Brief Encounter

Brief Encounter (1945)

Timing: 1:26 (86 min)

7.692/10
588

7.73/10
4018

8/10
48000

All about film

Video 5

Photo 21

Actors and characters

Release date

1945-11-24

Country

United Kingdom

Production

J. Arthur Rank Organisation, Cineguild

Genre

Drama, Romance

Budget

$170 000 000

Revenue

$0

Website

Director

David Lean

Actors

Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond, Everley Gregg, Marjorie Mars, Margaret Barton, Wilfred Babbage, Alfie Bass
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Ronald Neame, Noël Coward, Anthony Havelock-Allan

Operator

Robert Krasker

Composer

Artist

Audition

Editing

Jack Harris
All team (14)

• The film's stunning success turned the railway station in Canford into a mecca for fans. The clocks have been restored using original parts, and the buffet where Alec and Laura met now houses a tourist center.
• Trevor Howard (1913-1988) almost missed out on the role in the film. The actor rarely checked his mail, so the script and offer to star in the film, sent to him by his agent, lay unnoticed on Howard's desk for several weeks. When he received a call asking him to come for a costume fitting for the role of Dr. Alec Harvey, Howard stated that he couldn't, as he had promised to take his wife to the cinema.
• Because director David Lean and producer Ronald Neame were busy filming the melodrama "Great Expectations" (1946), a pre-premiere screening of "Brief Encounter" was organized for a working-class audience in the city of Rochester. The results were discouraging, as the audience laughed heartily throughout all the touching romantic scenes.
• Originally, the scenes at the railway station were supposed to be filmed in London, but due to the threat of bombing in the final days of World War II, the film crew had to evacuate. The station in Canford was chosen because it was large enough and located far from the coast, so that in the event of an air raid, the lights could be switched off on the set.
• In New York, the film was shown at the Little Carnegie cinema, which was frequented exclusively by a sophisticated audience. Both audience ratings and critical opinions were enthusiastic, and the public flocked to see the film. By the beginning of the 5th week of its run, when interest in most films noticeably declines, "Brief Encounter" set a record for attendance. It ran at the Little Carnegie for a total of 8 months.
• Filming began in January 1945 and ended in the final days of World War II. A break was required on May 8th – not because of Victory in Europe Day, but because all the cameras were needed to film the celebrations in London.
• Because director David Lean and producer Ronald Neame were busy filming the melodrama "Great Expectations" (1946), a pre-premiere screening of "Brief Encounter" was organized for a working-class audience in the city of Rochester. The results were discouraging, as the audience roared with laughter throughout all the touching romantic scenes.
• In New York, the film was shown at the Little Carnegie cinema, which was frequented exclusively by a sophisticated audience. Both audience ratings and critical opinions were enthusiastic, and the public flocked to see the film. By the beginning of the 5th week of release, when interest in most films noticeably declines, "Brief Encounter" set a record for attendance. It ran at Little Carnegie for a total of 8 months.