Review of Brief Encounter (1945) by Sean M — 10 Aug 2008

Lean's first international success and Best Director nomination, this little movie put him on the map. Now, it's sentimental and dated, but the extraordinary craft with which it is made is still refreshing and new. It has been said that there is not a wasted frame in this movie and that still holds very true. An editorial masterpiece to learn from.

Some have a problem with the endless narration give by Celia Johnson throughout the film, but since it is literally her mental confession to her husband what she has been doing every Thursday for the past five weeks, it is utterly necessary.

Now days, they'd just go back to his place and snog, but this is a firmly middle class story and they can't: the middle class has everything to lose and nothing to gain by extramarital affairs, whereas the poor can screw whatever they like and the rich have the buffer of wealth to protect them from ruin. These people are caught in the middle. Not a wasted frame and a joy to watch unfold. If only Lean had gone back to making these kinds of films rather than the big Hollywood tub-thumpers of the sixties and seventies.