Review of Brief Encounter (1945) by Glen O — 08 Sep 2013
This is a first rate melodrama from David Lean who would go on to make such epics as The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia. Here the scale is much more intimate as two reserved Brits who meet in a railway kiosk struggle over the fact that they have fallen in love but are both married to other people.
In a modern movie they would have had sex twelve ways before breakfast but here they agonize about the right thing to do. It resolves in a way that is acceptable to the moral standards of the time but also in a way that is very satisfying in a narrative sense.
It was interesting to hear the expression 'shopping till I'm dropping' which I didn't realise had been around for so long. Going to the movies figures into the romance so that we have a couple of interesting movie within a movie moments.
Lean makes the most of close ups that really highlight the subtle but effective facial acting of the two leads. This is 1940s British film making at its best.
This review of Brief Encounter (1945) was written by Glen O on 08 Sep 2013.
Brief Encounter has generally received very positive reviews.
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