Tonya M. Fleetwood

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Paper:"Brief Encounter - The Epitome of Realism"
Year in School: College Junior
Class: British Cinema (London)
Date written: February 17, 2003

“Realism: 1) art and literature that represents events and social conditions as they actually are. 2) the attribute of accepting the facts of life and favoring practicality and literal truth” (Dictionary.com).

To 21st-century eyes, Laura and Alec’s relationship hardly constitutes an affair. Theirs is a romance more of words than deeds with a few stolen kisses in the railway station serving to complete their bond. However, that is enough to consume both with guilt, so that even running into one of Laura’s friends in a restaurant is enough to provoke white lies and waves of remorse. The longing between Alec and Laura is palpable, but Laura, in particular, cannot break free of the notion of doing the right thing. Personal happiness runs a distant second. So how can a movie be real if its characters have only met a few times but still claim to be deeply in love? The realism comes from every aspect of the film. On the surface, the story just seems false. However, every story is more than just monotone words. There are profound feelings attached to everything in “Brief Encounter.” With examples from specific scenes, I will show how the film is nothing but real.

In the opening scene, the audience does not yet know the meaning and significance of Alec and Laura’s situation. The audience is simply introduced to the couple right before their affair is about to end forever. Nothing really starts to make sense until Laura and her ‘friend’, Dolly, are on the train. We begin to hear Laura’s inner thoughts, and the story begins to unfold. Laura does not even listen to what Dolly is saying. She is caught up in her own thoughts (“Brief Encounter”). This is all too common. When a person is talking and you could not care less about what they are saying, you stop paying attention. You begin your own inner dialogue, just like Laura does with this scene. She does it on more than one occasion. She wants so desperately to tell someone about Alec, maybe to confess or maybe just to vent. However, she cannot tell Dolly, because Dolly is a gossip. As Laura is thinking all this to herself, Dolly suddenly cuts through her thoughts and normal conversation is resumed. Next is a close-up of Dolly’s mouth talking and talking, and then Laura says to herself how she wishes Dolly would stop talking (“Brief Encounter”). When I was watching this part, I remember thinking to myself how perfect it was, because I do that all the time. Laura’s thoughts are not complex at all, which helps to prove the realism of the movie. A person’s thoughts are usually really simple, and they jump from one thing to the other, like Laura’s thoughts. Laura briefly wishes Dolly were dead, but then not, because that is cruel and unkind (“Brief Encounter”). Laura’s thought procession, first that she wished Dolly would stop talking, to suddenly wishing Dolly were dead, only to quickly change her mind, and then back to wishing Dolly would stop talking, is precisely accurate. The death thought often enters into people’s minds when in a situation like Laura. Of course, the death wish is not often actually wanted, so the person quickly changes their mind, just like Laura.

The way in which Laura and Alec begin their relationship is particularly noteworthy. In reality, most romantic relationships begin randomly. In other words, love comes exactly when you are not expecting it. A person usually does not end up with someone they have had a crush on over an extended period of time. It just does not happen that way generally. A lot of romantic movie premises start with the main character being hopelessly in love with someone else. Of course, in the end, the two of them live happily ever after. In “Brief Encounter,” Laura and Alec meet at a train station. Laura gets something in her eye, and Alec, a doctor, helps her (“Brief Encounter”). The two of them do not exchange many words during this ‘brief encounter.’ Their meeting was completely by chance. Neither of them knew each other through mutual friends. Neither of them were looking for love when they met. Their affection for each other accidentally happened. It was neither planned, not sought after. It was completely genuine.

The more Laura realizes that she has definite adoration for Alec, the more guilty she feels. Her guilt is an overlying theme to the movie, but more specifically evident in the scene where shy lies to her husband for the first time. Her husband casually asks her what she had done that day. She had spent the day with Alec, but, of course, she could not tell him that. She quickly thought of a white lie, saying she had been with a female friend (“Brief Encounter”). You can tell that she hated lying to her husband, because it is a fact that their marriage is not an unhappy one. She becomes very sad. You would think that she would be relieved that her husband believed her, and that her secret is safe. However, she honestly does not want to hurt her husband. Another scene that exposes her enormous guilt is when her little boy has the bicycle accident (“Brief Encounter”). She feels like the accident was all her fault, because she was with Alec instead of paying attention to her children’s lives. She feels like she is being punished. David Lean totally captures every pang of guilt and anxiety that Laura feels. The fact that the audience gets to see exactly how Laura is feeling is what makes it seem so real. The lying is not blown out of proportion with dramatic music. Our lives have no music constantly playing in the background. Our feelings cannot be emphasized at the exact moment something occurs by a dramatic melody. A lot of movies overuse the availability of music. The real emotions are often not present, because the director thinks the music will convey the feelings better than the actors could alone. This is not the case with “Brief Encounter.” The movie does have some music, but the feelings come directly from the actors. The music was not relied upon solely.

One of the most intrinsic reasons this film represents realism at its best is the emotion between Alec and Laura. Part of what makes the story so genuine is that Alec and Laura do not immediately jump into each other’s arms. When Alec asks Laura if she loves him like he loves her, you can almost feel the pain. They finally give in to their love, and every moment is underscored with anguish and self-loathing at their own behavior. Their relationship is not romantic at all, and it is not supposed to be. Their love is heart wrenching, because you know that it cannot last. You know the pain they are feeling and the guilt they have. In actuality, affairs are not generally too happy. There are always more things to consider than just the act of having an affair. “Brief Encounter” does a flawless job at making this clear. Alec and Laura continually struggle against their love for one another and deeply detest the lying and fabrication necessary to keep their relationship a secret.

One aspect of “Brief Encounter” that has made many viewers think of the film as unrealistic is the fact that Laura and Alec never consummated their relationship. There are certain truths one must keep in mind. First, Alec and Laura’s relationship only lasted seven weeks. They only actually saw each other seven days. Their first kiss did not occur until half way through the relationship (“Brief Encounter”). Another factor to remember is that sex does not create or equal love. Sure, being intimate might accompany love, but you do not have to be in love to have sex. It is extremely realistic to believe that two people (Laura and Alec) can love each other without being intimate.

The most important part of the film is definitely the ending. This moment in “Brief Encounter” is probably the one essential detail that makes it completely real and not fantasy. Laura and Alec decide that it is best for everyone if they go their separate ways (“Brief Encounter”). The film towers over the majority of romantic films, precisely because it called the bluff of the genre’s wish fulfillment. The norm of most movies is that the lovers end up together and they live happily ever after. Not in this film. The veracity of affairs is that they do not typically have a happy ending. There is no way for a person to come out of an affair uninjured. “Brief Encounter” does not allow Laura or Alec to ever be the same again.

While the ending is the most important part of the film, the most important characteristic of “Brief Encounter” is it’s simplicity. Simple does not automatically equal real. However, in this film, the straightforwardness of everything makes the film incredibly relatable and easy to believe. David Lean shows mastery for catching the little details. Nothing feels out of place or exaggerated. Lean holds each shot for precisely the right amount of time. When Alec and Laura finally profess their love for one another, Lean does not push the scene and turn it into a penetrating melodrama. Throughout the whole film, the level and subtly of emotion is perfect, from the distance of strangers to the bitter, gut-wrenching pain of leaving your true love. Every performance in the movie is perfect and backed up by a truthful, believable script full of real, everyday people. It is easy to single out fantasy versus reality when dealing with love and relationships. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship that was too complicated and painful to continue will immediately identify with what happens between Laura and Alec. Although portrayed in a simple way, the decision to end the affair is not a simple one.

One way to view this film, in contrast to most opinions, is that it is a very violent film. It is a violence that no Tarantino or Guy Ritchie could ever come close to achieving. Celia Johnson (Laura) puts it perfectly: “I’ve fallen in love. I’m an ordinary woman. I didn’t think such violent things could happen to ordinary people” (“Brief Encounter”). Personally, I do find “Brief Encounter” violent. However, it is not brutal in the sense of guns, blood, and drugs. I think it is violent in an emotional way. In fact, “Brief Encounter” is violent because it is so real. The explicit and raw emotions the characters endure make it hard to see anything but emotional and mental violence. There is a trailer for a film called, “Flames of Passion,” before one of the pictures Alec and Laura go to see (“Brief Encounter”). The title of the trailer has an interesting connotation. ‘Flames’ would make one think of fire. Fire destroys things and is painful. ‘Passion’ implies togetherness and fierce love. When you put the two thoughts together you get the idea of ‘painful love and togetherness.’ The trailer for “Flames of Passion” could almost be seen as foreshadowing or a warning sign to Alec and Laura that their romance will only cause them pain. Therefore, “Brief Encounter” is a somewhat violent film, in this respect.

With regards to realism, “Brief Encounter” embodies the very essence of the definition to me. David Lean has an incredible talent at portraying emotion down the core of a person’s psyche. As well-known director Martin Scorsese said, “His images stay with me forever…it’s the emotion behind those images that’s meant the most to me over the years. It’s the way David Lean can put feeling on film. They way he shows a whole landscape of the spirit. For me, that’s the real geography of David Lean country. And that’s why, in a David Lean movie, there’s no such thing as an empty landscape” (Hilditch 1).



Go to Documents index Paper:"Brief Encounter - The Epitome of Realism" Year in School: College Junior Class: British Cinema (London) Date written: February 17, 2003 “Realism: 1) art and literature that represents events and social conditions as they actually are. 2) the attribute of accepting the facts of life and favoring practicality and literal truth” (Dictionary.com). To 21st-century eyes, Laura and Alec’s relationship hardly constitutes an affair. Theirs is a romance more of words than deeds with a few stolen kisses in the railway station serving to complete their bond. However, that is enough to consume both with guilt, so that even running into one of Laura’s friends in a restaurant is enough to provoke white lies and waves of remorse. The longing between Alec and Laura is palpable, but Laura, in particular, cannot break free of the notion of doing the right thing. Personal happiness runs a distant second. So how can a movie be real if its characters have only met a few times but still claim to be deeply in love? The realism comes from every aspect of the film. On the surface, the story just seems false. However, every story is more than just monotone words. There are profound feelings attached to everything in “Brief Encounter.” With examples from specific scenes, I will show how the film is nothing but real. In the opening scene, the audience does not yet know the meaning and significance of Alec and Laura’s situation. The audience is simply introduced to the couple right before their affair is about to end forever. Nothing really starts to make sense until Laura and her ‘friend’, Dolly, are on the train. We begin to hear Laura’s inner thoughts, and the story begins to unfold. Laura does not even listen to what Dolly is saying. She is caught up in her own thoughts (“Brief Encounter”). This is all too common. When a person is talking and you could not care less about what they are saying, you stop paying attention. You begin your own inner dialogue, just like Laura does with this scene. She does it on more than one occasion. She wants so desperately to tell someone about Alec, maybe to confess or maybe just to vent. However, she cannot tell Dolly, because Dolly is a gossip. As Laura is thinking all this to herself, Dolly suddenly cuts through her thoughts and normal conversation is resumed. Next is a close-up of Dolly’s mouth talking and talking, and then Laura says to herself how she wishes Dolly would stop talking (“Brief Encounter”). When I was watching this part, I remember thinking to myself how perfect it was, because I do that all the time. Laura’s thoughts are not complex at all, which helps to prove the realism of the movie. A person’s thoughts are usually really simple, and they jump from one thing to the other, like Laura’s thoughts. Laura briefly wishes Dolly were dead, but then not, because that is cruel and unkind (“Brief Encounter”). Laura’s thought procession, first that she wished Dolly would stop talking, to suddenly wishing Dolly were dead, only to quickly change her mind, and then back to wishing Dolly would stop talking, is precisely accurate. The death thought often enters into people’s minds when in a situation like Laura. Of course, the death wish is not often actually wanted, so the person quickly changes their mind, just like Laura. The way in which Laura and Alec begin their relationship is particularly noteworthy. In reality, most romantic relationships begin randomly. In other words, love comes exactly when you are not expecting it. A person usually does not end up with someone they have had a crush on over an extended period of time. It just does not happen that way generally. A lot of romantic movie premises start with the main character being hopelessly in love with someone else. Of course, in the end, the two of them live happily ever after. In “Brief Encounter,” Laura and Alec meet at a train station. Laura gets something in her eye, and Alec, a doctor, helps her (“Brief Encounter”). The two of them do not exchange many words during this ‘brief encounter.’ Their meeting was completely by chance. Neither of them knew each other through mutual friends. Neither of them were looking for love when they met. Their affection for each other accidentally happened. It was neither planned, not sought after. It was completely genuine. The more Laura realizes that she has definite adoration for Alec, the more guilty she feels. Her guilt is an overlying theme to the movie, but more specifically evident in the scene where shy lies to her husband for the first time. Her husband casually asks her what she had done that day. She had spent the day with Alec, but, of course, she could not tell him that. She quickly thought of a white lie, saying she had been with a female friend (“Brief Encounter”). You can tell that she hated lying to her husband, because it is a fact that their marriage is not an unhappy one. She becomes very sad. You would think that she would be relieved that her husband believed her, and that her secret is safe. However, she honestly does not want to hurt her husband. Another scene that exposes her enormous guilt is when her little boy has the bicycle accident (“Brief Encounter”). She feels like the accident was all her fault, because she was with Alec instead of paying attention to her children’s lives. She feels like she is being punished. David Lean totally captures every pang of guilt and anxiety that Laura feels. The fact that the audience gets to see exactly how Laura is feeling is what makes it seem so real. The lying is not blown out of proportion with dramatic music. Our lives have no music constantly playing in the background. Our feelings cannot be emphasized at the exact moment something occurs by a dramatic melody. A lot of movies overuse the availability of music. The real emotions are often not present, because the director thinks the music will convey the feelings better than the actors could alone. This is not the case with “Brief Encounter.” The movie does have some music, but the feelings come directly from the actors. The music was not relied upon solely. One of the most intrinsic reasons this film represents realism at its best is the emotion between Alec and Laura. Part of what makes the story so genuine is that Alec and Laura do not immediately jump into each other’s arms. When Alec asks Laura if she loves him like he loves her, you can almost feel the pain. They finally give in to their love, and every moment is underscored with anguish and self-loathing at their own behavior. Their relationship is not romantic at all, and it is not supposed to be. Their love is heart wrenching, because you know that it cannot last. You know the pain they are feeling and the guilt they have. In actuality, affairs are not generally too happy. There are always more things to consider than just the act of having an affair. “Brief Encounter” does a flawless job at making this clear. Alec and Laura continually struggle against their love for one another and deeply detest the lying and fabrication necessary to keep their relationship a secret. One aspect of “Brief Encounter” that has made many viewers think of the film as unrealistic is the fact that Laura and Alec never consummated their relationship. There are certain truths one must keep in mind. First, Alec and Laura’s relationship only lasted seven weeks. They only actually saw each other seven days. Their first kiss did not occur until half way through the relationship (“Brief Encounter”). Another factor to remember is that sex does not create or equal love. Sure, being intimate might accompany love, but you do not have to be in love to have sex. It is extremely realistic to believe that two people (Laura and Alec) can love each other without being intimate. The most important part of the film is definitely the ending. This moment in “Brief Encounter” is probably the one essential detail that makes it completely real and not fantasy. Laura and Alec decide that it is best for everyone if they go their separate ways (“Brief Encounter”). The film towers over the majority of romantic films, precisely because it called the bluff of the genre’s wish fulfillment. The norm of most movies is that the lovers end up together and they live happily ever after. Not in this film. The veracity of affairs is that they do not typically have a happy ending. There is no way for a person to come out of an affair uninjured. “Brief Encounter” does not allow Laura or Alec to ever be the same again. While the ending is the most important part of the film, the most important characteristic of “Brief Encounter” is it’s simplicity. Simple does not automatically equal real. However, in this film, the straightforwardness of everything makes the film incredibly relatable and easy to believe. David Lean shows mastery for catching the little details. Nothing feels out of place or exaggerated. Lean holds each shot for precisely the right amount of time. When Alec and Laura finally profess their love for one another, Lean does not push the scene and turn it into a penetrating melodrama. Throughout the whole film, the level and subtly of emotion is perfect, from the distance of strangers to the bitter, gut-wrenching pain of leaving your true love. Every performance in the movie is perfect and backed up by a truthful, believable script full of real, everyday people. It is easy to single out fantasy versus reality when dealing with love and relationships. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship that was too complicated and painful to continue will immediately identify with what happens between Laura and Alec. Although portrayed in a simple way, the decision to end the affair is not a simple one. One way to view this film, in contrast to most opinions, is that it is a very violent film. It is a violence that no Tarantino or Guy Ritchie could ever come close to achieving. Celia Johnson (Laura) puts it perfectly: “I’ve fallen in love. I’m an ordinary woman. I didn’t think such violent things could happen to ordinary people” (“Brief Encounter”). Personally, I do find “Brief Encounter” violent. However, it is not brutal in the sense of guns, blood, and drugs. I think it is violent in an emotional way. In fact, “Brief Encounter” is violent because it is so real. The explicit and raw emotions the characters endure make it hard to see anything but emotional and mental violence. There is a trailer for a film called, “Flames of Passion,” before one of the pictures Alec and Laura go to see (“Brief Encounter”). The title of the trailer has an interesting connotation. ‘Flames’ would make one think of fire. Fire destroys things and is painful. ‘Passion’ implies togetherness and fierce love. When you put the two thoughts together you get the idea of ‘painful love and togetherness.’ The trailer for “Flames of Passion” could almost be seen as foreshadowing or a warning sign to Alec and Laura that their romance will only cause them pain. Therefore, “Brief Encounter” is a somewhat violent film, in this respect. With regards to realism, “Brief Encounter” embodies the very essence of the definition to me. David Lean has an incredible talent at portraying emotion down the core of a person’s psyche. As well-known director Martin Scorsese said, “His images stay with me forever…it’s the emotion behind those images that’s meant the most to me over the years. It’s the way David Lean can put feeling on film. They way he shows a whole landscape of the spirit. For me, that’s the real geography of David Lean country. And that’s why, in a David Lean movie, there’s no such thing as an empty landscape” (Hilditch 1).