I am not a romantic. Sometimes I like to watch a romance but when I found this in a bargain bin, I grabbed it, being a long-time fan of Ms Loren and her work. I can take or leave Mr Burton, his ego always overshadowed any work he did in my opinion, although Anne of the Thousand days was interesting. I thought he came over as a grubbby little mid-life crisis driven man, while she was in a Big Rut despite loving her husband and family to distraction, she was bored. Meeting a beautiful woman and having the chance to strike up a conversation would have boosted his ego no end, and So Dr Harvey hopes to meet her again... and again and before he knows it, he has a massive crush on her. She is flattered, as her husband is preoccupied with life and the kids, whereas most of her maternal duties seem taken over by the nanny or au pair, and she dabbles in voluntary work. As he pushes hard to make this more than it probably is, she is swept along until it's impossible to get out. Inevitably, it cannot last, it is not real and bruised as they are, they must part.
I thought she acted him off the screen, however I had wondered if they had indeed had an affaire while making the move - there's no sign of chemistry here. I know he had his health problems but he had become a sad, seedy middle-aged man when he made this - Liz had no need to worry.
Review of Brief Encounter
