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Brief Encounter (1945)

 -  Romance | Drama  -  24 August 1946 (USA)
8.1
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Ratings: 8.1/10 from 19,283 users  
Reviews: 173 user | 92 critic

Meeting a stranger in a railway station, a woman is tempted to cheat on her husband.

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Title: Brief Encounter (1945)

Brief Encounter (1945) on IMDb 8.1/10

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Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Celia Johnson ...
...
...
Joyce Carey ...
Cyril Raymond ...
Everley Gregg ...
Marjorie Mars ...
Mary Norton
Margaret Barton ...
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Storyline

At a café on a railway station, housewife Laura Jesson meets doctor Alec Harvey. Although they are both already married, they gradually fall in love with each other. They continue to meet every Thursday on the small café, although they know that their love is impossible. Written by Mattias Thuresson

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A story of the most precious moments in woman's life!

Genres:

Romance | Drama

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

24 August 1946 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Begegnung  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Old Arabic Love Poem on Persian Rug: about 1:04:45 into the film when Laura comes to see Alec at his friend's flat, there is a Middle Eastern rug hung on the wall. The style of the rug itself confirms it is Persian, however, the beautiful calligraphy is Arabic. It is from a 9th century love poem by the Arab poet Ali Bin Salwa Al-qusari. it reads from right-hand corner of the rug and going anti-clockwise: The Utterance of Passion - In My Eye - Speaks To You. See more »

Goofs

Carnforth Station has had its name board covered and replaced with a big sign reading Milford Junction, but the smaller platform notices (behind Laura when Alec tells her about the job in South Africa) still show the next train's destinations as Hellifield, Skipton, Bradford and Leeds. See more »

Quotes

Myrtle Bagot: [smacks her on the backside] Albert Godby, how dare you!
Albert Godby: I couldn't resist it!
Myrtle Bagot: Oh, well, trouble you for keeping your hands to yourself!
Albert Godby: Oh, you blushing - oh, you look wonderful when you're angry... just like an avenging angel.
Myrtle Bagot: I'll give you avenging angel!... Coming in here taking liberties!
Albert Godby: I thought last Monday, you said you wouldn't object to a friendly little slap.
Myrtle Bagot: Never mind about last Monday... I'm on duty now. And I should think to what would happen if Mr. Saunders should be looking ...
[...]
See more »

Connections

Spoofed in Briefest Encounter (1993) See more »

Soundtracks

"Bolero"
(uncredited)
from "Spanish Dances"
Music by Moritz Moszkowski
(Played by the small orchestra in the Kardomah Café)
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Ignore That First Review. This Is A Classic
30 December 2003 | by (Los Angeles) – See all my reviews

The person who wrote the first review of this movie must be either a complete moron or has an acute lack of appreciation for what constitutes great moviemaking.

"Brief Encounter" is the perfect encapsulation of a very specific time in both women's and British history. The immediate post-WW 2 era in the UK was a period that saw Brits struggling with the disppearance of traditional social mores that had endured for over a century and the new world order that came about at the conclusion of the war. (For another, beautifully crafted cinematic example, see Neil Jordan's exquisite movie "The End of the Affair.")

Food rationing was still in place in postwar Britain. Women were having to deal with getting to know their menfolk again, after their years of absence at war. Like their American "Rosie the Riveter" counterparts, British women had enjoyed newfound and unfamiliar independence during wartime, working for the war effort. And, like their US "sisters", they were expected to relinquish those jobs to returning men.

"Brief Encounter" is, in many ways, a metaphor for the struggle that men and women were going through, stuck with having to conform to social expectations while bursting to escape to the greater independence glimpsed fleetingly and pleasurably during the war, when everything and everyone were turned upside down.

Being the work of Noel Coward, that master observer of and commentator on English manners, "Brief Encounter" frames this struggle as a torrid love story bubbling under the surface of British reserve, which demands maintaining appearances at all costs, regardless of the personal pain involved.

This passionate pair, who never even exchange a kiss, are constrained and ultimately kept apart by expectations--of their families, of their social positions, of Great Britain.

When Alec puts his hand on Laura's shoulder at their final, unexpectedly truncated meeting in the station snack bar/waiting room, it's as erotic and far more touching than just about every sex scene you'll see in movies.

The first reviewer completely missed the point and the relevance of this movie in film history and, especially, in British cinema history.


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