Brief Encounter Movie (1945): Where to watch and stream online

Brief Encounter

1945, Movie, 1h 26min

After a chance meeting on a train platform, a married doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) begin a muted but passionate, and ultimately doomed, love affair. With its evocatively fog-enshrouded setting, swooning Rachmaninoff score, and pair of remarkable performances (Johnson was nominated for an Oscar), this film, directed by David Lean and based on Noël Coward’s play “Still Life” deftly explores the thrill, pain, and tenderness of an illicit romance, and has influenced many a cinematic brief encounter since its release.

Country: United Kingdom

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Reviews

Critic Caroline Westbrook

rated

Skillfully set to Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, this account of a passionate yet unconsummated relationship between a married woman and a married doctor created a great impression both here and abroad.

Read full review at Empire

Kasper Løvborg

rated

This classic is one of the greatest cinematic love stories.

5 years ago

Frequently asked questions

What is Brief Encounter about? Toggle content

Bored housewife Laura Jesson and virtuous doctor Alec Harvey meet by chance on a train platform and begin a casual friendship that blossoms into a deepening relationship during their weekly visits. As they struggle with the potential havoc their love would have on their lives and the lives of those they love, they must decide whether to pursue their passion or maintain their marriages.

Where can I stream Brief Encounter? Toggle content

You can stream Brief Encounter on: Apple TV Store

What movies are similar to Brief Encounter? Toggle content

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as Brief Encounter include Casablanca, Holiday Inn, Little Women, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, A Matter of Life and Death, Cyrano de Bergerac.