Brief Encounter

Movie

1945

1h 26m

English

Drama, Romance

User Score:

8.1

Critic Score:

Watch on The Criterion Channel

Brief Encounter

Movie

1945

1h 26m

English

Drama, Romance

Watch on The Criterion Channel

Returning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey. Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.

WATCHMODE

8.1

IMDB

CRITIC SCORE

Where to watch

FREE

FREE

Rent

$3.99HD

$3.59SD

Buy

$14.99HD

Available in 3 other countries.

Filter sources:

See something wrong? Let us know

My Friends' Ratings

In order to see what your friends rated Brief Encounter, you need a Watchmode account. It's free and takes just a minute. Create an account

Cast

Laura Jesson

Dr. Alec Harvey

Albert Godby

Myrtle Bagot

Fred Jesson

Dolly Messiter

Mary Norton

Tea Room Assistant Beryl Walters

Wilfred Babbage

Policeman at War Memorial (uncredit...

Alfie Bass

Waiter at the Royal (uncredited)

Wallace Bosco

Doctor After Bobbie's Accident (unc...

Sydney Bromley

Johnnie, the Second Soldier (uncred...

Noël Coward

Train Station Announcer (uncredited...

Nuna Davey

Herminie Rolandson (uncredited)

Valentine Dyall

Alec's Friend Stephen Lynn (uncredi...

Irene Handl

The Cellist and Organist (uncredite...

Dennis Harkin

Beryl's Man Stanley (uncredited)

Edward Hodge

Bill (First Soldier) (uncredited)

Frederick Kelsey

Man in Cinema (uncredited)

Jack May

Boat Rental Man (uncredited)

Avis Scott

Kardomah Waitress (uncredited)

Directed By: David Lean

Written By: Noël Coward (Screenplay)

Featured Comments/Tips

drbrake says...

4 years ago

It is always risky going back to a movie that you loved when you were much younger. In my mid-twenties I saw this as a tragic reflection on how romance is stifled by the mundane. Going back to it now I see that the "hero" is a terrible selfish manipulator (at best, an unwitting one). In fact this may be the perfect key to the movie https://images.app.goo.gl/ctiYAWj7PvpzVqtQ8

Like - Dislike - Comment - 10 0

TheFOMOGuy says...

4 years ago

And people think Before Sunrise is a genre in its own

Like - Dislike - Comment - 10 1

soonertbone says...

5 months ago

Exquisite film, one of my very favorites. The lead performances, especially Celia Johnson's, are enough to make you weep for days. The economy of the film is astounding: orienting, flashback, rise, fall, conclusion, all in less than 90 minutes. What I appreciated it most, watching it in the context of watching many movies of the time, is that this relationship feels much more real than what you often get in the 40s. Often you get two movie stars locking eyes, and by the next scene they love each other. Here you get minor scenes that build: grit in the eye, a casual hello on the corner, a day at the movies--so that when the "I love you" comes, it feels authentic and earned. My heart breaks for these two, trapped in loveless marriages with no choice but to carry on, chin up.

Like - Dislike - Comment - 00 0

Lucan26 says...

9 months ago

Brilliant. Managed to see this in the theatres and it's sublime how an 80-year-old movie is this relatable. David Lean managed to make something simple out of a complicated emotion. Loved the ending.

Like - Dislike - Comment - 00 0

Show all comments (8) Leave comment

Featured User Reviews

CinemaSerf

2 years ago

Based on Noël Coward's play "Still Life" this is a super adaptation from David Lean as Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard meet in a railway station café and 90 minutes later we have been on a roller-coaster of emotions, all delicately and subtly discussed, as these two eminently middle class English More

Like - Dislike - Comment - 00 0

Show all reviews (1) Write Review