Brief Encounter - A film with romantic fervour

One of the best British films of all-time, Brief Encounter, is remembered for its romantic fervour. Directed by David Lean based on Noël Coward's one-act play Still Life about the mores of British suburban life, centering on a housewife is extraordinarily portrayed by the performances of Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.

The whole film centered around a loveless, unaffectionate housewife, Laura Jesson (Johnson), narrates the story in first person imagining that she is confessing her affair with Alec Harvey (Howard) to her husband Fred.

The whole film is fantastically pictured in a narration of Laura Jesson, which starts in the living room with in the background of Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, played by Eileen Joyce sets the mood of narration. In the flashback, Laura, an uncared wife ventures to the nearby town, Milford on every Thursday for shopping and to the cinema for a matinée. Returning home after her weekly pleasure trip, at the station, she encounters with a General Practitioner, Alec Howard who is another passenger. Both are in their thirties; each is married, with two children. Enjoying each other's company, both of them decide to meet again. Initially, they meet furtively fearing the possibilities of meeting their friends. As the casual relationship continues, they slowly discover a true love in them. As the time ticks away, their relationship grows deeper that gives a tinge of audacity, which sprouts guilt in Laura Jesson for cheating on her husband. She even goes to the extent of lying to her husband. In some of the scenes, as Laura talks to her husband, the audience would clearly understand that she is trying to prevaricate.

In the later scene, Laura receives a shock that Alec has to leave for Johannesburg to work as a doctor. In the final scene, they again meet in the refreshment room of the station, which is their usual pleasure place to meet. As they talk, loquacious Dolly Messiter, a close acquaintance of Laura invites herself into the discussion, in turn robbing away the privacy of the parting couple. As the train arrives, Alec boards the train. Laura hears the sound of train being pulled away from the platform, Laura, at the spur of the moment, dashes out onto the platform trying to end her life, which she cannot do, presumably, owing to the reason of binding relationship as a wife and mother.

In the final scene of the film, which does not appear in the original Coward play, Laura's negligent husband Fred suddenly shows that he has not been completely oblivious to her distress in the past weeks, and takes her in his arms.

The narration of the film is so well that concentrates on minor happenings too. On the whole, Brief Encounter is a best film that shows the romantic encounter of a couple.