One of cinema’s greatest and most penetrating romances
A good film can entertain while transporting us to another time and place, but a great film does that while also striking a deep emotional chord, and this week’s classic, “Brief Encounter” is a great film. An entertaining and artistic triumph, this British film about an ordinary housewife who finds herself falling in love with a stranger shines as a superlative example of what cinema does best – make us feel what it's like to be in another person's shoes. It’s so emotionally immersive that one walks away having experienced everything that goes along with finding pure, unbridled, newfound love, and the struggles that accompany commitment. Widely considered one of the greatest movies and romance films ever made, the British Film Institute (BFI) named it the 2nd Top British Film of All-Time and Time Out listed it as the 12th Best British Film ever made. It also caused quite a splash outside of Britain, earning the grand prize Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and three Academy Award nominations in the US. And this film never ceases to captivate.
Set in the late 1930’s, “Brief Encounter” revolves around “Laura Jesson”, a middle-class, happily married mother and housewife who’s settled into a comfortable life of routine. She makes dinner for her family, puts her kids to bed, reads books, listens to music on the radio, and finds love and support from a solid marriage. Every Thursday she takes the train to Milford where she shops, gets a new book from the library, and goes to see a movie before heading back home to her family. While waiting for her return train one particular Thursday, she gets a piece of grit in her eye and goes to the train station’s refreshment room to try and remove it. Waiting there for a train in the opposite direction happens to be “Dr. Alec Harvey” who removes the grit before they each go their separate ways.
“Alec” is a doctor who travels to Milford every Thursday to work at a hospital, and like “Laura”, is happily married with children. “Laura” and “Alec” keep running into each other by chance on Thursdays, and soon enjoy lunch together, a movie, and before they know it, unexpectedly find themselves desperately and deeply in love.
The film captures all the intensity of a new love – the joy of just being together, sharing one’s dreams, being heard, and even the fantasies one daydreams about. But “Laura” and “Alec” are honest people, and we follow their torment and battles to remain honorable to their spouses while dealing with the guilt, shame, fears, and lying that come with having an affair. The film’s director David Lean summed it up nicely in Gerald Pratley's book "The Cinema of David Lean”: “‘Brief Encounter’ is a kind of eavesdrop on those two people; they’re two of the least likely people to have a secret love affair, highly respectable and dead honest, and you are fascinated by the way it works with them”. It is a magnificent exploration of all the nuanced feelings that can arise in such a situation.
The film is told by “Laura” mostly in flashback. At home, she's turned on the radio which is playing Sergei Rachmaninoff's “Piano Concerto No. 2”, sits in a chair and sews, while her husband "Fred" does a crossword puzzle. As she sews, she looks up at her husband and we begin to hear her thoughts: "Fred. Fred. Dear Fred. There's so much that I want to say to you. You're the only one in the world with enough wisdom and gentleness to understand. If only it were somebody else's story and not mine. As it is, you are the only one in the world that I can never tell. Never, never…”.
"Laura" recounts her romance with “Alec” in her head as if explaining it to “Fred”, which ingeniously serves as the film’s narration, and gives us a front row seat into her psyche and emotions. All the while, Rachmaninoff’s concerto brilliantly fades in and out as “Laura” shifts back and forth between her memories and reality. It's such a remarkably rich and intimate way for us to experience the joys and sorrows of love. Even though not much actually happens, the film moves at an extraordinary emotional pace, keeping one heart-wrenchingly glued to the screen.
"Brief Encounter" was based on a 1936 play titled "Still Life" by British playwright, actor, and composer Noël Coward as part of his series of ten one-acts titled "Tonight at 8:30". One of the world's foremost playwrights (especially known for his sophisticated comedies), Coward had already written plays such as "Hay Fever", "Private Lives", "Easy Virtue", "Design for Living”, "Present Laughter”, and “Blithe Spirit”, among others. In addition to writing and acting on stage, many of his plays had been made into movies, starting with 1927's "Forbidden Love” and including the 1933 Best Picture Oscar winner "Cavalcade".
During World War II, Coward was asked to write, direct, and star in a war propaganda film and came up with “In Which We Serve”. Not knowing anything about film directing, Coward agreed to make it only if he could co-direct alongside someone who had technical experience with movies. His search led him to David Lean, who at the time was Britain's top film editor. Lean agreed to direct if he was given co-director screen credit, and the two directed the film (Coward directed the actors in the scenes in which he himself appeared and Lean directed the film). It was Lean’s first venture as a director.
"In Which We Serve" was a hit and earned Coward a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination and an Honorary Academy Award certificate for outstanding production achievement. Ronald Neame was the film’s cinematographer and Anthony Havelock-Allan was associate producer. Coward was so impressed with Lean’s direction, he let Lean have the rights to any of his other plays Lean wished to adapt for the screen, with Coward as producer. Because of the weight of Coward’s fame, any film based on his plays would automatically be a high-profile movie.
Lean, Neame, and Havelock-Allan formed their own production company (named Cineguild), and their first film was a 1944 adaptation of Coward’s play "This Happy Breed”, directed by Lean, produced by Coward. The film was a hit, and they followed with an adaptation of Coward's "Blithe Spirit" in early 1945, also directed by Lean. Lean chose Coward’s “Still Life” next, and Lean, Neame, and Havelock-Allan reworked the one-act play (which took place completely in a train station waiting room) for the screen, inventing scenes and writing the screenplay with Coward’s approval. The result was “Brief Encounter”.
Coward was "Brief Encounter's" producer, wrote and approved all dialogue and casting, and was also the one who insisted Rachmaninoff's “Piano Concerto No. 2” be used as the music for the film (which turned out to be tremendously effective). Lean, Neame, and Havelock-Allan earned a Best Screenplay Academy Award nomination for their script. You can read more about Ronald Neame, who later became a director, in my post on a classic he directed, “The Poseidon Adventure”. Just click on the film’s title to open that post.
If you watch closely, alongside “Brief Encounter’s” overwhelming emotion, you’ll find a technical treasure trove of filmmaking. Lean’s unmatched visual sense, use of sound, and editing bring a poignant sensitivity while creating a shadowy world of emotion. It starts with a dramatic opening with the sound and visual of a train racing past us through a station with steam billowing and its faint whistle screaming as it disappears from sight. While the steam dissipates, the opening credits begin as Rachmaninoff's concerto starts playing. The camera remains on the train station as the credits roll, and at their finish, we see an opposing steam train roar towards us, again with steam and the chilling wail of its whistle. A powerful and haunting way to begin a film about two strangers who pass in the night.
Lean’s seamless blending of shots, flashbacks, narration, music, sound, superimpositions, and lighting are remarkable, such as how he denotes a passing train with lights flashing across “Laura’s” face, seeing her reflection in a train window while also seeing her fantasies play out, his unobtrusive and natural use of narration, the dimming and then brightening of the background, or the use of mirrors throughout to denote introspection and the battling dual feelings inside our protagonists. Even a simple shot of “Laura” and “Alec” walking towards a moving train is stirring because of Lean’s choice of angle and lighting. I could go on and on, for it is truly outstanding direction, and it earned Lean a Best Director Academy Award nomination – the first Oscar nomination ever given for directing a British film.
“Brief Encounter” began Lean’s reign as one of cinema’s greatest directors. It was his last collaboration with Coward, and Lean's next two films were adaptations of the works of Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations" in 1946 and "Oliver Twist" in 1948. After several more British films, Lean began directing coproductions between the UK and US, starting with 1955's “Summertime" starring Katharine Hepburn. What followed were his epics, including two that are considered to be among the greatest films ever made –1957’s "The Bridge on the River Kwai” and 1962’s "Lawrence of Arabia", both of which are already on this blog and where you can read more about the life and career of David Lean (again, just click the film titles to open those posts). "Brief Encounter" remains highly regarded as one of Lean's greatest films, and arguably his most moving and intimate. That says a lot for a man who made so many spectacular classics.
Everything is richly captured by cinematographer Robert Krasker, whose work sets any given mood, such as the shadowy train station, the harsh and uncomfortable apartment of “Alec’s” friend, or “Laura’s” cozy comfort of being with her husband. Krasker’s photography also helps establish atmosphere, which is a large and important part of this movie. He became one of filmdom’s top cinematographers, and you can read more about Robert Krasker's career and life in my post on “The Third Man”. Be sure to check it out.
In a daring move, no movie stars were cast in “Brief Encounter”, which helped these characters feel as if they were everyday people. From the beginning, Lean, Coward, Neame, and Havelock-Allan all agreed Celia Johnson should star as “Laura Jesson”. Johnson had appeared in two of their previous collaborations, “In Which We Serve” and “This Happy Breed”, and she was their only choice for the role.
Initially reluctant to accept the role (preferring the stage to the screen), Johnson immediately changed her mind when Coward read her the script, as she wrote to her husband in a 1944 letter, quoted in Kevin Brownlow’s book “David Lean: A Biography”: “That is the trouble with being an actress. You do want to act even in such an unsatisfactory medium as films, and a good part sets one itching. And it is a good part”. Nervous about the role, she told her husband, “I am scared stiff of the film and get first night indijaggers before every shot, but perhaps I’ll get over that. It is going to be most awfully difficult - you need to be a star of the silent screen because there’s such a lot of stuff with commentary over it - it’s terribly difficult to do”.
The makers of “Brief Encounter” knew exactly what they were doing, for Johnson gives an astonishing performance. Film acting is about listening and thinking, and in the greatest performances one can witness both, as with Johnson in this film. Though “Laura” is of that restrained British stiff upper lip culture, we clearly see a world of emotions boiling underneath her outwardly stoic composure through Johnson's immensely expressive eyes.
In her very first scene, sitting at a table in the refreshment room with “Alec” as her friend "Dolly” unexpectedly arrives and talks a mile a minute, Johnson makes it clear without saying a word that there is something unnerving going on deep within "Laura". As the scene and film progress, it looks as if we are actually watching “Laura’s” exposed thoughts onscreen, whether it be the guilt she feels towards her husband, the easygoing exuberance of a boat ride, or the mixed bag of emotions when realizing she's falling in love. It’s delicate and nuanced screen acting at its best and earned Johnson a New York Film Critics Circle Award, a Best Actress Academy Award nomination, and immortality, for it remains her most indelible role and one of cinema's finest performances.
English-born Celia Johnson first acted in a fundraising stage production at the age of eight and went on to study music and act in school plays. She was accepted in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and made her first professional stage debut in a 1928 production of "Major Barbara". Her fresh, natural, and artifice-free acting approach soon made her a West End theater star, and she even traveled to Broadway to appear as "Ophelia" in a 1931 production of "Hamlet". Her major theater productions include "Ten Minute Alibi", "As It Was In The Beginning", "Pride and Prejudice", and the 1940 stage production of “Rebecca". When World War II hit England, Johnson was married with a child and living with her sister and sister-in-law and their children. Since theater was so time consuming, she stepped away from it, turned to radio, made her first appearance on television (in "A Night at the Hardcastles”), and appeared in the 1941 short film "A Letter from Home". Her feature film debut was in a standout supporting role in Coward's "In Which We Serve", and he next convinced her to appear in "This Happy Breed". Not thrilled with film work, she vowed not to do more films unless she loved the part. More interested in supporting her family and aiding the war effort, she worked at many things during the war such as a driver, switchboard operator, and even worked on a farm.
After the war, Johnson worked less as an actress, focusing more on her family. She continued to appear on stage and television, making just over a dozen more films, including 1950's "The Astonished Heart" opposite Coward, earned two Best British Actress BAFTA Award nominations (for 1952's "I Believe in You" and 1953's "The Captain's Paradise”), and won a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA for her final film performance in 1969's "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie". She continued to work on TV until the end of her life. In 1958, Johnson was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for “services to the theatre”, and then a Dame Commander (DBE) in 1981. She was married once, to writer Peter Fleming (brother of "James Bond" creator and author Ian Fleming) until his death, and had three children, including actress Lucy Fleming. Celia Johnson died in 1982 at the age of 73.
Starring opposite Johnson is Trevor Howard as “Dr. Alec Harvey”, the doctor who falls for “Laura”. Another performance with overwhelming feelings swirling under the surface, Howard turns a seemingly mellow chap into a complex and passionate human being. He’s simultaneously kind, gentle, and strong, such as in the highly romantic scene in the boat house, sharing his dreams and realizing he's falling in love at the refreshment room, or when asking "Laura" on the bridge: "It is true for you, isn't it? This overwhelming feeling we have for each other. It's as true for you as it is for me, isn't it?". There’s a genuine tenderness to his performance which is one reason this film is so romantic. Howard’s stunning portrayal made him a star.
They say there are no small roles, and Howard’s casting in “Brief Encounter” is more than enough evidence to support that assertion. In “David Lean: A Biography“, Lean recalls casting Howard when searching for an actor to play “Alec”. He’d seen Howard in his film debut in an uncredited role in 1944's "The Way Ahead”. As Lean recounted: “He had one shot on an aerodrome - and I’ll never forget it. A plane came in over the field and did a victory roll. Trevor Howard looked up and said, ‘Lineshoot’. It was wonderful. Just on that one word, the way he said it and the way he looks, I said, ‘That’s him’”. Lean showed Coward the scene who reportedly said “Don’t let’s look any further”. That one word forever changed Howard’s life and career.
Prior to “Brief Encounter”, Howard appeared in just two films, “The Way Ahead”, and a supporting role in 1945's "Johnny in the Clouds". Because he was so new to film acting (and his theater career was interrupted by serving in the military during World War II), Lean had worries Howard was in over his head in the part, feeling Howard didn’t fully understand the role. Lean had to explain to Howard what “Alec” was feeling in certain scenes, sometimes having to do take after take until Lean felt Howard’s performance was right. Johnson also reportedly helped Howard learn the art of film acting during the shoot. Whatever they did worked, for Howard is fabulous in the role and it remains the film with which he is most associated. “Brief Encounter” made him an international star, and within a decade he’d appear in films in other countries, including many in Hollywood. You can read more about the life and career of Trevor Howard in my post on the classic “The Third Man”.
To offset the intense drama between “Laura” and “Alec”, Coward wrote a somewhat comical romance going on at the Milford Junction refreshment room between train ticket inspector “Albert Godby” and the refreshment room’s owner “Myrtle Bagot”. Though there is some lightness from “Laura” and “Alec”, “Albert” and “Myrtle” supply most of the film’s humor, and though their storyline may seem frivolous at times, it keeps the film well balanced.
Stanley Holloway plays “Albert Godby”, the cheerful ticket inspector. “Albert” starts the film with a smile just after a train leaves the station on time, which defines his character’s disposition and purpose – to add levity. And Holloway is perfect at doing just that. A much-loved comedian, singer, and actor, and one of the great monologists of the British stage, Holloway's infectious cheeriness marvelously flavors the film.
English-born Stanley Holloway began performing in vaudeville in his teens. He went to Milan, Italy to study to become an opera singer but returned to England when World War I broke out to serve in the military. In 1920, he appeared in the stage review "The Co-Optimists", which brought him much success and ran for six years. While enjoying a fruitful theater career, often in musical comedies and performing with "The Co-Optimists", he began recording songs and comic monologues in 1924, and made about 130 recordings through 1978, becoming famous for the characters he created of "Sam Small" and "Albert Ramsbottom”. His film debut was in the 1921 silent film "The Rotters", and he began steady film work in 1933, including several in which he portrayed "Sam Small". He had a long and prosperous career on stage, radio, TV, and film, and his other films include "Major Barbara", "This Happy Breed", "The Way Ahead", and as the star in some Ealing Studios comedies such as "Passport To Pimlico", "The Lavender Hill Mob", and "The Titfield Thunderbolt”.
In 1956, Holloway created the role of "Alfred P. Doolittle" in the original Broadway production of "My Fair Lady" (in which he introduced the songs "With a Little Bit of Luck" and "Get Me to the Church on Time"), which earned him a Tony Award nomination. He repeated the role in the 1958 London stage production, and in the 1964 Best Picture Oscar winning film version, which landed him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. It made him internationally famous. His other films include "Ten Little Indians", "Hamlet", "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes", and “Caesar and Cleopatra". Holloway was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1960 for his services to entertainment. He was married twice (widowed once) and had five children, including actor Julian Holloway. His granddaughter is model and author Sophie Dahl. Stanley Holloway died in 1982 at the age of 91.
Joyce Carey plays the haughty, flirty cafe owner “Myrtle Bagot”, who likes playing cat and mouse with “Albert”. Carey brings a humor and vulnerability to the role, and “Myrtle" does her best to act as if she were more upper class than she really is. Her relationship with “Albert” seems a bit crass, which only makes the affair between “Laura” and “Alec” that much more meaningful.
The daughter of a successful stage actress and a matinee idol, London-born Joyce Carey began her acting career on stage in 1916 in an all-female version of "Henry V". Continually working in theater, she eventually gained a reputation for her work in William Shakespeare's plays. In 1929, she met Noël Coward at a dress rehearsal for his play "The Vortex”, in what would turn out to be a life changing event. The next year, she starred in his play "Easy Virtue" on Broadway and in London. After a dozen more Broadway shows, in 1936 she appeared in nine of Coward's ten one-act plays in "Tonight at 8:30", both on Broadway and London (including playing the part of "Myrtle" in "Still Life”). A close, close friend of Coward's, Carey came to be best known for her long association with hiim and his plays, appearing in many of them, including "This Happy Breed", "Blithe Spirit", and "Present Laughter" (in a part Coward wrote partially based on her).
Carey appeared in a few silent films before making her sound feature film debut in Coward's "In Which We Serve", followed by "Blithe Spirit" and "Brief Encounter". In addition to her continual stage work and appearances in nearly thirty movies, she worked profusely on television in approximately sixty odd shows including as "Lady Alice Bourne" on the TV series "The Cedar Tree". She was never a film star but certainly a familiar face to moviegoers. Her other films include "Cry, the Beloved Country", "Happy Go Lovely", "The V.I.P.s", "Libel", and "The Way to the Stars". In 1982 she was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). She never married. Joyce Carey died in 28, 1993 at the age of 94.
"Brief Encounter" had such an impact, it's been adapted for radio (with productions that starred Greer Garson, Irene Dunne, Deborah Kerr, Olivia de Havilland, and more), two television productions (one in 1961 with Dinah Shore and Ralph Bellamy, and a second in 1974 with Sophia Loren and Richard Burton), several theater productions, and even a 2009 opera with music by André Previn from a libretto by John Caird.
I can’t think of a film that takes viewers on a more spellbindingly deep journey into someone’s emotional state as this week’s classic. A stunning film no matter how you look at it. Enjoy “Brief Encounter”!
This blog is a weekly series (currently biweekly) on all types of classic films from the silent era through the 1970s. It is designed to entertain and inform through watching a recommended classic film a week. The intent is that a love and deepened knowledge of cinema will evolve, along with a familiarity of important stars, directors, writers, the studio system, and more. I highly recommend visiting (or revisiting) the HOME page, which explains it all and provides a place where you can subscribe and get email notifications of every new post. Visit THE MOVIES page to see a list of all films currently on this site. Please leave comments, share this blog with family, friends, and on social media, and subscribe so you don’t miss a post. Thanks so much for reading!
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TO READ AFTER VIEWING (contains spoilers):
The scene in the apartment where “Alec” gives back the key to his friend inspired Hollywood writer director Billy Wilder to create his classic film “The Apartment”. It’s wonderful how art inspires art. “The Apartment” is already on this blog and I speak briefly about its relation to “Brief Encounter” in that post. Just click on the film title to open it.
I greatly enjoyed this wonderful post, Jay, and learning so much that I didn't know before. The first time I watched this movie, I was just devastated and decided I'd never watch it again. I did, because my classic movie meetup group covered it, and it wasn't as upsetting the second time around, but it's still such a sad movie to me. It's excellent, though, and made me a fan of both Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.
-- Karen
Jay, another consummate analysis of a great film! The stills are so perfectly matched with your text. I'm consistently excited by the movies you choose. Thank you!