Review of Brief Encounter (1945) by Miguel A — 17 Jan 2012

David Lean continued collaborating with Noël Coward after making In Which We Serve (1942), This Happy Breed (1944) and Blithe Spirit (1945) with this adaptation of Coward's one-act 1936 play Still Life, it proved to be one of Lean's most successful films, and it's an emotional and engaging romantic drama that still stands to this day.

The film is told in flashback by bored housewife Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson), unhappy in her marriage to husband Fred (Cyril Raymond), who every week, goes into Milford by train to do the shopping and going to the cinema as well, she begins a fling with Dr.

Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard), who visits Milford Hospital every week. They're both in their 30's, and Alec, like Laura, is also in a marriage. They meet every Thursday in Milford and spend a few hours together before Laura and Alec have to catch their respective trains home.

However, it seems to be going too well for them, and Laura thinks the relationship is going too far, and it might blossom into love and hurt one another's families, so they each have to make a decision about what they need to do.

It's a tragic love story about innocent love and the thrill of a clandestine fling. It's beautifully filmed in a noirish-black and white, with great lead performances from Johnson and Howard, and Lean's star was on the rise.