Upon completing the watching of The End of the Affair a couple of days ago I wasn't sure what my overall verdict was - though I knew for sure it wasn't a green-lighted broad recommendation. Now that the dust has settled I've taken the opinion that it is in actual fact quite a potentially damaging film. For as I look upon the pictures above and am reminded of the characters, the one main message I have taken from the film is something along the lines that affairs are adventurous and erotic happenings, and that given the right set of circumstances; perhaps slightly less neurotic personalities, and/or the absence of a life-threatening illness, things might just work out well.

There are many aspects of this film one could explore in more detail, but of particular note are the following:

Maurice (Ralph Fiennes) says at one point "She'd only make love to me, but she could shop, cook and fall asleep with you". Which is a good thing to say, and it acknowledges that in actual fact the opportunity to share one's daily life with another soul is more important and emotionally gratifying than merely sharing one's bed with that person. However, the poetic way in which Maurice delivers this line, along with such perceived awareness of the important things in life, creates in the viewer an added sympathy for this man that is having an affair with another man's wife.

This sympathetic tone towards Maurice is the backbone of The End of the Affair - right to the end he's portrayed as quite a reasonable and fair fellow who just by circumstance has happened to get himself into something of an awkward situation. This view is echoed by a contributor's comments on the IMDB. The contributor in question says of the messages she took from this film: "... relationships are complicated, and the nature of faith, God, sin, and belief become part of the complex mix, along with the very human desire to do the right thing. Sarah particularly must struggle with these age old questions as she searches from sources of different, even contradictory viewpoints...". These comments affirm the message that relationships are incredibly complicated things, and that life in itself is some kind of great almost impossible juggling act that we are all involved in. Now I accept that a life without faith does indeed become an almost impossible juggling act, but it doesn't have to be that way. Relationships are complicated primarily because we (including society and the media at large - including this very film itself) make them complicated! Primarily we make relationships complicated by our own sinful and unrepentful natures. And of the most damaging of these sins is putting another person in the place of God in our lives. Whereas if we put God first and not the other person ("seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all else shall be added on to you"), then the rest of our lives, including our relationships, will fall into place in a relatively non-complicated manner.

This brings me along to the next point, which is that Sarah does indeed come to the point of turning to God, but it's in a very distant and unemotional way. At one point Sarah says to Maurice "people go on loving God their whole lives, even though they never see him", to which Maurice replies "that's not my kind of love", to which Sarah concludes "maybe there is no other kind". Which is delivered in such an unenthusiastic manner that the viewer is encouraged to implicitly hope that there is indeed another kind of love - something greater, something bigger, something more special than just dull, boring, unromantic and unseen love for God. Whereas our love for God should be the love we get more enthusiastic about than any other love in our lives. And if it is not so it will indeed end in misery; not merely the poetic regrets of a lovelorn poet.

This analysis can also not be left without mention as to the completely unnecessary and highly graphical sex scenes. They have been included for no other reason than to titillate the audience, and as I commented upon at the beginning they help to reinforce a message that affairs are above all adventurous and erotic activities, as opposed to above all simply being completely the wrong activity to be involved in the first place. Even the hint of a suggestion that God was somehow involved in bringing people together through these circumstances is abhorrent. God will not introduce anyone to a married person in order to bring about any kind of romance. The only way I can conceive that would happen is in the exceptional circumstance where the marriage was void in the first place (which in Catholic teaching requires an official annulment). And nothing in this film leads me to believe that Sarah's marriage to Henry was void.

Finally, especially given the fact that film does indeed include at least an acknowledgement of the existence of God, I shall not rule out the fact that one or two souls might have seen through the smoke of lies in this film, and somehow arrived at the truth embedded deep within. However, for the most part I believe this film has far greater potential to lead souls astray and trap, in particular women, in a pessimistic attitude to life-long relationships and unrealistic expectations of romantic relationships.