Brief Encounter | Film Streams
Close Menu
Weekend Essentials Ruth Sokolof May 17, 18, 24 & 25

Brief Encounter

Dir. David Lean USA 86 min

1945 Park Circus

With its evocatively fog-enshrouded setting, swooning Rachmaninoff score, and pair of remarkable performances (Johnson was nominated for an Oscar), this film, directed by David Lean and based on Noël Coward’s play Still Life deftly explores the thrill, pain, and tenderness of an illicit romance, and has influenced many a cinematic brief encounter since its release.

After a chance meeting on a train platform, a married doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) begin a muted but passionate, and ultimately doomed, love affair.

Reviews
"One of the most vivid, impassioned and painfully believable love stories ever committed to celluloid." –Time Out

"Masterpiece of romantic cinema." – The Guardian

Film Stills

Brief encounter 1
Brief encounter 2
Brief encounter 3
Brief encounter 4

More Films

View All Films

The Perfect Gift

Film Streams Membership