I haven’t seen a lot of films made outside the United States, but I’ve been trying do better about doing so. One country that I have seen a fair number of films from is Britain. I’ve found that British films tend to focus more on working class people, with decidedly less glamour–especially films showcasing Britain during or just after World War II. American films featuring British actors taking place in British locales are definitely more glamorous and have higher production values. Mrs. Miniver (1942) featuring British actress Greer Garson, showcases Garson as the titular character living in a gorgeous home on the Thames River. Garson looks gorgeous even as she’s hunkered down in a shelter listening to bombs falling on and around her home.
Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson in “Brief Encounter.”
The British film, Brief Encounter (1945), taking place around the same time period as Mrs. Miniver, features a decidedly less glamorous and more realistic setting. The two protagonists of the film, Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) and Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard), are not glamorous. They are not Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant. Laura and Alec are two regular people, not hideous, not extraordinarily beautiful, just two average people. If someone saw the two of them sitting at a table in a train station cafe, they wouldn’t give them a second look–except if they are Dolly Messiter (Everley Gregg). Dolly, an acquaintance of Laura’s, spots her friend sitting at one of the tables. Laura, clearly upset, sits idly while Dolly blathers on incessantly. Laura eventually boards a train and returns home to her husband, Fred, and their two children.
After tucking her children into bed, Laura returns to the living room where she grabs her mending and Fred grabs the newspaper’s daily crossword puzzle. It is clear that this is Laura and Fred’s usual nightly routine, the two of them sitting quietly, occasionally chatting when Fred asks Laura for help with an Up or Down clue. As Laura starts mending, her internal struggles take over, preventing her from putting down even a single stitch. She looks at Fred, blissfully completing his crossword puzzle, unaware of her emotional conflict. Laura’s voiceover takes over, as she confesses the cause of her conflict–the brief affair she had with Alec.
Laura explains that she met Alec during her weekly Thursday jaunt to Milford, where she shops and attends a matinee film. While at the train station, a piece of dirt gets into her eye. One of the other passengers, Dr. Alec Harvey, jumps in to assist. The next week, Laura and Alec happen to meet again outside a pharmacy. It turns out that Alec also visits Milford on Thursdays to perform consultant work at the local hospital. Laura and Alec make a lunch date for the next Thursday and end up seeing the afternoon matinee film together. Soon, they are making a point to meet up every Thursday.
Laura and Alec say goodbye at the train station
In her voiceover, Laura expresses the shame as well as the excitement she felt during these weekly dates with Alec. Mending clothing and helping her husband with his crossword puzzle is clearly not bringing Laura the fulfillment that she seeks in life. This affair with Alec, a man who ignites something in Laura, previously unknown, brings her the exhilaration she desires. However, she expresses guilt when the lunch dates start to turn romantic and she and Alec are teetering on the edge of infidelity.
LAURA: It’s awfully easy to lie when you know that you’re trusted implicitly. So very easy and so very degrading.
Celia Johnson as “Laura Jesson” in Brief Encounter (1945)
As the audience, we are just as conflicted as Laura. She seems so unhappy in her average, middle class home, with her average middle class husband. Laura seems to be living comfortably and has two children. From all appearances, she is living the life many women seek. However, her life as no drama, no excitement. It is very routine and monotonous. Not much is known about Alec’s life, his wife and children are never shown, however, it is easy to imagine that his life is similar to Laura’s. However, he is someone different and exciting. From Laura’s narration, we know that the relationship has ended, but it’s hard to feel happy about it because Laura looks and sounds so miserable. The ending of this film is very bittersweet, but realistic. Would we want Alec and Laura to give up their respective marriages and families for a brief encounter at the train station?
David Lean makes excellent use of the train and train station as an allegory for the film’s themes.
Celia Johnson’s performance as Laura is what makes the film. She is absolutely heartbreaking in this film and as an audience member, you empathize with her. Without any words, a flood of emotions run across her face, from happiness, to regret, to pride, to shame, as she recollects her relationship with Alec. The scene where it appears like she and Alec might take their relationship to the next level, but then are interrupted, is heartbreaking. It’s not heartbreaking because they weren’t able to take it to the next level, but rather for the amount of embarrassment and shame she feels to have been caught as “the other woman.”
ALEC: I do love you, so very much. I love you with all my heart and soul.
LAURA: I want to die. If only I could die…
ALEC: If you’d die, you’d forget me. I want to be remembered.
Trevor Howard as “Alec Harvey” and Celia Johnson as “Laura Jesson” in Brief Encounter (1945)
Director David Lean also utilized trains to excellent effect in this film. The train and train station are central characters in the film. The train station is where the main story starts and ends as it represents the beginning and end to Laura and Alec’s affair. This is where they meet and where they ultimately part ways. The train station is where people from all walks of life, regardless of class, occupation, marital status, etc. will cross paths and interact. The train is used to good effect as it often interrupts Laura and Alec’s affair, forcing them to return home to their respective spouses. Laura’s reflection is shown often in the train windows, as she contemplates her affair and how it’ll affect her marriage and family. Laura’s reflection, combined with the steam from the train and the nighttime, gives the film a dreamlike quality. As she rides into the night, Laura dreams about spending time with Alec, only for her dreams to shatter when the train pulls into the brightly lit station in her home town–bringing her back to reality.
Brief Encounter makes an amazing use of reflection during Laura’s train scenes.
I highly recommend Brief Encounter, as it is one of the most romantic films ever made. It doesn’t have a trite, tacked on happy ending. While infidelity isn’t romantic and shouldn’t be celebrated, it’s hard to not feel sad for Laura. This woman seems utterly heartbroken to have to return home to her husband and his crossword puzzles, when she could be jet-setting with Alec to exotic locales. However, she knows that she and Alec needed to end their clandestine affair, for the sake of their families and reputation. The clincher comes during their final meeting at the train station when Laura and Alec lean in for a passionate kiss, but other passengers turn the corner and come into view. The couple quickly separate and go their separate ways down the dark corridor. Suddenly, Laura is seen in her living room with her husband taking a break from his crossword to get her attention. This scene is absolutely heartbreaking and the cherry on top of a perfect film.
FRED: You’ve been a long way away.
LAURA: Yes
FRED: Thank you for coming back to me.
Cyril Raymond as “Fred Jesson” and Celia Johnson as “Laura Jesson” in Brief Encounter.
I can’t think of anything more comforting than watching Eleanor Powell and her amazing dancing.
This year’s CLAMBA (CLAssic Movie Blog Association) Spring blogathon is dedicated to classic films that people may turn to in times of crisis, emotional distress, stress, or any other time when they might feel a little weary from the drudgery of day to day life. Right now, during these trying times, having something comforting to turn to, whether it be a movie, a pet, a hobby, etc. is more important than ever.
I find movies, especially classic movies, to be comforting. Not every film has positive subject matter, and not every film is uplifting, but they allow you to escape into a different world. Full disclosure: This is coming from someone who watches “Forensic Files” and “Unsolved Mysteries” to relax before bed. I have my “pet” movies that I revisit over and over again (The Long Long Trailer, Gidget, Gidget Goes Hawaiian, The Brady Bunch Movie, Singin’ in the Rain… ) but I’ve already written about those–sometimes multiple times. I will try to branch out and share my Top 5 favorite comfort films.
One of my favorite types of films is a tried and true romance. Not necessarily a rom-com (though occasionally those can hit the spot, depending on what it is), or a overly sappy romance (e.g. Nicholas Sparks), or some generic, non-offensive, completely predictable film (Hallmark Movies, I’m looking at you), but a real romantic film–“happily ever after” not guaranteed.
1) Summertime (1955). David Lean’s romantic drama is aesthetically a gorgeous film. Shot on location in Venice, Italy, the scenery and color is beautiful and very fun to watch. Katharine Hepburn stars as Jane Hudson (not that Jane Hudson), a single (gasp!) middle-aged secretary from Akron, Ohio. She has had a lifelong dream of going to Venice and has saved money for many years. Finally, she has enough money and travels abroad for her summer vacation.
Even the credits sequence is gorgeous!
Jane Hudson (Katharine Hepburn) meets Renato de Rossi (Rossano Brazzi) in “Summertime.”
Upon arriving in Venice, Jane boards the local vaporetto (e.g. a waterbus that transports the public down the canals) where she meets two fellow American tourists. Jane and the three tourists are all staying at the same pensione (e.g. a boarding house that includes meals). At the pensione, Jane meets another American tourist, Eddie Yaeger (Darren McGavin), and his wife.
On her first night out, Jane goes out to dinner and spots an Italian man, Renato de Rossi, (Rossano Brazzi) watching her. The next day, Jane is window-shopping at an antique store and spots a red goblet. Interested in obtaining more information (and possibly purchasing) the goblet, Jane enters the store and discovers that the owner of the shop is Renato, the same man who was watching her the night before. Later that night, Renato finds Jane at her pensione and confesses that he finds her very attractive. She tries to ward off his advances, but ultimately agrees to attend a concert with him.
Jane and Renato’s romance is heating up!
Renato and Jane’s romance grows and soon find themselves completely enamored with one another. However, like so many romantic films, they reach an impasse when Jane finds out more about Renato’s past.
I love this film because Jane and Renato’s passion for one another is evident and who doesn’t love the idea of falling in love with a handsome stranger while on vacation? See Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun for another example of this storyline. I also liked the idea that Hepburn was playing a woman who was not only single, but didn’t seem to regret being single. She wasn’t a miserable “can’t find a man” spinster. This film is also where Hepburn picked up her lifelong eye infection after performing a stunt where she falls into one of the fabled (and notoriously polluted) Venice canals.
Another type of movie that I find comforting is an over-the-top melodrama. For me, over-the-top is something so outrageous, so absurd, that it seems like it could never possibly happen. But at the same time, with the right mix of people and the right situation, it could definitely happen. One of my favorite melodramas also combines another of my favorites: 50s-60s teen movies.
2) A Summer Place (1959) has everything one could possibly want in a good melodrama: racism, bigotry, xenophobia, adultery, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, a catchy title theme tune, love, the use of the word “convenience” for toilet… this movie has it all. And if that was not enough, the movie is photographed using the most beautiful color. Every scene is seemingly shot with gauze over the lens, giving everything a slightly hazy, ethereal look. This film also features two of my all-time favorite stars: Sandra Dee and Dorothy McGuire.
At the beginning of the film, we meet the Hunter family. Patriarch Bart (Arthur Kennedy), his long-suffering wife, Sylvia (Dorothy McGuire), and their teenage son, Johnny (Troy Donahue). It is quickly apparent that not all is well with the Hunter household. Bart, despite having been born to a wealthy family and seemingly had it all, has allowed his family’s Pine Island, ME estate to fall into disarray. Most of the blame for the family’s decline falls squarely into the lap of Bart’s alcoholism. To make ends meet, the Hunter family is forced to transform their private family home into an inn and rent rooms out to paying guests.
Johnny (Troy Donahue) and Molly (Sandra Dee) fall in love in “A Summer Place.”
One day, the Hunters receive a telegram from Ken Jorgenson (Richard Egan) who along with his wife, Helen (Constance Ford) and teenaged daughter Molly (Sandra Dee), wants to rent out a room at the “inn” for the summer. The only hitch? Ken and Sylvia used to date twenty years ago, prior to their respective marriages and children. Ken at the time was a lifeguard on the island whereas, it is presumed that Sylvia must have come from “better stock.” However, the tables have turned and now Sylvia is seemingly lower class, whereas Ken is successful millionaire research chemist.
When the Jorgenson family is seen, it is obvious that Helen has some issues. “Some issues” is putting it lightly. Helen is one of the most prudish (even for 1950s standards), hateful women that I have ever seen in a film. She seemingly has an issue with everyone and anything that isn’t American, straight, puritan, and most importantly, White. Ken has an amazing scene where he rips his wife a new one. It is obvious that the Jorgenson union is going to be kaput by the end of the film.
What is this hat?
Upon arrival at Pine Island, Johnny immediately spots Molly. They are instantly smitten with one another, much to the chagrin of Helen. As a parallel to the budding union between the children, something is rekindled between Sylvia and Ken. Both are stuck in unhappy marriages and both want a new start. Sylvia and Ken find themselves confiding in one another, until their flame is reignited. At the same time, Molly and Johnny are finding themselves falling for one another. Jilted spouses Bart and Helen, find themselves on the outside, looking in.
I love this movie. I love everything about it. I never tire of it and look forward to reading the novel. There is so much drama to savor. Sandra Dee, despite being saddled with the goody two-shoes virgin image, is definitely NOT living up to that reputation in this film. One of Dee’s best qualities, in my opinion, are her eyes. Her fantastic large, brown eyes imbue Dee with a vulnerable quality. She seems to always have a wanting in her eyes. She just needs someone to take care of, and someone to take care of her. For whatever reason, Troy Donahue, despite not being that great of an actor I really enjoy. I don’t know what it is about him, but he has a quality that I find interesting.
Sometimes, all that will provide comfort is some good old fashioned eye candy. Just something to ogle for a couple hours. One such eye candy (for me) is Errol Flynn. During his heyday, he looks amazing in pretty much everything. Even in the 1950s, when Flynn’s bad habits were definitely catching up with him, though looking older than his age, he still possesses the panache and charisma of his youth. For this entry, I’m going to discuss my favorite Errol Flynn film.
This poster doesn’t do Errol Flynn or Alexis Smith justice!
3) Gentleman Jim (1942) is a biopic that features Flynn as James J. “Gentleman Jim” Corbett. At the beginning of the film, Jim and his friend Walter (Jack Carson) are attending an illegal boxing match in 1890s San Francisco. The match is raided by the police. Jim and Walter find themselves in the paddywagon with Judge Geary, a prominent member of the board of directors at the bank that employs both Jim and Walter as tellers. Jim is able to think quickly and saves his boss from embarrassment.
Later, through a chance meeting at his bank, Jim meets Victoria Ware (Alexis Smith), the socialite daughter of Buck Ware, a wealthy upper-class member of the Olympic Club–the same club that Jim’s boss also frequents. Victoria has arrived at Jim’s bank to collect change for a local game at the club. After hearing Victoria state that she’s on her way to the Olympic Club, Jim charms her into letting him escort her and carry her heavy coins. Victoria, obviously interested in Jim (because duh! who wouldn’t?) and seeing his ulterior motives right off the bat, agrees to let him accompany her to the club. She even treats him to lunch and cigars. Later, Jim meets the Judge and other members of the upper class in the gymnasium.
Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith
Judge Geary and a renowned British boxing coach (who has been hired to evaluate prospects) see a lot of potential in Jim as a boxer. Both men are looking to make boxing respectable and plan to start a boxing club that use the Marquess of Queensbury rules (the same rules still in effect today in the boxing community). These rules were set up a few decades prior in London and were meant to make the matches more even and fair. The Judge and the British coach find Jim’s appearance and polished demeanor as the perfect image for their new fighter. And, if Jim’s good looks and charm weren’t enough, he’s also a good fighter!
Soon Jim gets to work training and quickly finds himself scheduled for his first fight, which he wins. Eventually, Jim gets a manager, Billy Delaney (William “Fred Mertz” Frawley) who books him into even bigger matches. After winning a series of fights, Jim finds himself booked for his biggest fight yet–Taking on the current heavyweight champion, John L. Sullivan (Ward Bond).
“GIVE ‘EM ROOM!”
I love this movie. I love sports movies in general, and especially boxing ones. Flynn is so freaking adorable and hot in all of his scenes. The man even looks good in a union suit! The absolute best Flynn scene is when he falls into the San Francisco Bay and pulls himself out of the water. Ooh la la. Alexis Smith makes a great foil for Flynn’s brashness. Their love/hate relationship is one of the highlights of the film. One of the absolute best parts of the film though is Alan Hale as Flynn’s father. He is hilarious in this movie. Ward Bond is also excellent as John L. Sullivan.
Another type of film that I find comforting is something that is so adorable and so sweet, that you cannot help but feel better. Charlie Chaplin’s most famous character, The Tramp, is so sweet and kind, you cannot help but root for him. In The Kid (1921), even though the audience knows that Tramp’s “son,” belongs to someone else, you cannot help but root for the two of them to stay with each other. They belong together–even if the Tramp can’t provide financially. What he lacks in financial resources, he more than makes up for it in love and kindness. One of the absolute best examples of this is present in my favorite Chaplin film.
4) City Lights (1931). This film is so freaking adorable and sweet, I cannot stand it. Fortunately, I was able to see it in the theater prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was even better on the large screen. To make the experience even better, I got to view a 35mm print. Anyway, I digress.
This is a great movie poster!
The film opens with a bunch of dignitaries and citizens assembling for the unveiling of a new monument dedicated to “Peace and Prosperity.” When the veil is removed from the statue, the Tramp is revealed to be asleep in the lap of one of the figures. After a few moments of hilarity, the Tramp escapes the angry crowd and runs into the city. While in the city, the Tramp encounters a blind woman (Virginia Cherrill) selling flowers. The Tramp is smitten with her, even after figuring out that she is blind. The blind woman mistakes the Tramp as wealthy when she hears a door open and shut on an automobile right as the Tramp approaches her to purchase a flower. She assumes that he’s just emerged from a chauffered vehicle.
Later that evening, the Tramp saves a drunk millionaire from suicide. The millionaire is grateful to the Tramp and declares him his new best friend. The millionaire takes the Tramp back to his home for champagne, and then for a night out on the town. They have a raucuous good time. The next morning, the Tramp spies the flower girl at her corner as he’s driving the millionaire home. He gets some money from the Millionaire, takes the Millionaire’s car, and drives the girl home.
The blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) and the Tramp (Charlie Chaplin)
At this point, a running gag starts where the millionaire is the Tramp’s BFF when he’s drunk, but sober, he has no idea who the Tramp is and wants him out of his house ASAP.
The Tramp continues to visit with the blind girl. It is during one of these visits that he learns that she and her grandmother are one missed rent payment ($22… Oh to pay rent in the early 1930s) away from being homeless. At this point, nothing will stop the Tramp until he’s able to save the blind girl from losing her home.
One of the sweetest scenes ever in film!
This film is so freaking sweet and I don’t want to spoil it by describing the ending. It is perhaps one of the best endings ever in film and with so few words. The ending scene fully illustrates why Charlie Chaplin deserves every inch of recognition and acclaim that he ever received.
Finally, another of my favorite genres is film noir. Some film noir can be romantic in nature, like the Bogie/Bacall films and others can be super gritty (The Asphalt Jungle comes to mind). I love all of them. There’s something about the noir style, the narration, the way characters speak, everything.
5) One of my favorite noir, is probably one of the most famous film noir of all time: Double Indemnity (1944). Fred MacMurray stars as Walter Neff, a seemingly decent insurance salesman who makes his living selling all types of insurance. One day, he makes a house call to the Dietrichson household to remind Mr. Dietrichson to renew his automobile insurance. When Walter arrives, Mr. Dietrichson isn’t home, but his second wife Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck) is. In one of the all time best character introduction scenes, Phyllis appears at the top of the stairway clad in a towel and her “honey of an anklet.” Walter is instantly smitten.
While flirting with one another, Phyllis asks Walter about taking out a life insurance policy on her husband, without her husband’s knowledge. Walter at first, wants no part of Phyllis’ obvious plan to murder her husband, but soon devises a scheme to write a policy that contains a “double indemnity” clause–which would double the payout, should the policy holder die in some type of accident.
Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) is on the case!
At this point, I cannot decide if Walter is really that enthralled with Phyllis that he’s willing to commit capital murder, or whether he wants to try and put something over on his boss, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson). Keyes is responsible for investigating claims on behalf of the firm, to reduce the amount of payments that need to be paid out. Keyes seems to believe that he knows anything and everything about probability of different causes of death and everything that would negate an insurance claim.
This scene cracks me up. These two are the most conspicuous, inconspicuous people.
Walter inevitably ends up helping Phyllis commit the murder. Throughout the rest of the film, Phyllis and Walter try to cover their tracks as Keyes gets closer and closer to the truth.
I love this film. I love the way that Walter speaks, I love Phyllis’ hilarious wig, and Edward G. Robinson is fantastic. In the scene where Walter murders Mr. Dietrichson in the car, Phyllis has one of the most evil facial expressions in cinema.
I had heard about this film for a couple years now and had seen it listed at the top of various lists. It’s also a Criterion release. I finally got the chance to watch this film.
Brief Encounter is a British film that is based on the 1936 Noel Coward short play, “Still Life” which was one of ten short plays that were performed under the title “Tonight at 8:30.” In 1945, this short play was adapted into the 86-minute film and was directed by David Lean. Lean later went on to direct such films as The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.
This was an excellent film. This film depicts a budding romance between two married people, Laura (Celia Johnson) and Alec (Trevor Howard), both married to different people, and the subsequent guilt both experience as their newfound relationship continues to thrive and begins towing the line between platonic friends and infidelity. For much of the film, they grow closer and closer until they have an opportunity to make their relationship more physical. This is the turning point in the film. They begin by spending the day together every Thursday when they’re both in town. Soon, it grows to them getting really cozy with one another until they’re regularly smooching on the quaint, romantic bridge.
Laura and Alec at the train station
Laura is a privileged middle-class British mother and wife (she has a servant and doesn’t seem to have many obligations in the way of housework or tending to the children). She goes into town every Thursday for shopping and going to the latest movie matinee at the theater. She also regularly dines at the tea shop at the train station–this where she meets Alec, a doctor who once a week, does consultation work at the local hospital. Despite her cushy lifestyle, Laura is bored. Her husband doesn’t seem to pay much attention to her in the evenings, preferring to complete his crossword puzzle. Their evenings are the same every night. When she meets Alec, suddenly, her life is interesting and fun. She feels feelings that she hasn’t experienced in quite some time.
The beginning of the film starts at the ending of the story. Laura is back home, sitting across from her husband, watching him complete his crossword puzzle. She stares at him, knowing that he is blissfully unaware of what has been going on in her life. She imagines herself confessing everything to him. Her internal confession serves as the narration for the events of the film. Suddenly, we’re at the train station before Laura meets Alec. Throughout the film, her narration demonstrates how conflicted and distraught, yet happy, Laura is in her relationship. There is also a scene where Laura, while on an outing with Alec, sees two acquaintances in the tea room. Suddenly, she is embarrassed and worried that the secret of her new romance will get out. I believe that this scene and the one where she’s conflicted about making her relationship with Alec more physical demonstrate that deep-down, she knows that what she and Alec are doing is wrong.
Most of the action of the film unfolds without either Laura or Alec’s spouses in the scene. Laura’s husband is only seen intermittently, Alec’s wife is not seen at all. I believe that the lack of spouses in the picture allow us to see the story entirely from Laura and Alec’s perspective and allows us to feel for Laura and Alec. While they are thisclose to cheating on their respective spouses, I found it hard not to root for them to end up together.
In addition to the story, I also really liked how the film was shot. The black and white cinematography provided a romantic, moody atmosphere. The train station was a wonderful setting. Doesn’t it seem like the best films involve some sort of train travel? I also liked all the steam coming from the trains and the music that repeated each time Laura and Alec were together. There were many interesting shots used in the film. One of my favorite shorts showcased Laura sitting in the train. We see her from the side, but we can see her entire face in the reflection on the window. Laura’s self-reflection is literally being reflected on the glass for the audience to see.
Laura looks out of the window during a moment of self-reflection.
Whimsically Classic 