END OF THE AFFAIR (1955/B&W/DVD/P&S/WS 1.85/STEREO/ENG-SP-PO-CH-KO) DVD

The End of the Affair
Recently freed from his MGM contract, Van Johnson headed to England to star in a series of pictures, the first of which was The End of the Affair. Adapted by Lenore Coffee from the novel by Graham Greene, the film casts Johnson as Maurice Bendrix, the clandestine lover of married Briton Sarah Miles (Deborah Kerr). When Maurice disappears during the London blitz, Sarah feels responsible; perhaps if she hadn't been cheating on her husband Henry (Peter Cushing), Maurice might never have been placed in harm's way. She gets down on her knees and prays, promising to return to her husband and give up Maurice if her lover's life is spared. The film's title rather gives the game away. The best performance is delivered by John Mills, as an affable private detective hired by Henry Miles to check up on Sarah's whereabouts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Deborah Kerr as Sarah Miles Van Johnson as Maurice Bendrix John Mills as Albert Parkis Peter Cushing as Henry Miles Stephen Murray as Father Crompton Nora Swinburne as Mrs. Bertram Charles Goldner as Savage Michael Goodliffe as Smythe Joyce Carey as Miss Palmer Frederick Leister as Dr. Collingwood Elsie Wagstaffe as Bendrix's Landlady Christopher Warbey as Lancelot Parkis

Crew Don Ashton - Art Director Julia Squire - Costume Designer Edward Dmytryk - Director Alan Osbigton - Editor Benjamin Frankel - Composer (Music Score) Benjamin Frankel - Musical Direction/Supervision Wilkie Cooper - Cinematographer David Lewis - Producer Lenore J. Coffee - Screenwriter Graham Greene - Book Author

The End of the Affair
The Graham Greene novel that is the basis of The End of the Affair is a difficult piece to translate to the screen, dealing as it does with complicated emotions and themes that go down more easily on the page than in the cinema. This version is acceptable, even if many of the complexities of the characters have been lost. Part of this is due to inadequacies in Lenore Coffee's screenplay, which captures the outlines of the novel but not its spirit. However, part of the blame also rests with the film's leading man, Van Johnson, and to a lesser extent with leading lady Deborah Kerr. Johnson is simply miscast; an able but limited actor, Johnson is called upon to portray a character that is simply beyond his ability, and so there is a hollowness to the central relationship in the story. An actress of immense skill, Kerr is much better than Johnson, but she's not at her best here, often pushing and straining for effect rather than letting it come naturally. Much better are Peter Cushing as Kerr's husband, and especially John Mills, who steals much of the film with his enjoyable and enlivening performance. Affair was remade more effectively in 1999. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
 

National Board of Review, Best Foreign Film (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, Spanish, Por, KO, TH Sound Processing: 1: PCM mono 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects Additional Features: Digitally Mastered Audio & Video Production Notes Interactive Menus Audio: English (Mono) Bonus Trailers Widescreen and Full Screen Presentations Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai 1999 Version Making-Of Featurette Talent Files Scene Selections DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 2 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 105 min Part of Series: Columbia Classics   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Widescreen 0. Scene Selections 1. Start [1:18] 2. The Miles Party [2:12] 3. Interviewing Sarah [5:03] 4. The Drawing Room [5:31] 5. "Do You Remember?" [2:19] 6. Mrs. Tomkins [3:48] 7. Three Days Together [3:07] 8. V1 Rocket [1:23] 9. "You're Alive!" [4:16] 10. Jealousy Turns to Hate [1:27] 11. One Year Later [2:14] 12. The Last to Know [4:23] 13. Mr. Savage [2:39] 14. "What Happened to Us?" [1:48] 15. Albert Parkis [5:45] 16. The Part in Question [4:23] 17. Maurice's Club [2:40] 18. Sarah's Journal [3:19] 19. Prayed Alive [1:36] 20. "I Have Lost Someone." [4:41] 21. Tea With Henry [4:33] 22. Richard Smythe [3:44] 23. Henry Miles, OBE [3:20] 24. Another Promise [10:21] 25. Temptation [5:36] 26. Sarah's Mother [5:46] 27. Life Runs Out [3:26] 28. "Dear Maurice." [1:06] Side #2 -- Standard 0. Scene Selections 1. Start [1:18] 2. The Miles Party [2:12] 3. Interviewing Sarah [5:03] 4. The Drawing Room [5:31] 5. "Do You Remember?" [2:19] 6. Mrs. Tomkins [3:48] 7. Three Days Together [3:07] 8. V1 Rocket [1:23] 9. "You're Alive!" [4:16] 10. Jealousy Turns to Hate [1:27] 11. One Year Later [2:14] 12. The Last to Know [4:23] 13. Mr. Savage [2:39] 14. "What Happened to Us?" [1:48] 15. Albert Parkis [5:45] 16. The Part in Question [4:23] 17. Maurice's Club [2:40] 18. Sarah's Journal [3:19] 19. Prayed Alive [1:36] 20. "I Have Lost Someone." [4:41] 21. Tea With Henry [4:33] 22. Richard Smythe [3:44] 23. Henry Miles, OBE [3:20] 24. Another Promise [10:21] 25. Temptation [5:36] 26. Sarah's Mother [5:46] 27. Life Runs Out [3:26] 28. "Dear Maurice." [1:06]