THE END OF THE AFFAIR (1955)

 In a recent Guardian poll of writers, critics and academics 'The End of the Affair' by Graham Greene rated as one of the 100 best novels of all time.

I don't disagree.  In my youth I was totally gripped by this story so much so that in my memory at least I read it in a single sitting, reading it late into the night.

So I couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch this adaptation, especially since it stars Deborah Kerr, possibly my favourite actress.  Even so I approached it with some trepidation given the mixed reviews it received.

It divides into two halves.  The first is narrated by Maurice, an American write living and working in London during World War II.  He meets Sarah, the wife of boring civil servant Henry, and they instantly fall in love and begin a passionate affair.  When Maurice survives (miraculously?) a bomb falling on his house Sarah breaks off the affair without explanation.

A year later Maurice bumps into Henry, who is worried that Sarah might be being unfaithful. Maurice never fully trusted Sarah, so spurred on by jealousy he employs a private investigator to follow Sarah.

Up to this point I struggled to be engaged.  A large part of the problem is the casting of Van Johnson as Maurice.  He simply isn't a good enough actor, and I didn't detect any chemistry between him and Kerr.  I never for one moment believed in their instant infatuation.

However once Maurice starts reading Sarah's journal, purloined by the investigator, the story is narrated by Sarah.  Maurice almost disappears from the film, as we watch grappling with the consequences of the prayer she made when she thought Maurice had been killed by the bomb.

It's an exquisitely moving performance by Kerr and as a result once again I was in thrall to this story, which in outline might seem rather ridiculous.  This time I knew that Sarah and Maurice are not going to get together again (as I had desperately hoped when I read the novel) so instead my anxiety was focussed on whether Sarah would achieve some peace of mind.

The ending, as handled here is somewhat unconvincing.  Peter Cushing is perfect as Henry and I could just about believe that in the scene where he acknowledges how much Sarah means to him that she might feel obliged to stick with him.  But her subsequent mysterious death (from a 'severe cold') feels very contrived.

So it's not the adaptation the novel warrants, but it is still a well made film (by director Edward Dmytryk) which is well worth watching, if only for Deborah Kerr's flawless portrayal of Sarah.