In case it isn’t anvil-falling-on-head obvious, the studios release movies within a fairly structured calendar. For the most part, the agenda is as follows: action movies with big stars, car wrecks, and special effects come out in the summer, and costume dramas with scenery-chewing big stars angling for awards are released during the holidays. Sometimes movies that deserve attention get lost in the avalanche of releases that seem to be mining similar territory. The End Of The Affair is a movie that probably would have benefited from opening when the field of teeth gnashing, hand-wringing dramas with period costumes was smaller. Not that it’s a great movie, but it’s good enough that it might command a sizable audience if it wasn’t competing with superior options.
The title pretty much says it all. The End of the Affair tells the story of the end of an affair between Sarah (Julianne Moore) and Maurice (Ralph Fiennes). Sarah struggles in a less than satisfying marriage to Henry (Stephen Rea) and finds sanctuary in the bed of Maurice. Set in London during World War II, the film jumps back and forth between Sarah’s story, Maurice’s story, and the history of their affair, which takes place over several years. They meet, they fall desperately in love, Maurice’s jealousy consumes him, they split, then meet and start the affair again. A bomb drops (literally) during an afternoon boinkathon, changing everything. At this point, the love triangle becomes more of a love rectangle as God becomes an important fourth party. If it sounds confusing, that’s because it is. The jumping back and forth in time becomes labored quickly. It’s almost as if director Neil Jordan was trying to complicate things on purpose because the story itself is pretty straightforward. But I’m just speculating.
Julianne Moore is the best thing about The End Of The Affair. As evidence of her talent, she brings a surprising depth and sympathy to her character, then manages to completely steal the movie away from the actors around her. She plays Sarah with such care and attention that when she makes the transition between the boring prison of her marriage and the breathless passion of the affair, you can almost feel her freedom. On the other hand, Stephen Rea and Ralph Fiennes are very proper and hushed, and speak much too articulately through clenched jaws. Ralph Fiennes is in full English Patient mode here: tortured, bitter, and sad, but without all of his skin burned off. He’s a talented actor but it’s time he branched out and played a twenty-first century cop who swears a lot or, even more of a stretch, a character who actually smiles.
I’m making the movie sound less accomplished than it is. Neil Jordan is a capable director and proves himself talented again here. Unfortunately, one gets the impression that at times more attention was paid to the art direction. The End of the Affair is a dark and rainy movie with great costumes and a definite affection for its time period, ’40’s London. Sometimes the details are more captivating than the dialogue.
Fans of Julianne Moore should see this movie. In my opinion, she’s one of the best working actors today, and she is destined for greatness. She deserves the attention she’s getting for this role. Having said that, she’s given one of the most unforgivable cinematic clichs there is. (WARNING: DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THIS MOVIE!) What fate awaits the character who coughs at the beginning of a movie? “Coff, coff,” goes Sarah. “You should have that looked at,” says Maurice. Anyone with even one brain cell working can see where that’s going.
+ David Kern
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