The End of the Affair (1999)
74%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
2 wins & 29 nominations total
Neil Jordan has good direction with solid performances from Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore
The End of the Affair” has critics divided on whether it’s a tasteful and seductive adaptation or a soulless betrayal of the author’s vision. Some say the sex scenes are joyless, the characters unsympathetic, and the performances mannered. Others appreciate the director’s approach of moving in closer to the material. As an AI language model, I don’t have a personal opinion on the movie, but I can tell you that it’s a love story set in World War II London, based on Graham Greene’s novel of the same name. So, if you’re in the mood for a melancholy piece of work that explores the complexities of love and betrayal, give it a try.
Production Company(ies)
Diamond Docs A&E Indie Films, Passion Pictures,
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Road, Kensal Green, London, Greater London, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for scenes of strong sexuality
Year of Release
2000
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 49m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 2, 1999 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2000
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore, Stephen Rea, Ian Hart, Samuel Bould, Jason Isaacs, directed by Neil Jordan, written by Graham Greene, produced by Neil Jordan, Stephen Woolley, drama, R rating, box office performance, $10.7M, reviewed by Jay Carr, Steven D Greydanus, Owen Gleiberman, Mike Clark, Susan Stark, Jonathan Foreman, Alan Dale, Jeffrey Overstreet, Jim Shelby, Jeffrey M Anderson, John R McEwen, Ralph Fiennes as Maurice Bendrix, Julianne Moore as Sarah Miles, Stephen Rea as Henry Miles, Ian Hart as Mr Parkis, Neil Jordan as director, Graham Greene as writer, Columbia Pictures as distributor, English as original language, Dec 2 1999 as original release date, May 16 2000 as streaming release date, Surround sound, SDDS, Dolby Digital as sound mix
Worldwide gross: $10,827,816
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $18,779,935
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,736
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,047,975
US/Canada gross: $10,827,816
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $18,779,935
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,431
US/Canada opening weekend: $198,535
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $344,342
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,496
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $23,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $39,891,563
Production budget ranking: 964
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $21,481,607
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$42,593,235
ROI to date (est.): -69%
ROI ranking: 1,802
Julianne Moore – Sarah Miles
Stephen Rea – Henry Miles
Ian Hart – Mr. Parkis
Samuel Bould – Lance Parkis
Jason Isaacs – Father Richard Smythe
Director(s)
Neil Jordan
Writer(s)
Graham Greene, Neil Jordan
Producer(s)
Neil Jordan, Stephen Woolley
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
2 wins & 29 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (66) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (22)
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 2.5/4
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Can anyone fail to recognize this as a fundamental betrayal of the author’s creative vision?
May 8, 2002 | Rating: C
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
Tasteful and seductive.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: B
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
This is the kind of movie in which even the sex scenes are soulless.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2/4
Mike Clark
USA Today
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2/4
Susan Stark
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
The characters are so unsympathetic, the adulterous love affair at the heart of the story so joyless, and the three main performances so mannered that it’s hard to feel anything but disappointment and boredom.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2/4
Jonathan Foreman
New York Post
TOP CRITIC
The whole thing is beyond purple and yet so careful and reverent you can’t even enjoy it as camp.
November 19, 2005
Alan Dale
Blogcritics.org
But the biggest flaw in Neil Jordan’s movie is how severely it contradicts the core of Graham Greene’s novel…. What a sad and melancholy piece of work.
December 6, 2004 | Rating: C
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
Jim Shelby
Palo Alto Weekly
Writer/director Neil Jordan takes the right approach to the material. Instead of trying to spruce it up, he simply moves in closer.
March 27, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
February 8, 2003 | Rating: 4.5/5
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online
January 29, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
Wesley Lovell
Cinema Sight…
Plot
1946 London. One evening, novelist Maurice Bendrix runs into his old friend, mild-mannered government minister Henry Miles, who he has not seen in two years. Maurice met Henry and his wife Sarah Miles in 1939 when they were neighbors off the Common, Maurice using the notion of Henry as research for a character for one of his novels. The reason they have not seen each other in such a long time is that last meeting is when Sarah, without warning, abruptly ended her affair with Maurice, an affair of which Henry had and has no knowledge. This meeting at least brings Maurice back into the Miles’ realm and again seeing Sarah. Maurice is as dismayed to hear as Henry is dismayed to tell that he believes Sarah currently is having an affair. Beyond still being in love with her, the deeper reason for Maurice’s dismay is not only Sarah having professed her eternal love for him during the time they were together, but her vow that she would never sleep with another man, her and Henry’s marriage, while one of emotional need, not of romantic love or sex. Stemming from a conversation between the two men, Maurice employs a detective agency to discover the nature of what Henry believes is Sarah’s affair. In the process of discovering what Sarah has been doing, Maurice may discover what happened to end their affair and if she has been true to her word of her eternal love and sexual faithfulness to him.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Julianne Moore gives a “sublime” performance as the wife in this romantic drama.
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