Trahisons conjugales

It has often been said that great books can not be made into great movies, that is not the case here. This is a story by one of the greatest writers in the English language since Shakespeare and screen play by the one man who truly understood the agony behind the story. Mix that with three of the best English actors of the modern age and you have a mesmerizing story in cinematic form. Do not miss this movie if you are a fan of great literature and great movie making. At first the reverse chronology may seem a bit confusing, but ultimately it proves the genius of the director's ability to plumb the depths of the friendship and the relationship of all the characters in this sad, sad story. You will not be disappointed.

Deciding to confront the husband of his longtime mistress after she reveals that she has let on about their affair, a British book publisher is surprised to learn that the husband has known of the extramarital affair for years in this quiet yet intense drama from the pen of Harold Pinter. The film intriguingly unfolds in reverse chronological order, beginning with the aforementioned confrontation and then flashing back further and further in the past to examine how the affair managed to develop to its current point. Some have criticised this narrative style as a gimmick, but on the contrary, it fits in incredibly well with the publisher's shock over the husband (also a longtime friend) knowing about the affair; it almost feels as if he is searching his memory for hints of the husband being clued into the affair that he may have missed at the time. Whatever the case, Jeremy Irons (as the man having the affair) and Ben Kingsley (as the knowledgeable husband) deliver pitch perfect performances throughout with Kinglsey subtly radiating animosity in the flashback scenes - particularly a restaurant luncheon - something all the more pronounced due to Irons being so ignorant of it and so conceited to believe that nobody knows of the affair. Patricia Hodge is less effective as the woman in the love triangle, never all that alluring; Dominic Muldowney's music is sometimes overbearing too. Generally speaking though, this is a handsome production as well as a testament to how much a film can achieve with minimal sets, lots of dialogue and an ending revealed at the beginning.

This brilliant movie starts with a meeting between Jerry and Emma two years after their relationship has ended; then proceeds backward, thereby ending eight years earlier, with the moment when Jerry first declares his attraction to Emma at a party. The idea that the viewer can know this information at the beginning of the movie and then is never bored is an amazing feat for this movie. All three of the actors are amazing in their roles.

I watched this movie because I heard that the screen-writer had used a unique structure--the story is told backwards in time. Every succeeding scene occurs chronologically before the previous one. I wanted to see if the screen-writer was just using a gimmick, or if the structure actually added to the telling of the story. I was overjoyed to find out it was the latter! The magic of this movie is that Pinter makes the time sequence seem natural. By the end of the movie, the viewer is convinced this is the only way the story could have been told effectively. I highly recommend this movie to all who love cinema.

This movie is brilliant. All the actors, especially Ben Kingsley, were superb. When Ben Kingsley is in the scene, you are riveted to his every expression. Especially when you watch it for the 2nd time, and know what they know at every given point. Also, thinking about the actual betrayals. I loved the dialogue, references from scene to scene, relationships between the characters, and the backward progress of it all. Pinter's work is incredible. Because of what you know at various points in the plot, you can see what's going on inside the characters. Patricia Hodge and Jeremy Irons give truly amazing performances - and Mr. Kingsley is just mind-blowing.

I sure hope it comes out on DVD one day - my VHS copy is running down.