During the Second World War, English novelist Maurice Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes) conducted a five year, illicit affair with a married woman (Julianne Moore). Embittered and bewildered by his lover’s abrupt disappearance after a bomb attack, Maurice has the opportunity to re-enter Sarah’s life after he encounters her husband, Henry (Stephen Rea), shortly after the war. Henry, who maintains a platonic relationship with his wife, suspects that she is having an affair and appeals to Maurice to help him find the truth. Overwhelmed by jealousy, Maurice enlists the services of a private detective on the pretext that he is helping Henry. As the film flashes between the present and the past, the motives for Sarah’s actions are gradually revealed. Graham Greene denied that his novel was based on his own affair with Catherine Walston, despite dedicating it to ‘C’ and giving Sarah’s husband the same name as Catherine’s husband. Cast includes Ian Hart and Jason Isaacs. Music composed and conducted by Michael Nyman. Editing, Tony Lawson. Cinematography, Roger Pratt. Written for the screen by Neil Jordan.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Stream, rent or buy via
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
316434
Language
English
Audience classification
M (15+)
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Biographical films
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → World War, 1939-1945
Armed Forces, Military, War & Weapons → World War, 1939-1945 - Great Britain
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Adultery
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Desire
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Sexual attraction
Feature films → Feature films - Great Britain
Literature → English literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)