In years past, I have been posting various lists on Valentine’s Day, I’ll post them at the bottom of this post in case you’ve missed them. Well, this year I thought I’d do an appreciation post for this romance classic I saw back in 2018. A year after I made my romance drama short film Hearts Want, my director friend gave me a Criterion DVD of the film as a gift. He thought I was inspired by this film, though I actually had not seen Brief Encounter before making my first film, but I’m glad I finally did!

Now, I’ll be talking about this film in detail, so there are spoilers abound below. Proceed with caution if you haven’t seen it.

BRIEF ENCOUNTER

To write a brief post for this film would be impossible, as there are SO MANY things to appreciate. When one hears the name David Lean, the first thing that likely comes to mind is his war epics: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, or Doctor Zhivago. Well, I think this romantic gem of a film, with an um, brief running time of a mere 86 minutes, is just as memorable as his big, spectacular motion pictures.

Behold the trailer:

Based on Noël Coward‘s 1935 one-act play Still Life, it tells the story of two strangers in post-war Britain, Laura Jesson and Dr. Alec Harvey who had a chance meeting on a railway platform. They then realize they’re both there every Thursday around the same time, which leads to a regular weekly meet-up. It starts out harmless enough… just two married people enjoying each other’s company over a cup of tea/coffee, but of course, when we let our guards down, before you know it, that familiarity and platonic friendship soon grows into something more. While the play consists of only scenes at a train station, Lean expanded the locations to include Laura’s house, Dr. Harvey’s friend’s apartment, restaurants, and even a cinema.

I love the casting of Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, two talented stage actors who weren’t big names at the time, but they were terrific in their roles. Johnson and Howard are undeniably attractive but don’t have that glamorous movie-star good looks, which make them relatable as we can see ourselves in their characters. The two leads inhabit ordinary lives, one would even say mundane… as a housewife, naturally Laura would be intrigued by Alec’s medical tales of his professional life. As Alec nonchalantly shares details of pulmonary fibrosis disease caused by coal dust inhalation, there’s a subtle but significant change in Laura’s expression, her large eyes widen and you can feel that she is suddenly overcome by something she did not expect… love.

If this were a romantic comedy, the filmmaker would feel inclined to insert various subplots involving the two characters’ best friends or family members, which would become petty distractions to the actual story. You won’t find any of those unnecessary embellishments here, and we get to really immerse ourselves in how the characters are feeling, and the dilemma they’re facing… which makes you ponder about a ‘what if’ scenario of our own life when we’re faced with the same quandary. The script by Anthony Havelock-Allan, Ronald Neame and David Lean tells the story as a flashback from Laura’s point of view, and her inner monologues are part of the charm. Under a less-capable hand, those monologues could come across as clichéd… but it works wonderfully here …

This can’t last. This misery can’t last. I must remember that and try to control myself. Nothing lasts really. Neither happiness nor despair. Not even life lasts very long. There’ll come a time in the future when I shan’t mind about this anymore, when I can look back and say quite peacefully and cheerfully how silly I was. No, no, I don’t want that time to come ever. I want to remember every minute, always, always to the end of my days.

The first time I fell in love with Rachmaninoff’s work was in another romance, Somewhere In Time, where John Barry incorporated Rachmaninoff’s 18th variation of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a piercingly heart-wrenching score. This time composer Muir Mathieson used Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto (apparently Coward’s personal favorite piece), which perfectly complements the emotional journey of two characters falling in love. The score isn’t always the typical buoyant melody, at times it sounds stormy, tinged with gloom and sadness, which is appropriate as falling in love, especially when it’s with someone you know you can never be with, can be oh-so-excruciating.

Cinematographer Robert Krasker employs a lot of close-ups of Laura’s face in soft lighting, which heightens the intimacy between her and the viewers. Given the story is told through her perspectives, the camera follows her intently, and the high contrast of her pale face and delicate features against the darkened background heightens the sense of her inner tumult. Towards the end, as Laura grapples with the consequences of what her affair with Alec would mean to her family laments…

“…I’ve been so foolish. I’ve fallen in love. I’m an ordinary woman. I didn’t think such violent things could happen to ordinary people.”

The scene of Laura and her steadfast-but-perhaps-a-bit-unexciting husband Fred (Cyril Raymond) in their living room is poignant and powerful … which reminds me quite a bit of the ending of Past Lives. I won’t spoil that film for you but let’s just say neither film demonizes the spouse to justify the affair (yes, it includes an affair of the heart). His seemingly simple remark ‘You’ve been a long way away’ packs an emotional wallop. Whoever watches the film knows full well he isn’t referring to physical distance, and his last line ‘Thank you for coming back to me’ further confirms that he’s not blind to his wife’s affection for someone else.

As a fan of Jane Austen’s adaptations where strict moral codes and social conventions of the time preclude overtly physical expression of love, the lack of sex certainly doesn’t lessen the romantic notions. If anything, it enhances it. Apparently, the Brits agreed with me, at least back in 2013 when according to this article, Time Out London asked 101 industry experts to list their favourite films of all time and Brief Encounter was voted most-romantic film ever made. No sex doesn’t mean no sexual tension… repressed desires can be even more titillating. The lack of a happy ending can also make the romance even more beguiling… think Roman Holiday, Casablanca, In the Mood for Love, A Star Is Born, and obviously, Romeo & Juliet… the two lovers don’t end up together, some more tragic than others.

Brief Encounter is one of the greatest classic romances as it’s beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. As the heart and soul of the film, Celia Johnson’s portrayal of Laura is absolutely perfect… her initial euphoria and deep anguish the more she falls for Alec is the stuff romance movies are made of. Just as Elinor quietly longs for Edward’s love in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility, her torment for not being able to tell a single soul gets me every time.

Brief Encounter is Lean’s first out of seven Best Director Oscar nominations and he won two directing Oscars in his illustrious career. The film was nominated for a total of 3 Oscars, the other two are for Best Screenplay and Best Lead Actress for Celia Johnson (she lost out to Olivia de Havilland in To Each His Own). It took me a while to finally see this exquisite classic, but I know I’ll rewatch and cherish this for years to come. I sure hope this film will never get remade (alas, it probably will eventually).

– Have you seen Brief Encounter? Let me know what you think!

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• Spotlight on 14 Favorite Movie Couples
• 10 non-English language romance films to watch on Valentine’s Weekend

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