Brief Encounter (1946) Reviews
Average Ratings
Member Reviews
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful A deserved classic in so many ways, BRIEF ENCOUNTER--now 60 years old--tells a love story about an affair between two married-to-others (without sex, yet!) that is every bit the equal on any modern ... Read More A deserved classic in so many ways, BRIEF ENCOUNTER--now 60 years old--tells a love story about an affair between two married-to-others (without sex, yet!) that is every bit the equal on any modern film of similar subject. Writer Noel Coward is most remembered for his witty comedies such as "Design for Living" and "Hay Fever." Yet his rich dramas such as this one, "In Which We Serve" and "This Happy Breed" are equally wonderful. With a sublime director like David Lean at the helm (toward the end, watch the camera angle tilt askew, as Celia Johnson waits nervously in the train station café), every moment is full and real. Besides giving splendid roles to the would-be adulterers, Coward is generous and true to the clueless husband at home. And his subsidiary train-station characters, played so well by Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey are delightful. I must be among the few senior citizens alive who had not seen this film until now; if there are any more of you out there like me, do cue. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful Long before the sexual revolution of the 60's this is what a breach of moral standards looked like among everyday people. The characterizations show a mindset that was still happily engrained with ... Read More Long before the sexual revolution of the 60's this is what a breach of moral standards looked like among everyday people. The characterizations show a mindset that was still happily engrained with Victorian attitutudes decades after the turn of the 20th century. It was a time when guilt and shame weighed heavily on those who wandered outside of the typical rigid framework of propriety, high virtues (and marriage in this case). This is an engaging, well acted English film noir. Trivia: The stationmaster is played by actor, Stanley Holloway, who is Eliza Doolittle's father in the film "My Fair Lady" twenty years after this film. (Think song: "I'm Gettin' Married in the Morning...") Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful There were so many moments in this film that I felt that I was watching a modern day piece of cinema. The emotion behind the characters, the stages of their relationship, and even the background that ... Read More There were so many moments in this film that I felt that I was watching a modern day piece of cinema. The emotion behind the characters, the stages of their relationship, and even the background that represents their attraction to each other. Here we have two characters, both of which we know nothing about, and even one that we know less and less about. Celia Johnson does a beautiful job of playing the confused housewife. The woman that is comfortable with the life that she has, but somehow searches for more. She questions her life, wondering if there perhaps may not be something more behind an unexplored door. This door is Alec. She stumbles upon him randomly and opens the door to find that he is just as repressed as she is. In three weeks, meeting only three times, they are in love ... confessing it to each other. You see unbridled love. I was impressed with this film and I actually enjoyed it. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful This was a beautiful film in all respects..now I know why Mrs Pomfrey said it was her most favorite film..(Mrs Promfrey at the Claremont); the film was exquisitely made (at the hands of David Lean) and the cast was genuine..a real winner for any time and not necessarily for 1946. 4 stars!! unreservedly!WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful BRIEF ENCONTER was entertainment on three levels. There was of course the story, the restoration history, the commentation. Each played a significate part in the overall enjoyment of this movie. ... Read More BRIEF ENCONTER was entertainment on three levels. There was of course the story, the restoration history, the commentation. Each played a significate part in the overall enjoyment of this movie. Definately a Baby Boomer's reprieve for the era's harsh realities. WWII had just ended and the Great Depression was beginning. While marketed as forbidden love; it could also be characterized as a melodrama. A bored housewife briefly slips into a ture life fantasy with a willing cohort who lives for excitement and adventure...(after her, he is off to exotic Africa) The ending was predicable, I kept wondering what secretes her husbands narrative would unfold. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful This a campy, old world war two drama with lots of old fashioned thoughts and ways of doing things but falling in love never goes out of style. This is lots of fun and very dramatic. Not CASABLANKA ... Read More This a campy, old world war two drama with lots of old fashioned thoughts and ways of doing things but falling in love never goes out of style. This is lots of fun and very dramatic. Not CASABLANKA but worth the time. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful This movie was adapted from a play, and it benefits greatly from that. Rather than relying on effects or epic, it deftly draws the viewer thru sheer empathy. The characters are never divulged as ... Read More This movie was adapted from a play, and it benefits greatly from that. Rather than relying on effects or epic, it deftly draws the viewer thru sheer empathy. The characters are never divulged as complete people, just as individual mindsets. It's really an excellent exercise in comparison and contrast. No cursing, no guns, none of the excess we're often subjected to nowadays. And the restored picture quality is really very impressive (nonintrusive and certainly true to the original intention). Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful It was a classic. But not one about the beautiful ideals you would normaly see in a classic. The acting was fantastic the story line was good, the morals were lacking and left me cold.WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No |
Other Ways to Watch*
Buy Download
* Not all titles are available for download to rent or buy.
