Brief Encounter
First released at the end of the Second World War, David Lean's Brief Encounter was an immediate success, sharing the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946. While a remake in 1974 with Hollywood stars Richard Burton and Sophia Lauren flopped, the original has become a classic of British cinema.
Written by Noël Coward, based on his short play Still Life, it tells the story of Laura Jesson, an "ordinary" middle-class housewife. A chance encounter with Dr. Alec Harvey, also married, leads to a friendship which quickly deepens into love. However, realising a future together is impossible and unwilling to hurt their families, the lovers agree to part. Most of the story is told from Laura's point of view, and conveys her strong and conflicting emotions as the relationship progresses. It begins with her parting from Alec at the railway station and then follows her recollection of her experiences, culminating in a recapitulation of the opening scene, its emotional significance now revealed to the viewer.
The refined accents of the characters, and their social values and behaviour, tie the film clearly to its pre-war setting. But despite its distance from our contemporary society, it has lost none of its emotional power. The power of the emotions beneath the refined exterior is reflected in the lush Romantic sound of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, which becomes woven into Laura's retelling of her story. The black and white photography enhances the clarity of the film, the starkness of its light and shadows. The settings, especially the steam-age railway around which the action centres, are cleverly filmed to highlight the oppression and restrictions which crowd against the momentary freedom the lovers experience as their relationship throws them out of their routine lives.
The setting of Brief Encounter is fictional - there is no Milford Junction station (though there is a large village called Milford not far from where I grew up in Surrey). Originally, the station scenes were to be filmed in London, but due to the danger of air raids the production was moved, and a new location was chosen at Carnforth in Lancashire. The remainder of the scenes were filmed in the south; most of the interior scenes were shot in studios, but other locations included Regents Park for the boating, and the Metropole Cinema, Victoria.
Cast and Crew
Laura Jesson - Celia Johnson
Dr. Alec Harvey - Trevor Howard
Albert Godby - Stanley Holloway
Myrtle Bagot - Joyce Carey
Fred Jesson - Cyril Raymond
Dolly Messiter - Everley Gregg
Mary Norton - Marjorie Mars
Beryl Walters - Margaret Barton
Director - David Lean
Producer - Noël Coward
Screenplay - Noël Coward, David Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allen