon Fisher Turner as Doctor Gilbert
• Jason Isaacs as Father Richard Smythe
• Deborah Findlay as Miss Smythe
• Nicholas Hewetson as Chief Warden
• Jack McKenzie as Chief Engineer
• Nic Main as Commanding Officer

Music

Michael Nyman later used "Diary of Love" to open and close his solo album, The Piano Sings (2006). As with many of Nyman's 1990s scores, he incorporates material from his String Quartet No.3, which was in turn based on a choral piece titled Out of the Ruins.

Track listing

1. Diary of Hate 2:38
2. Henry 1:46
3. The First Time 2:16
4. Vigo Passage 1:04
5. Jealous of the Rain 5:29
6. The Party in Question 3:45
7. Intimacy 3:04
8. Smythe with a "Y" 1:55
9. Dispossessed 3:22
10. Love Doesn't End 4:31
11. Diary of Love 5:16
12. Breaking the Spell 1:20
13. I Know your voice, Sarah 4:10
14. Sarah dies 3:01
15. The End of the Affair 2:59

A contemporary recording of "Haunted Heart" by Jo Stafford is heard in the background during several scenes and the closing credits.

Reception

Critical response

BBFC rating controversy

The film received an 18 certificate from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the strictest possible rating, due to its sexual content. Producer Stephen Woolley criticised the decision, describing it as "completely insane". Woolley acknowledged that the film was "a little steamy in places" but argued that the 18 rating was unwarranted. A BBFC spokesperson stated that the "sex scenes gave us no choice but to give it an 18 certificate" and that "the public would not be happy" if a lower rating were issued. Woolley said that The End of the Affair was initially given an NC-17 rating in the United States, but was reclassified as R following an appeal.

Accolades

• Ralph Fiennes also won the best eyewear award at the GQ Men of 2000 Awards for the pair of National Health Service spectacles he sported in the film.

References

References

1. "Censors blacken outlook for Greene film".
2. "Neil Jordan, Ralph Fiennes and Stephen Woolley - part two".
3. "The 72nd Academy Awards (2000) Nominees and Winners". [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] (AMPAS).
4. "BAFTA Awards: Film in 2000". [[British Academy Film Awards]].
5. "Best Cinematography in Feature Film". [[British Society of Cinematographers]].
6. (January 2013). "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives". [[Chicago Film Critics Association]].
7. "6th Annual Chlotrudis Awards". [[Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films]].
8. "The End of the Affair". [[Golden Globe Awards]].
9. "Past Winners & Nominees". [[Humanitas Prize]].
10. (December 17, 1999). "New York Critics Honor Leigh's 'Topsy-Turvy'". [[The New York Times]].
11. "4th Annual Film Awards (1999)". Online Film & Television Association.
12. "The 6th Screen Actors Guild Awards". [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]].
13. "Past Scripter Awards". [[USC Scripter Award]].