BRIEF ENCOUNTER is very much a product of its age. It's completely alien to somebody brought up on modern cinema. The costumes, photography, acting and script are all products of a bygone age. Yet it still has a special magic that makes it a timeless classic.
In essence, the film's all about a doomed love affair. The movie works through subtlety, both in the subtlety of the performances and in the subtlety of the actors in the roles. Craggy Trevor Howard - not somebody you'd initially think of as a romantic lead - is fine as the ordinary Joe, but it's Celia Johnson who's the film's real delight, creating a character who comes across as one of the most believable women in film.
It's not all perfect. I found myself disliking Laura in places, mainly because of the neglect of her family (and especially children). But overall, BRIEF ENCOUNTER works. It's a film that gets to you, speaks to anybody who's ever been in love and knows what a cruel emotion it is. The cyclical ending is devastatingly perfect, a fine example of how subtlety wins out over bluntness any day of the week.
In essence, the film's all about a doomed love affair. The movie works through subtlety, both in the subtlety of the performances and in the subtlety of the actors in the roles. Craggy Trevor Howard - not somebody you'd initially think of as a romantic lead - is fine as the ordinary Joe, but it's Celia Johnson who's the film's real delight, creating a character who comes across as one of the most believable women in film.
It's not all perfect. I found myself disliking Laura in places, mainly because of the neglect of her family (and especially children). But overall, BRIEF ENCOUNTER works. It's a film that gets to you, speaks to anybody who's ever been in love and knows what a cruel emotion it is. The cyclical ending is devastatingly perfect, a fine example of how subtlety wins out over bluntness any day of the week.