The Heart of the Matter (1953)

Finely scripted, adult screen adoption of Graham Greene's novel about mental conflict and moral degeneration in Sierra Leone, with Trevor Howard giving a magnificent performance as Scobie, the local Deputy Commissioner of Police whose heart and conscience combine to bring about his downfall when, trying not to hurt either his wife or the mistress he has come to adore, his only solution to his many difficulties appears to be suicide — which for him, a devout Catholic, is the greatest sin of all. Another wonderful performance comes from Maria Schell as the girl. ¹