Brief Encounter (DVD)

Advantages: Romantic, endearing and tear-jerking
Disadvantages: Slightly slow at times

Brief Encounter tells the story of a married GP and a married housewife who fall passionately in love after a chance meeting at a station's tearoom. Their short-lived but breathtaking affair questions the social morals of the period in which it is set. Brief Encounter, directed by David Lean, is an adaptation of Noël Coward’s script ‘still life’. Outstanding performances are given by Celia Johnson (playing Laura, the main character) and Trevor Howard ...
...than made up for this. When watching Brief Encounter I was surprised at how quickly i found myself entrapped in this film. The simple but honest storyline doesn't fail to stir up your emotions and capture your attention. A fantastic romantic tear-jerker, I would definitely recommend this film! ... Read review

Advantages: Pure classic film
Disadvantages: Those accents!!!

... BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945) DIRECTED BY DAVID LEAN REVIEW OF THE 2008 ITV DVD INTRODUCTION Continuing my ?Lean Season? reviews this latest review is about one of David Lean?s earlier films ? ?Brief Encounter? released in 1945 The film received Oscar nominations for Best Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. It is at second place in the British Film Institute Top 100 films, behind only ?The Third Man? (1949). This was the fourth film that David Lean had directed.. As with his first three films, the story was based on a play by Noel Coward. Coward himself worked as a screenwriter and producer on the film. My geographical claim to fame with this film is that the famous station scene with ?that? clock was shot at Carnforth station... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Ultimate romantic film
Disadvantages: Maybe a little dated but in many ways that's a bonus too

...resolved. Brief Encounter is also a window into a long-lost world where women stayed at home, looked after their husbands and couples didn't divorece, where every railway had a tea-room and class distinctions were much more obvious. The accents are terribly terribly and in many ways their world has vanished But the film's emotions are still contemporary because true love is timeless. Several other factors make this a must-see. The score, Rachmaninov's Third Concerto, sweeps along theroughout with booming crescendos and anguished violins. It could all have descended into melodrama but the understated performances from the two lead players keep things real. Much of the film was made up at Carnforth, near Lancaster, which has a Brief Encounter museum,,,,The trains the lovers catch together... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great dialogue, cinematography and acting
Disadvantages: Can be too quaint to be taken seriously by modern audiences.

...There are films that a lot of people think they know, but have never really seen. David Lean?s ?Brief Encounter? is certainly a good example. Most people can tell you the plot, a doomed romance conducted at a railway station. Others will tell you there?s a bit when the train?s moving off and someone?s running to keep up (there, er, isn?t). Some people can even tell you that Noel Coward wrote it. It?s one of those films like Citizen Kane, where you can feel that the critics have watched it just so that you don?t have to. I was surprised, then, at how much of a gem it really was. The film opens at the station, where the bulk of the action takes place. A guard hops over the tracks (a more devil may care time) and strolls into the cafe. Once in there, he begins some cheery banter with the manager. Just as this is becoming irredeemably... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful