Trivia / Brief Encounter

• Awesome, Dear Boy: Celia Johnson was primarily a stage actress who hated making movies, but after Noël Coward read the part to her in October 1944, she knew that she had to play that part.
• Banned in China: On initial release, the film was banned by the strict censorship board in Ireland on the grounds that it portrayed an adulterer in a sympathetic light.
• California Doubling: Set in southeastern England but station scenes were filmed at Carnforth railway station in Lancashire so they didn't have to work around the wartime blackouts.
• Creator-Chosen Casting: Noël Coward wanted Celia Johnson to play Laura Jesson.
• Darkhorse Casting: This was Trevor Howard's first major film role. At the time, he was an unknown actor who had just been invalided out of the army.
• I Am Not Spock: Trevor Howard eventually came to view the film's success as a hindrance to his career, blinding people to his other achievements. When one too many interviewers asked about the film, he slammed down the phone after yelling, "Anyone would think I made nothing else."
• Real-Life Relative: Henrietta Vincent, who played Celia Johnson's daughter, was actually her niece.
• The Red Stapler: The film's international success has made Carnforth Station a Mecca for romantic film fans. The clock was reconstructed from original pieces found in a shop in Twickenham. The tea-room where Johnson and Howard met is now a visitor's center.
• Sleeper Hit: Richard Attenborough called this "a landmark and touchstone" for the film industry. Made on a small scale and without stars, it pointed the way for filmmakers wanting to try new things by showing just how successful a seemingly noncommercial property could be.
• Star-Making Role: For Trevor Howard.
• Uncredited Role:
  • Alfie Bass as a waiter at the Royal.
  • Irene Handl as a cellist and organist.
• Underage Casting: Alec's age is never stated, though he refers to himself as middle-aged and looks it. In fact, Trevor Howard would only have been 31 or 32 at the time of filming.

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