Brief Encounter

Brief Encounter (1945)

  • 87% of critics liked it
    (31 reviews)

  • 90% of users liked it
    (10,137 ratings)

Based on Noël Coward's play "Still Life," Brief Encounter is a romantic, bittersweet drama about two married people who meet by chance in a London railway station and carry on an intense love affair. Sentimental yet down-to-earth and set in pre-World War II England, the film follows British… More

Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By
David Lean
Genres
Drama, Romance, Classics
In Theaters
Nov 26, 1945 Wide
On DVD
Sep 7, 2004
Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    Cyril Raymond manages to invest the stodgy character with a lovable quality.

  • Don Druker, Chicago Reader

    Rarely rises above the level of the old women's magazines.

  • Bosley Crowther, New York Times

    An uncommonly good little picture -- and one which is frankly designed to appeal to that group of film-goers who are provoked by the 'usual movie tripe.'

  • Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online

    ... still embraced as one of the most romantic films ever made, and it has earned its reputation.

  • Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

    Haunting in its evocative mood -- one enhanced by Robert Krasker's cinematography and Lean's meticulous, muted direction -- Brief Encounter primarily hinges on the extraordinary performance by Celia Johnson.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Spencer S


    This is one of the most gorgeous films of the forties, adapted from the play by the prolific Noel Coward; Brief Encounter is one of the more taboo films from that era. Other films that came after it were far more fastidious in their rendering of the sexual aspect to these clumsy… More

  • Cassandra M


    Steam ... cut-glass accents ... Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto ... the refreshment room at Milford Junction ... "the shame of the whole thing - the guiltiness, the fear ..." - it all adds up to David Lean's famous film treatment of the Noel Coward tale of love… More

  • AJ V


    Just because this movie has "Brief" in the title, doesn't mean it's short, it actually felt kind of long and boring. Plus the romance isn't very interesting. It's not bad, but I didn't care for it either.

  • Lady D


    My first viewing of this 40?s classic and a pretty enjoyable watch. Forget the accents for a moment ( in the decades when we were all so terribly posh) the storyline of course of forbidden fruit and adultery in a time when I?m sure it would have been considered a very controversial… More

  • Cindy I


    Losing love is always awful, as most everyone knows, especially when the love hasn't gone, but circumstances demand it. So this film can hit home to a certain extent with most anybody. Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard were both believable in their roles as the lovers, both married… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

See full cast

facebook_logo

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

  • Discover movies your friends are watching
  • Keep track of what you want to see
  • Add your reviews to your Timeline