Brief Encounter (1974)

At a railway station tea shop, a housewife (Sophia Loren) is assisted by a doctor (Richard Burton) after she gets a piece of grit from a passing train in her eye. They run into each other again and a tentative near platonic romance begins although she feels guilty because she's happily married with children but he's unhappily married. Directed by Alan Bridges (THE HIRELING) and based on Noel Coward's play STILL LIFE, which was previously made by David Lean in 1945 under the present title, the film suffers by the lack of chemistry between Loren and Burton which is a pity because they're quite good here. It's a treat to see a low-keyed, restrained Burton who curbs his tendency to overact and Loren playing against type but we never see the passion, the intensity of their relationship. They talk about it, yes, but we never see it. The film almost seems turned over to Loren's character. We get a detailed view of her home life with her husband (Jack Hedley) and children but there's just one brief scene with Burton at home with his icy wife (Ann Firbank). It's photographed by Arthur Ibbetson (ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS) who gives the film a few nice touches and the quietly effective score is by Cyril Ornadel.