David Lean adapted Noel Coward’s play ‘Separate Lives’ into the famous film Brief Encounter (it was one of three of Coward’s plays that Lean adapted). Celia Johnson plays Laura Jesson whose voiceover narrates the story of how she meet and falls in love with Dr Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard), when a chance meeting at a railway station brought them together. But they are both married to other people, and while they start to meet up every Thursday, they also realise that their love story cannot have a happy ending.
The British Film Institute rates this as the second best British film ever made (the first, if you’re wondering, is The Third Man). However, while I found it watchable, I did feel slightly let down by it. I felt that it had not aged well – although of course, it’s over 60 years old and no doubt the same could be said about many films from that time.
Celia Johnson was fantastic as Laura, and she brought sympathy and humour to her character. Trevor Howard was fine as Alec, but the acting honours really should belong to Johnson. She also had the more likeable character, whereas Alec’s conscience didn’t seem nearly as bothered by their relationship than Laura’s, and this made me warm to him less.
Laura’s husband Fred (Cyril Raymond) played a small but important part, and I really felt more for his character – although I would have picked him over Alec any day!
One thing the film did very well indeed was to encapsulate the period that it was set in. Britain was going through post-war rationing, social attitudes were very different, and people were more reserved, and the reservation and social niceties are demonstrated here.
Overall, I can see why some people might class this as a romantic classic – however, I found it to be good, but not great.
Year of release: 1945
Director: David Lean
Writer: Noel Coward (play – uncredited), Anthony Havelock-Allan (uncredited), David Lean (uncredited), Ronald Neame (uncredited)
Main cast: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard
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