Brief Encounter tells the very British love story of a couple, married but not to each other, who try but fail to commit adultery. Released in 1945 the film immediately captured the hearts of its British audiences who, after six years of war, were only too familiar with the themes of loss, guilt and self restraint it portrayed. With David Lean’s pitch perfect tonal control (he was Oscar nominated for this film), Robert Krasker’s expressionist, noir cinematography and the heart rending performances of Johnson and Howard, Brief Encounter remains one of the best loved of all British films.

“One of the most emotionally honest and deeply satisfactory films to have ever been made in this country.” C A Lejune, The Observer, November 1945.