Universal-International UK (J. Arthur Rank-Cineguild-Prestige)
Grade: A (***** out of *****)
Context
The film was released against the backdrop of WWII, a period when “brief encounters” were common, and women experienced greater sexual and economic freedom than before.
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Theatrical release poster
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In British National Cinema (1997), Sarah Street argues that “Brief Encounter articulated a range of feelings about infidelity that invited easy identification, whether it involved one’s husband, lover, children, or country.
Some feminist critics have interpreted the film as an attempt to stabilize relationships and restore the pre-war social order of the bourgeoisie.
In his 1993 BFI book on the film, Richard Dyer notes that, with the rise of law reform, gay men also identified with the characters’ plight, seeing it as analogous to their own social constraints in forming and maintaining relationships.
Gor others, the film is an “allegorical representation of forbidden love,” informed by Coward’s experiences as a closeted gay man.
Oscar Alert
Oscar Nominations
Director: David Lean
Screenplay: Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, and Ronald Neame
Actress: Celia Johnson
Oscar Awards: None
Oscar Alert
This was David Lean’s first Oscar nomination as director.
In 1946, “The Best Years of Our Lives” swept most of the Oscars, including Picture, Director for William Wyler, and Screenplay for Robert E. Sherwood.
The winner of the Best Actress Oscar was Olivia De Havilland in the melodrama, “To Each His Own.”
Critical Status:
The film won the Palme d’Or at the first Cannes Film Fest, in 1946.l
Celia Johnson won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.
Critics and scholars consider Brief Encounter as one of the greatest films of all time.
In 1999, the British Film Institute ranked it the second-greatest British film of all time.
In 2017, a Time Out poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers, and critics ranked it the 12th-best British film ever.
Credits:
Directed by David Lean
Written by Noël Coward, Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, Ronald Neame, based on Still Life
1936 play by Noël Coward
Produced by Noël Coward, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Ronald Neame
Cinematography Robert Krasker
Edited by Jack Harris
Music by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Distributed by Eagle-Lion Distributors
Release dates: Nov 13, 1945 (London Premiere); Nov 26, 1945 (UK)
Running time: 87 minutes
