Brief Encounter (1945)
Starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard
Directed by David Lean
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***
Dr. Alec Harvey and Laura Jesson love each other. The only problem is that they're both married with children. They met each other by chance at a railroad station on one of Laura's weekly shopping visits to Milford. There's an instant attraction, but there's a trepidation by both of them because of their home life. They meet again the following week, have lunch together, and attend a movie, neither saying what is truly in their minds. Eventually, their love affair blossoms and Laura begins to feel the guilt. Will she succumb to this desire or return to her humdrum home life?
Although the film is certainly rooted in 1945 sensibilities -- the affair is so chaste it's almost silly -- there's something rather lovely about the simplicity. The screenplay by Noel Coward (who I'm more familiar with from the comedy realm) is able to rise above the rather silly lack of sordidness because of some fantastic dialog, rooted in real emotions. Laura, in particular, whose inner thoughts the audience is often able to overhear via voiceover, is a character whose pain, confusion, and longing are palpable. Celia Johnson (an actress who wasn't in a whole lot else but this) is certainly another reason for the success of Laura as a character. She's not a starlet in the least -- she's utterly normal, perhaps even slightly unattractive, but she is able to convey quite a bit in the sharp lines of her gaunt face. It's rather a shame that Trevor Howard as Alec is utterly bland and almost caricaturish -- he almost reminded me of a British character I'd seen on Family Guy.
Still, director David Lean and screenwriter Coward have crafted a nice little film based off of Coward's one-act play of the same name. The final moments were beautifully realized by Lean and provided a rather riveting end to this tragic love story. While I'd certainly be intrigued to see how this plays out on a stage (since it did drag a tiny bit thanks in large part to the poorly written and executed role of Alec), it's certainly a film that I'd recommend to anyone interested in "classic" cinema.
The RyMickey Rating: B
I love this movie.
ReplyDeleteWatched it on the Top250 quest.
I figured it was on the Top 250...
ReplyDeleteI'm actually intrigued...they're putting this on Broadway this upcoming fall and they're doing it in such a way that the various characters will mingle with the audience to begin with, the actors and actresses will walk in and out of films being shown onstage, they'll sing, dance a little...it actually sounds really interesting and I may check it out.
Like I said, if only the guy was a little better written and the actor was a little less "uppity British with a stick-up-his-arse," I'd have enjoyed it much more. As it stands now, I liked it.