It can be great fun to watch films that have been remade a generation or more later, to see how artistic interpretation changes and how the same story can evolve to give a reflection of the production’s times. The 1999 release of Neil Jordan’s version of The End of the Affair, based on Graham Greene’s novel, provides an excellent opportunity to look back at the original, made in 1955 – close to half a century earlier.

This is a film that likely could not have been made in America at the time – at least not by one of the major studios – as its subject matter is far too scandalous for the Production Code censorship that ruled Hollywood at that time. It’s a story of adultery – of deeply-felt love and lust outside of marriage. Even worse, we learn early on that Sarah Miles (Deborah Kerr) has done this before. Whether her well-meaning but hopelessly boring and distracted bureaucrat husband, Henry (Peter Cushing), knows what’s going on is unclear, but Sarah is definitely finding her fun where she can get it.

Enter Maurice Bendrix (Van Johnson), an expatriate American novelist who’s spending the war in London. Maurice is currently writing about a bureaucrat, so he befriends Henry. When he meets Sarah – and sees her share a forbidden kiss with a houseguest – he immediately knows that he must see more of her. Romance quickly develops, but after a Nazi air raid that leaves Maurice stunned and slightly injured, Sarah inexplicably leaves the man she claims to love like no other. Maurice is devastated and eventually decides he must learn the truth.

If you have seen both this film and the 1999 version, there are some interesting differences, other than the obvious changes in production technique – this one is a nicely-shot black and white production, while Jordan’s update is beautifully atmospheric and in colour. There are differences in the storyline, and in the way it’s presented. On the latter point, this version is more straightforward, with just one major flashback that begins when the narrative shifts from the perspective of Maurice to that of Sarah. The remake uses more complex flashbacks, and the entire narrative is from Maurice’s perspective. As for the storyline, it’s interesting that this version has a strong religious element, which is virtually absent from the remake, even though a prayer is central to the story in both. The 1955 original has a final act that emphasizes religious inspiration over human love – entirely unlike the remake.

This is a sentimental film, and one that’s effective, despite the unconvincing performance of Van Johnson. Johnson simply doesn’t convey emotion effectively, and his wooden narration during the first half of the film weighs it down. Kerr, on the other hand, is wonderful. When Sarah feels pain, we see it and believe it. The second half of the film, which she narrates, goes much better than the first. The supporting cast, particularly Cushing, is also very good.

Brian Webster

DVD version:

The DVD generously includes both widescreen and fullscreen versions of the movie, with digitally mastered mono sound in English. Subtitles are available in a bunch of languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai. There are a few special features. Strangely, one of these is a ‘making of’ featurette on the 1999 remake – which is quite different from the 1955 version. You also get biographical notes on Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson and director Edward Dmytryk and trailers for The Caine Mutiny and Alvarez Kelly (both directed by Dmytryk) plus the 1999 version of this film. You also get direct access to the film’s 28 scenes.

Directed by Edward Dmytryk
Stars Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson, John Mills, Peter Cushing, Michael Goodliffe, Stephen Murray, Charles Goldner, Nora Swinburne
Studio/distributor: Columbia TriStar