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Brief Encounter (1945)

Director: David Lean

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5 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Some films don’t age well, and no doubt David Lean and Noel Coward’s story of two ‘good’ married people, Laura (Celia Johnson) and Alec (Trevor Howard), who accidentally fall into the trap of infidelity but largely manage to handle themselves with straight-backed propriety, had more of an emotional effect in the social climate of post-war Britain. As it appears now, Lean and Coward only scrape the surface of their subject, as if merely to broach the issue of unfaithfulness in the happy suburban home was enough to have most audiences convinced. The film’s handling of physical attraction as Laura and Alec meet accidentally at a railway station and proceed to spend each Thursday afternoon together is a cop-out – a touch on the shoulder here, a snatched kiss there – and the wrench of forbidden and impossible love suggested so pointedly by the Rachmaninov music and by Lean’s imagery (such as Johnson deliberating whether to throw herself onto the railway tracks) is not matched by either the performances or the drama which are jarringly cold (bar some pleasing suave charm from Howard). For a non-hysterical approach, hunt down the DVD of Rohmer’s ‘Love in the Afternoon’ instead.

Author: Dave Calhoun 2007-07-31 12:05:35

Time Out London Issue 1928: August 1-7 2007

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User reviews of this film

Michael O'Farrell said...

Posted on Jun 22 2008 02:36 Mr. Calhoun is way off the mark here. BRIEF ENCOUNTER is simply one of the greatest films of all time and I don't need to explain why.

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Dainne said...

Posted on Jan 11 2008 02:50 One of my all time favorite movies...I was a big Trevor Howard fan.

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James Jefferys said...

Posted on Dec 03 2007 16:08 Dave Calhoun, you don't understand the film. I think that Laura and Alec had sexit would have destroyed the film and removed enormously from the power of the narative. I'm 18,and every time i the part of the film were they kiss for the first time, i'm as shocked and surprised as i would if Termintor killed someone or Joe Pesci swears.
You don't deserve to have a computer to write such rubbish

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Andrew said...

Posted on Oct 15 2007 20:34 What an incredibly negative review Dave Calhoun writes about this amazing film. It's very much a film of its time, of course, but it is as a window on the mores of post war Britain that makes this film so interesting. Photographically the film is excellent and the railway station setting with steam and dark shadows is captured so well in this black and white film. I haven't seen the recently released digitally remastered version but am very much looking forward to doing so.

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John Giwa-Amu said...

Posted on Aug 07 2007 17:55 Some critics are determined to appear intelligent by finding fault in excellence. Dave Calhoun not only fits this category, but seems to have had an emotional bypass along the way. Brief Encounter is pure magic and saying otherwise would be meerly speaking for the sake of speaking. Calhoun, we pity you - open your heart. Also, please post me the number of the chic who screwed you up, I owe her a drink.

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