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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.
weingartena-819-142661
I will not read any of the reviews for this movie (yet): I want to write my own. I saw this movie in my mid 20's (I paid to see it in a dark dingy theater): back then, it was somewhat wasted on me. Now, in my mid 50's, I suddenly recalled it, and realized what a chord it strikes (which is why I am giving it a rather high score). I won't be saying anything new here: it documents the disintegration of a wonderful relationship between a couple, but documenting it from present day, and going gradually backwards in time, up to the moment of the very first touch and kiss. If I can find this movie - I will see it again. PS: I was surprised that when I did a search of "Betrayal" on the IMDb database this movie did not show up: I had to find it indirectly by searching for "Patricia Hodge".
asongbird
Wonderful movie...left a lasting impression, though I haven't seen it in many years.It's a very well-structured movie; the performances, as I remember them, are stellar. I especially remember Ben Kingsley's reaction to finding out about the "affair" his wife has been having. Yikes. Very convincing. Hodge's and Kingsley's interactions are particularly interesting all the way through the movie, as are the interactions between Kingsley and Irons.PLEASE HELP: I would like to find a study copy of this to purchase, and have been hunting for one without success for some time. (I am interested in studying the structure, directing style, etc.) Does anybody have one to sell? I believe it is only out on VHS. If you have a copy to sell, kindly email me at ssm@singingstring.org.
Claudio Carvalho
Emma (Patricia Hodges) is married with Robert (Ben Kingsley), who is the best friend of Jerry (Jeremy Irons), who is the lover of Emma. The originality of this romance is the way it is told to the viewer, backwards, from the present to the past. Although being theatrical, it is supported by an outstanding cast and is a good entertainment. Basically there is no soundtrack along this drama. My vote is seven.
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