Flüchtige Begegnung

Is it the age we live in, or is it that objectively this is a slow-moving quaint view of the 50's England? Sophia Loren is lovely as usual, and you can't help but think that this film was also a commentary on her private life. Her husband, Carlos Ponti, produced this film. A much older man, he must have had to face the dilemma featured in this movie often. And the answer was obviously always the same: the allure of a sexually titillating romance could not be overcome for a victim of WWII the wonderful stability of home and family, no matter how 'boring'. Definitely a morality tale, 'Brief Encounter' is based on a Noel Coward play which I find intriguing. The movement is slow, the dialogue similarly, and you are left wondering what exactly was missing from her home life that she should turn to this fellow. It's perfectly obvious what's missing from his, when his wife barely looks up from her writing to say, "Our love slipped away so long ago, I hardly noticed it. But why is love necessary, anyhow?"

Brief Encounter is a romantic drama movie directed by Alan Bridges and stars Late Richard Burton and Sophia Loren.

The movie was a remake of 1945 classic with the same name.

The movie could've been a decent romantic movie had the movie been decently executed with a decent pace but due to slow pace the movie falls flatly.

The acting was good in fact the acting was superb, Sophia Loren was charming and Late Burton was great. Screenplay was very slow and is the main reason for the debacle of the movie. Climax was average.

Overall if you have a lots of patience then this is the movie for you otherwise please ignore.

29 years after the first film version of Brief Encounter was made and made stars of Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson this television version with Richard Burton and Sophia Loren was done for British television. My same criticism stands, I would love to have seen Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence do Coward's original one act play for the screen.

Both versions are considerably expanded from Coward's stage play. But the 1945 version had a real sense of urgency about it. It was set in wartime where such things if not approved of, at least expected and somewhat tolerated. Updating the play was a mistake, both Loren and Burton in this setting treat their situation as more of an inconvenience.

Of course bringing it back to 1945 would have been impossible because British soldiers just did not bring back brides from the recent enemy's country and no way could Sophia Loren have played the part. And she had to because her husband Carlo Ponti was the producer.

This Brief Encounter is all right, but if you don't encounter it you won't miss all that much.

Not because it's so bad, as many reviewers would have you believe. We should not compare with David Lean's masterpiece. That was a romance. It sweeps us along with period charm, superb cinematography and Rachmaninov's gushing music. This is altogether different. We are disturbed and embarrassed because that's what the "sordid affair" is! We just want the two "lovers" to stop and we hate Dr. Harvey for his selfishness. The goings on of ordinary life - the excellent soundtrack conveys this - is a jarring accompaniment and distraction. We just want the pair to blend back into it and return to their day jobs and, in the case of Anna/Laura, her family. I was glad when it was all over. Good job!

Unremarkable and unmemorable remake of an old, celebrated English film. Although it may be overly maligned as a total disaster (which it is not), it never builds any tension and betrays its TV origins. Richard Burton sleepwalks through his role, and Sophia Loren's closed (in this movie) face doesn't display much passion, either. (**)