Brief Encounter

directed by David Lean
U.K. 1946

From Noël Coward’s play Still Life, legendary filmmaker David Lean deftly explores the thrill, pain, and tenderness of an illicit romance in the dour, gray Britain of 1945. From a chance meeting on a train platform, a middle-aged married doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) enter into a quietly passionate, ultimately doomed love affair, set to a swirling Rachmaninoff score.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 11th, 1946 - UK

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Carlton - Region 2 - PAL

(Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Carlton - Region 2- PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Criterion Collection Spine # 76 Region 1 - NTSC	Carlton Region 2 - PAL
(click titles for DVDBeaver reviews) Criterion (without the extras) also available in The Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films - a 50-disc celebration of international films collected under the auspices of the groundbreaking theatrical distributor. It contains Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes And Diamonds (1958), L'avventura (1960), Ballad Of A Soldier (1959), Beauty And The Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires On The Plain (1959), Fists In The Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan The Terrible, Part II (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules And Jim (1962), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), Knife In The Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves Of A Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules Of The Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages Of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957), Three Documentaries By Saul J. Turell plus the hardcover, full color 240-page book.
Runtime	1:26:15	1:22:27 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.17 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.13 PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes
Bitrate: Criterion .
Bitrate: Carlton
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) - Film and Director Commentary	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English, and none	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Home Vision Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Discographic Information: DVD Encoding: Region 1 Layers: Single Edition Details: • Audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder • Restoration Sample (1:59) • Restored Theatrical trailer (2:49) • 2 page insert essay by Adrian Turner • Luminous Digital Transfer With Restored Image And Sound DVD Release Date: June 27, 2000 Keep Case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Carlton Visual Entertainment Ltd Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Discographic Information: DVD Encoding: Region 2 Layers: Single Edition Details: • "A Profile of Brief Encounter" documentary (24:48) • Still Gallery (9) • Un Restored Theatrical trailer (2:31) • 8 page insert with bios by Robyn Karney and Photos • Biographies (Celia Johnson, Noel Coward, Trevor Howard, David Lean) DVD Release Date: 19 February, 2001 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 15

Comments:

Well, it appears as the film progresses the Carlton quality decreases (or the Criterion improves). I don't have any explanation for this, it is just something I observed. The Carlton is darker and less sharp. Criterion for the image all the way. The Criterion commentary is extremely illuminating so it just beats out the nice 25 minute documentary on the Carlton in the Extras department. Overall the Carlton is not a bad disc, especially for the money, its just that the Criterion is great disc. I am glad I saw the documentary on the Carlton and I suppose die-hard fans of the British icon film will want both editions. Who can blame them, but the definitive version is certainly the Criterion.

- Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

(Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Carlton - Region 2- PAL - RIGHT)

Screen Captures