Brief Encounter is a 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play Still Life.

Although the situation makes them uneasy, they admit they love each other.Laura and Alec continue meeting in public until they unexpectedly run into some of Laura's friends, necessitating the first of many deceptions.

The next week, Laura and Alec have their final meeting in the railway station refreshment room, as previously shown in the opening scene.

In the film, Laura has only just arrived at Dr. Lynn's flat when the owner returns, prompting Dr. Harvey to quickly escort her out via the kitchen service door.

Additionally, when Laura contemplates suicide by throwing herself in front of a train, the film makes her intention clearer through voice-over narration.

The film's final scene, where Laura embraces her husband after he acknowledges her emotional distance and possibly suspects the cause, is not present in the original play.

Although it was a busy station, it was far enough away from major cities to avoid the blackout for film purposes, allowing shooting to take place in early 1945 before World War II had ended.

At two points in the film, platform signs indicate local destinations such as Leeds, Bradford, Morecambe and Lancaster, even though Milford is intended to be in the Home Counties.

[8] In Dr. Lynn's apartment, a wall hanging is prominently displayed twice—first over the dining table when Laura enters, and later over Alec's left shoulder when Stephen confronts him.

The original choice for the role of Alec Harvey was Roger Livesey, but David Lean cast Trevor Howard after seeing him in The Way to the Stars.

[12][13] Kinematograph Weekly reported that the biggest box office success in Britain that year was The Wicked Lady, with other major hits including The Bells of St Mary's, Piccadilly Incident, The Road to Utopia, Tomorrow Is Forever, Brief Encounter, Wonder Man, Anchors Aweigh, Kitty, The Captive Heart, The Corn Is Green, Spanish Main, Leave Her to Heaven, Gilda, Caravan, Mildred Pierce, Blue Dahlia, Years Between, O.S.S., Spellbound, Courage of Lassie, My Reputation, London Town, Caesar and Cleopatra, Meet the Navy, Men of Two Worlds, Theirs Is the Glory, The Overlanders, and Bedelia.

[14] Brief Encounter received widespread critical acclaim, with Johnson and Howard's performances earning high praise;[15] although there were doubts that it would be "generally popular".

Today, Brief Encounter is widely acclaimed for its black-and-white cinematography and the evocative atmosphere created by its steam-age railway setting, elements particularly associated with David Lean's original version.

The site's critical consensus states: "Brief Encounter adds a small but valuable gem to the Lean filmography, depicting a doomed couple's illicit connection with affecting sensitivity and a pair of powerful performances.

Its story is that of an unconsummated affair between two married people [....] Coward is keeping his lovers in check because he cannot handle the energies of a less inhibited love in a setting shorn of the wit and exotic flavour of his best comedies [....] To look at the script, shorn of David Lean's beautiful camera work, deprived of an audience who would automatically approve of the final sacrifice, is to find oneself asking awkward questions (pp.

In the story, the aging widow Mrs. Palfrey reminisces about Brief Encounter as her and her late husband’s favorite film, leading to a significant connection between her young friend and writer Ludovic Meyer and his eventual girlfriend.

[30] In her narration, Laura emphasizes that what ultimately holds her back is not class consciousness, but her deep-seated horror at the thought of betraying her husband and her moral principles, despite being profoundly tempted by her emotions.

Updating the story to a more contemporary setting might have rendered these values obsolete, thereby undermining the plot's credibility—a factor that may explain why the 1974 remake failed to resonate as strongly.

[31] The film was released against the backdrop of the Second World War, a period when "brief encounters" were common, and women experienced greater sexual and economic freedom than before.

In British National Cinema (1997), Sarah Street argues that "Brief Encounter articulated a range of feelings about infidelity that invited easy identification, whether it involved one's husband, lover, children, or country (p. 55).

[32] In his 1993 BFI book on the film, Richard Dyer notes that, with the rise of homosexual law reform, gay men also identified with the characters' plight, seeing it as analogous to their own social constraints in forming and maintaining relationships.

Sean O'Connor further considers the film an "allegorical representation of forbidden love," informed by Coward's experiences as a closeted gay man.

Additionally, Lux Radio Theater adapted the film on 29 November 1948 with Garson and Van Heflin, and again on 14 May 1951 with Olivia de Havilland and Richard Basehart.

The first adaptation of Brief Encounter to source from both the screenplay and Noël Coward's original stage material was created by Andrew Taylor and starred Hayley Mills.

This production embarked on its first national tour in 1996 and later transferred to the West End, where it played at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, in 2000, featuring Jenny Seagrove in the lead role.

[37][38] The 2008 London cast included Amanda Lawrence, Tamzin Griffin, Tristan Sturrock, and Naomi Frederick in lead roles.

[39] The production later moved to St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York, for performances in December 2009 and January 2010, followed by a run at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis from February to April 2010.

[40] A Roundabout Theatre Company production of the Kneehigh adaptation opened at Studio 54 in New York City on 28 September 2010, starring Hannah Yelland, Tristan Sturrock, and other members of the London cast.

[42] After an Australian tour in the autumn of 2013, Kneehigh's Brief Encounter was staged at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills and the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 2014.