AllMovie

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.