Events | The Station Cinema
Brief Encounter: Anniversary Edition
Brief Encounter: Anniversary Edition

Brief Encounter: Anniversary Edition

Running time: 86 mins

Drama/Romance

Expanded from a one-act stage play by Noel Coward, Brief Encounter is without doubt one of the true masterpieces of British film history. The story seems slight--a respectable suburban housewife has a chance meeting with a handsome married doctor, their friendship becomes romance, but they feel the pressures of convention pulling their relationship apart--but the writing, acting and direction are sublime, turning what might have been just another melodrama into a memorable and heartbreaking story of impossible love. David Lean went on to make much bigger films than this, but few of those epics packed the emotional punch of this picture, set in a mundane world of railway stations, semi-detached houses and inexpensive cafes. Trevor Howard is perfectly cast as Alec, the doctor, but the film belongs above all to Celia Johnson, as the heroine Laura. It's easy to mock her clipped ultra-English accent, but she gives one of the greatest screen performances imaginable, brilliantly evoking how an ordinary life can be turned upside down by unexpected passion. Throw in the superb use of Rachmaninov's swooning Second Piano Concerto, shrewd supporting acting from Cyril Raymond, Joyce Carey and Everley Gregg, and some of the best black-and-white photography of its era, and the result is irresistible.

There are currently no performance scheduled for this event

What's On

View All

A Night With Janis Joplin The Musical

Andr Rieu's 75th Birthday Celebration: The Dream Continues

Billy Elliot The Musical Live (20th Anniversary)

Bonnie & Clyde The Musical

EOS - The Dawn of Impressionism: Paris, 1874

EOS Michelangelo: Love & Death

Jesus Christ Superstar Live

Metropolitan Opera 2024/25: Beethovens Fidelio

Metropolitan Opera 2024/25: Mozarts Le Nozze di Figaro

Metropolitan Opera 2024/25: Rossinis Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Metropolitan Opera 2024/25: Strausss Salome

NT Live: Dr. Strangelove

NT Live: The Importance of Being Earnest

RBO 2024/25: Die Walkre

RBO 2024/25: Turandot

RBO: Romeo & Juliet

RBO: Swan Lake (Captured Live)

Royal Ballet: Ballet to Broadway: Wheeldon Works