The End of the Affair (1955)

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Lenore J. Coffee (writer)
Graham Greene (novel)

Release Date:

May 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

In wartorn London Maurice Bendrix falls in love with neighbor Sarah Miles. They begin an illicit romance behind Sarah's husband's back...

Plot Keywords:

Speech | Diary | Promise | Private Detective | Writer

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Deborah Kerr	...	Sarah Miles
Van Johnson	...	Maurice Bendrix
John Mills	...	Albert Parkis
Peter Cushing	...	Henry Miles
Michael Goodliffe	...	Smythe
Stephen Murray	...	Father Crompton
Charles Goldner	...	Savage
Nora Swinburne	...	Mrs. Bertram
Frederick Leister	...	Dr. Collingwood
Mary Williams	...	Maid
O'Donovan Shiell	...	Doctor
Elsie Wagstaff	...	Bendrix Landlady
Christopher Warbey	...	Lancelot Parkis
Nan Munro	...	Mrs. Tomkins
Joyce Carey	...	Miss Palmer
Josephine Wilson	...	Miss Smythe
Victor Maddern	...	1st Orator
David Bird	...	3rd Orator
Shela Ward	...	Old Woman
Edwin Ellis	...	Rescue Worker
Stanley Rose	...	Fireman
Bart Allison	...	Museum Attendant
W. Thorp Deverreux	...	Club Servant (as W. Thorp Devereux)
Mary Reed	...	Cameo appearance
Margaret Holmes	...	Cameo appearance
John H. Watson	...	Cameo appearance
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Donald Gray	...	Party Guest Who Is Seen In The Mirror Kissing Sarah (uncredited)
King George VI	...	Himself, 1945 (archive footage) (uncredited)
Princess Margaret	...	Herself, 1945 (archive footage) (uncredited)
Queen Elizabeth II	...	Herself, 1945, as Princess Elizabeth (archive footage) (uncredited)
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother	...	Herself, 1945 (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Edward Dmytryk

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lenore J. Coffee		writer
Graham Greene		novel

Produced by
David Lewis	....	producer
David E. Rose	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Benjamin Frankel

Cinematography by
Wilkie Cooper

Film Editing by
Alan Osbiston

Casting by
Paul Sheridan

Art Direction by
Donald M. Ashton		(as Don Ashton)

Makeup Department
Maude Onslow	....	hair stylist
Neville Smallwood	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Ernest Holding	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chris Noble	....	assistant director (as Christopher Noble)
John George	....	third assistant director (uncredited)
Norman Harrison	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Maurice Fowler	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cox	....	sound supervisor
Chris Greenham	....	sound editor
Bob Jones	....	sound recordist
Red Law	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Hume	....	camera operator
Laurie Ridley	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Julia Squire	....	costume designer: Deborah Kerr

Editorial Department
Marcel Durham	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Benjamin Frankel	....	conductor

Other crew
Betty Forster	....	continuity
Clive Freedman	....	location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Coronado Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1955) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1955) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Home Video (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia Pictures Video Ltd. (1990) (UK) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, London, England, UK

Company:

Coronado Productions

Trivia:

Gregory Peck was offered the male lead.

Goofs:

Continuity: Maurice kisses Sarah and lowers his hands just before he enters Henry's house. The next shot shows him gripping his tie with his both hands.

Quotes:

Sarah Miles: [to Father Compton] ... I know that it sounds absurd now, but I thought I'd prayed him alive. That *is* absurd, isn't it?... But people don't come alive; when they're dead, they're dead as mutton. Well, at any rate, I prayed, I... I made that stupid promise, and then he... he walked into the room. So it was all a mistake...
Sarah Miles: If there is a god, then he put the thought of that prayer in my mind, and I hate him for it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Grosse Pointe: The End of the Affair (#1.14)" (2001)

Quite Good for 1954

I am indebted to Turner Classic Movies for televising this film today. I had not seen it. I am a great admirer of both the novel and the 1999 film version by Neil Jordan. I count it as one of the greatest love stories in literature.

Yes, Van Johnson is miscast as Maurice Bendrix. Still, he is a sincere actor and his work is good considering that Maurice has been "Americanized." I wasn't prepared for the devastating performance by Deborah Kerr. Sarah Miles is one of literature's greatest creations. The "saint" as "whore." Or is it the "whore" as "saint?" I found myself engrossed and deeply moved watching her. It only confirmed my belief that she was with Vivian Leigh one of the two best English actresses in cinema. I love Julianne Moore in the 1999 version and equally love Deborah Kerr in the 1954 version. Sarah Miles is such a great creation that it would be wonderful to see another filmed version and compare the work of three actresses.

Incidentally, "The End of the Affair" is one of those notable works of literature that went from the page to the screen to the opera house (Jake Heggie, composer -- commission by The Houston Grand Opera -- 2004.) I do like the treatment given to the other characters in the 1954 film version. We get to meet Smythe and the priest and Sarah's mother. In the Neil Jordan screenplay, Smythe and the priest are combined into one character, a Catholic priest named Smythe. Sarah's mother is omitted in that version. If I was disappointed in the 1954 version it has to do with the character of Smythe. His character has a horrible facial birthmark that Sarah kisses when she parts from him. In the novel we are told that the birthmark disappeared upon her death. We have no idea that this happens in the 1954 film version. In the 1999 film version, the birthmark is given to Lance, Parkis's son. Also, in the novel, Lance suffers from stomach disorders. We learn that he is cured of that upon Sarah's death. No mention is made of this disorder in the 1954 film version.

Henry Miles, the cuckold, is more tragically portrayed in the 1999 film version. I tip the scales in favor to Stephen Rea whose performance is so true to the gravity of Graham Greene's creation.

A great story of human and Divine love with Maurice and Henry fighting for possession of Sarah's soul and only God receives it.