|
Current Store: UK Store
US / World Store | Canadian Store | French Store | German Store | Japanese Store
Brief Encounter [VHS] [1945]starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond directed by: David Lean
Related Items:
Editorial Review: Amazon.co.uk Review: Expanded from a one-act stage play by Noel Coward, Brief Encounter is without doubt one of the true masterpieces of British film history. The story seems slight--a respectable suburban housewife has a chance meeting with a handsome married doctor, their friendship becomes romance, but they feel the pressures of convention pulling their relationship apart--but the writing, acting and direction are sublime, turning what might have been just another melodrama into a memorable and heartbreaking story of impossible love. David Lean went on to make much bigger films than this, but few of those epics packed the emotional punch of this picture, set in a mundane world of railway stations, semi-detached houses and inexpensive cafes. Trevor Howard is perfectly cast as Alec, the doctor, but the film belongs above all to Celia Johnson, as the heroine Laura. It's easy to mock her clipped ultra-English accent, but she gives one of the greatest screen performances imaginable, brilliantly evoking how an ordinary life can be turned upside down by unexpected passion. Throw in the superb use of Rachmaninov's swooning Second Piano Concerto, shrewd supporting acting from Cyril Raymond, Joyce Carey and Everley Gregg, and some of the best black-and-white photography of its era, and the result is irresistible. Anyone who isn't besotted with Brief Encounter has either never been in love, or doesn't deserve to be. --Andy Medhurst Average Rating:
 Rating: - A Noel Coward-David Lean Masterpiece"Brief Encounter" fully deserves its special place in British cinema. Celia Johnson- with her expressive face and beautiful eyes - gives a brilliant performance as Laura, the middle class housewife-and-mother who falls in love with another (married) man. The period atmosphere, railway setting and Rachmaninov soundtrack are added joys. And it was an inspired touch to contrast Laura's moral dilemma with the exuberant behaviour of the cafe manager (Joyce Carey, played with splendidly genteel airs and ... Read More Rating:  - The worst David Lean film I've seenI decided to watch this movie on account of being a huge fan of David Lean. I find that his Dickens adaptations have aged incredibly well, but this is not at all the case for this movie. The dialogue is melodramatic, wooden and has absolutely no depth (im okay with one or two i love yous but this is said about ten times), while the voiceover is frankly, criminal. In one scene we see her sitting on a bench and are "treated" to the line 'it was hot, so I sat on a bench.' Although ... Read More Rating: - Very much of its timeA beautiful love story between two married people who encounter a chance meeting at a railway station. What follows is battle of emotions and morals as they struggle to come to terms with their feelings for each other. In todays society, its very difficult for people to relate to just how frowned upon such an affair would have been back then - such things seem to be common place nowadays. If viewed with this in mind, then Brief Encounter is a truely classic love story, and one of the best British ... Read More Rating:  - Brief Encounter - A Classic Love StoryCeila Johnson (Laura Jesson)and Trevor Howard (Dr Alec Harvey)play two happily married strangers who are thrown together by fate. The film is England in a bygone age ('we were very gay during lunch')innocently referring to having drunk champagne one lunchtime and being very happy. He plays a doctor while she is a housewife who takes a weekly train to shop, see a film and to change her library books. Although she appears happily married, as the film progresses, it is interesting to see the innocent way in which ... Read More Rating: - A Devon Villager's PerspectiveFilm Review - Brief Encounter - Littleham Village Hall - Saturday 4th November 2008 at 1930 Last night was good, there was lots of bonhomie but mixed feelings about the film amongst a healthy turnout of villagers and visitors. For at least one person, it was very significant, as she saw it first when it was premiered in London at a time in her life when, romantically, things were trying. For others, me included, it was a very interesting reflection of a respected film maker's ... Read More Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display
|
|||||||
![: Brief Encounter [VHS] [1945]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WA7MX2N5L.jpg)
Extended Menu
Featured Products