Brief Encounter

Standing behind her as she sat at their table, he put his left hand on her right shoulder.  Then Alec walked out the door of the refreshment room and was gone forever.  Laura hoped he would change his mind and return, but he didn’t.  This was the end of their brief affair, but for fans of the 1945 British romantic film, Brief Encounter, written by Noel Coward, directed by David Lean, with Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson (nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, but lost to Olivia DeHaviland in To Each His Own), their love story can be replayed over and over again. 

It started so innocently.  Laura, a middle-aged housewife and mother of two young children, was waiting on the station platform on her way home after her weekly Thursday excursion to Milford, got a piece of grit in her eye as a train passed rapidly in front of her.  Retreating into the refreshment room, she unsuccessfully tried to remove it.  Alec, a kindly (married with children) general practioner, offered his assistance and was quickly able to mend her irritated eye.  So began their relationship.

The following Thursday, after she exited from a book store in Milford, Laura and Alec passed on the street.  Remembering each other from the previous week, the two made small talk for a minute or so before continuing on their respective ways.

On the third Thursday, Laura was sitting alone in a crowded restaurant in Milford having just ordered lunch.  When she saw Alec approaching, Laura said hello and invited him to join her as there were no empty tables available.  I believe this was an innocent gesture, perhaps reciprocating for his act of kindness in assisting her in her moment of need two weeks prior.  The two chatted amiably sharing lunch, a laugh at the dreadful live music they had to endure in the restaurant, and some good conversation.    

After lunch, Laura mentioned that she was going to the cinema and Alec asked if he could join her as his work at the hospital that day was finished.  She accepted.  I believe this was their first step over the line.  She said it was so natural and innocent, but was it?  After enjoying a movie together, they walked back to the train station.  Just before they arrived, Alec put his hand under Laura’s arm.  It was their first intimacy. 

In the refreshment room, they each had a cup of tea before their respective trains arrived.  Alec talked about his passion for preventative medicine.  Laura found him very endearing, talking about it as if he were “a little boy.”  I think this was an indication of her growing fondness for Alec.  When his train arrived, they both mentioned how much they had enjoyed their afternoon together. 

Alec asked, “Can I see you again?”  After Laura avoided giving a direct response, he repeated his request. 

Laura said, “Yes, of course.” 

“Please, next Thursday, the same time,” he pleaded. 

At first, she said, “I couldn’t possibly.” 

He asked again and finally she said, “I’ll be there.” Alec thereupon happily ran off to meet his train. 

On the fourth Thursday, Laura went back for lunch to the same table in the same restaurant where they had met the previous week, hoping that Alec would be there.  After finishing her meal, she “waited a bit,” but he didn’t come.  Then Laura passed by the hospital where Alec spent his Thursdays, but she didn’t see him.  She arrived at the train station a little earlier than usual, having left the cinema before the feature film was even over.  After finishing her tea in the refreshment room, she walked to the platform to await her train.  Laura noticed Alec’s train arriving and he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.  She suddenly felt “panic stricken” at the thought she wouldn’t see him again.  Then, there he was, running up the ramp towards her.  She ran to meet him.  He apologized for not seeing her earlier.  There had been an emergency at the hospital.  Together they ran to his train that was about to depart. 

As he boarded, he asked, “Next Thursday?”

She responded with a broad smile on her face, “Yes, next Thursday.”

On the fifth Thursday, they again went to the cinema together.  As it turned out to be a terribly bad movie, they left before the end.  Since it was a lovely afternoon, they decided instead to go to the local botanical gardens.  Laura was enjoying herself “without any pang of conscience.”  They decided to go for a boat ride on the lake, with Alec doing the rowing and Laura trying to steer.  They both felt “gay and happy.”  Trying to go under a low bridge, Alec got out of the boat and got his shoes and socks wet.  They found a place to stay while they dried them off and where they would be alone.  Their mood turned serious. 

Over a cup of tea, he said, “You know what’s happened, don’t you?” Alec meant that  they had fallen in love. 

Laura simply said, “Yes.”

I highly recommend that you see this marvelous romantic film and discover what happened next to Laura and Alec.  I hope I have whetted your apetite for more.  I consider Brief Encounter the best film of this genre ever made.  After you see it, please let me know what you think.