Notes for Brief Encounter

Film: Brief Encounter

Year Of Release: 1945

Director: David Lean

Notes from viewing number 1 (19.10.2021)

Rating: 10/10

- The opening of Brief Encounter is masterful and catches your attention immediately. What's funny is that it tells you the whole story in a single movement, that movement being a man laying his arm on a woman's shoulder, but still does it in a way that is so subtle that you don't understand what has happened, but you are still intrigued. Great storytelling.

- Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson make for one of the best couples in cinema history. Celia Johnson's performance is right up there with Streep, Hepburn and Masina. Howard is a bit overshadowed by Johnson, but still gives a rather great performance. And their chemistry is great.

- The noir inspired cinematography here is gorgeous. The shot of the train after the first kiss is one of the highlight of Lean's career for me. I especially love the lighting. The way Lean uses lighting to tell the story is genius.

- This is seriously one of the most immersive and all together perfect love stories I have ever seen. The way Lean tells it is really subtle, but also incredibly beautiful. This is a great film, and it's stands among films like Casablanca and The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg.