Rent Brief Encounter on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Noël Coward (play, uncredited), Noël Coward (screenplay), Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, Ronald Neame (uncredited)
Directed by: David Lean
Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway
Rated: NR [PG]
Watch the trailer
Plot
Meeting a stranger in a railway station, a woman is tempted to cheat on her husband.
Verdict
I often find it difficult to enjoy older films as they often feel too stagey or fake. Film has progressed so far that these movies often feel out of place. This movie manages to feel relevant, relying on a strong story about two married people that begin a relationshiop. We see their friendship grow from a chance encounter and progress to more. They know they shouldn't but their feelings cloud their judgement. The way this ends is masterful, managing to impart that same heartache to the viewer that the characters feel. The movie is very good, but the ending is impressive.
Watch It.
Review
This starts at the end, though we don't realize it at first. Laura (Celia Johnson) returns home and sits in her living room across from her husband. She begins an internal monologue confessing to her husband what's happened as he reads the paper.
This story is timeless. Anyone can understand these feelings, feelings of infatuation and the desire for adventure. A relationship like this doesn't usually have time to build, but it's easy to see the trouble brewing. It's also easy to root for what seems like love since this is a movie and we're conditioned to root for such a thing. A chance meeting starts the plot, and they get along well. I have to wonder if part of this is having a secret, while also having someone or something that's outside of your routine.
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| Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson play Alec, Laura |
It's clear when this relationship takes the step to inappropriate. Soon they're telling lies to conceal their feelings. We're seeing the beginning of this relationship. While they're just friends, it's clear they are falling for each other and that's what prompts the unnecessary lie. They want something they can't have, realizing they can't and shouldn't take the next step. They realize the cost of this 'happiness.' Running away together affects many people, including both of their families.
Old movies certainly aren't for everyone, but this doesn't feel like an old movie. It doesn't suffer from the typical pitfalls of most older movies. The ending, the way this connects the first scene and last, makes an already good movie even better. They're seeking one final moment to stay goodbye and it's interrupted. They depart, unable to share an embrace or even a kiss. Their final thoughts and words are never shared. As quickly as their relationship began, it ends.
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