The End of the Affair (1955).

The End of the Affair(1955). Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Cast: Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson, Peter Cushing and John Mills. It is based on the novel The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. It was filmed in London, around the Chester Terrace. Gregory Peck was offered the male lead.

After Maurice Bendrix, receives an honorable discharge from the military and goes back to his writing. Soon after, Maurice, is invited to a party at the home of Henry Miles and his wife Sarah. Henry suggests that Maurice interview Sarah for his new book.

 

 A couple of days later, Maurice meets with Sarah and over a short period of time they fall deeply in love, meeting often at a cozy country inn. Maurice, becomes extremely jealous of her.

In London, Sarah meets Maurice at his apartment and the couple are attacked by German "buzz bombs". Maurice suggests they go below to the shelter, but Sarah worries about his landlady seeing them together. Maurice goes downstairs alone and is caught in the explosion and buried under a pile of rubble.

After regaining consciousness, Maurice goes back upstairs and to find Sarah kneeling by the bed praying, as she believed him dead. Sarah tends to Maurice's injuries and then quickly leaves.

Over the next several days, Maurice recovers from his injuries, but.. is unable to find Sarah. Maurice, believes Sarah used the bombing to break it off with him. Maurice, decides to leave London and does not return for a year.

Maurice, is walking home in the rain when he sees Henry, who invites Maurice to his home and after learning that Sarah was not there, Maurice agrees. Where, Henry shares his concern about Sarah's long absences and was considering hiring a detective. Maurice, volunteers to look into it for him, but.. Henry refuses.

The next day, Maurice visits the Savage detective agency and hires them to follow Sarah.

Later, Maurice meets up with Sarah in front of her house and asks her why she broke it off with him, but Sarah.. offers no reason.

The next day, Maurice meets the Savage agency representative, Albert Parkis, and is surprised to learn that his report was about Maurice's own meeting with Sarah.

A few days later, Parkis calls on Maurice to watch Sarah show up at Richard Smythe's, home whom she has visited several times.

Later, Parkis says that he has befriended the Miles's maid and shows him a love letter written by Sarah. Maurice contacts Henry and tells him what he has learned about Sarah's meetings with Smythe and the letter. But... Henry refuses to believes him.

That evening, Parkis gives Maurice Sarah's diary and tells him that Sarah has been ill. Maurice, begins reading the diary: During their affair, Sarah is concerned that, Maurice's jealousy will ruin their relationship. During the night of the "buzz bomb" attack, Sarah finds Maurice buried beneath the rubble and believes him dead. Sarah promises to God, to give up Maurice if he is allowed to live. When she realizes Maurice's is alive, Sarah must keep her promise and on her way home stops at the church and confesses to Father Crompton. Soon after, Sarah begins seeing Smythe, who says that there can not be a God. Because, he would not allow the war to continue. Having a hard time believing him, Sarah continues to see Father Crompton.

The day that Parkis and Maurice follow Sarah to Smythe's, where she plans to break it off with Smythe telling him that his hatred for God has only proved of his is existence.

Returning home, Sarah writes a love letter to Maurice, apologizing and promising to return to him, but then destroys the letter. Henry, arrives home and begs Sarah not to leave him and she unable to keep up the fight agrees.

After finishing the diary, Maurice goes to see Sarah, who refuses to see him. He shows up anyways, Sarah leaves the house running in a rainstorm. Maurice catches up to her and makes her promise to return to him. But.... will she be able to keep her promise to him?

This love triangle film has many plot twists and turns. Just when you think that the movie is over it goes into a flashback to show you what really happened. The acting by, Kerr, Johnson and Peter Cushing, will keep you in your seat until the unexpected ending.

Nora Swinburne (24 July 1902 – 1 May 2000) was a British actress, born Leonora Mary Johnson in Bath, Somerset, daughter of Henry Swinburne Johnson and his wife Leonora Tamar (née Brain). She married English character actor Francis Lister in 1924, actor Edward Ashley-Cooper in 1934, and actor Esmond Knight in 1946. Her stepdaughter is the actress Rosalind Knight.

She was educated at Rosholme College, Weston-super-Mare and studied for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. As a member of Clive Currie's Young Players in 1914, she appeared at the Grand, Croydon, Court and Little Theatres, during that year. While still a student at the Academy she appeared at the New Theatre on 11 April 1916 as The Wild Flowers in Paddly Pools; appeared at the Comedy Theatre, September 1916, as a dancer in the revue, This and That; and in October 1916 appeared in Samples at the Globe Theatre (now the Gielgud Theatre). She also appeared at the Globe in March 1917 as Gabrielle in Suzette.

Other early roles included Lulu in Yes, Uncle! at the Prince of Wales Theatre in December 1917, and Regina Waterhouse at the Strand Theatre in December 1918. At the Apollo Theatre in 1919 she played the title role in Tilly of Bloomsbury "for about six weeks" according to her personal notes in Who's Who in the Theatre, followed by the role of Roselle in The Betrothal at the Gaiety in January 1921, concluding the year with what she charmingly called "several cinema plays".

John Mills

John Mills, made his first film, The Midshipmaid (1932) and next went on to play, in one of my favorite films the 1939 film version of, Goodbye, Mr Chips. The story begins with Mr. Chipping, a retired schoolteacher of 83, falling asleep and his 58-year career is told in a flashback:

When 25-year-old Charles Edward Chipping first arrives as a Latin teacher to Brookfield Public School in 1870, the boys play many practical jokes on him. Which causes him to become overly strict, making him respected, but disliked.

His friend Max Staefel, invites him on holiday to Austria. While hiking on a foggy mountain side, Chipping "rescues" Kathy Ellis. Even though she did not really need to be saved. They meet again in Vienna and dance to the Blue Danube Waltz. Max says that the Danube River appears blue, but only to those who are in love. As Chipping looks at the river, he notices that it is blue. After they are married they return to England, where Kathy showers everyone with her charm.

During their tragically short marriage, Chips becomes a much-loved teacher, with the generations of students that he teaches. In 1909, he is put under pressure to retire for a more 'modern' headmaster, the board of directors of the school take his side and tell him he can stay until he is 100.

Eventually Chips does retire, but is called back to serve as headmaster, because of the shortage of teachers who were called to fight in the War. He remembers Kathy had said that he would become headmaster one day. As the War drags on, Chips reads to the class the school's Roll of Honour, every Sunday, the names of the many former boys and teachers who have died in battle.

In September 1939, at the start of World War II, Mills enlisted in the Royal Engineers. He was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. But in 1942 he received a medical discharge because of a stomach ulcer.

He went on to star in Noël Coward's, In Which We Serve. Mills also performed the lead role in the film, Great Expectations(1946), which helped start his career playing British heroes as in, Scott of the Antarctic (1948), The Colditz Story (1954), Above Us the Waves (1955) and Ice-Cold in Alex (1958). Altogether he performed in over 120 films.

From 1959 through the mid-1960s, Mills performed in several films with his daughter Hayley. Their first film together was the crime drama Tiger Bay(1959). Following Hayley's rise to fame in Pollyanna (1960) and the film, The Parent(1961) Trap, John and Hayley again performed together, in the sailing adventure, The Truth About Spring(1965), The Chalk Garden(1964) and The Family Way(1966).

Later he performed as Col. Barrow in "Tunes of Glory", Mills won the best Actor Award at the 1960 Venice Film Festival. For his role in Ryan's Daughter (1970). Mills won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His most famous television role was Quatermass for ITV in 1979. Also on the small screen, in 1974 he starred as Captain Tommy "The Elephant" Devon in the six-part television drama series The Zoo Gang.

Mills also starred as Gus: The Theatre Cat in the filmed version of the musical Cats in 1998.

In 2000 Mills released his home movie documentary film, Sir John Mills' Moving Memories, with interviews with Mills, his children Hayley, Juliet and Jonathan and Richard Attenborough. The film also includes home footage of many of John Mills' friends and cast members including: Sir Laurence Olivier, Harry Andrews, Walt Disney, David Niven, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Sir Rex Harrison and Tyrone Power.