tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post6652002634892240237..comments2023-10-11T03:42:59.033-07:00Comments on The Criterion Contraption: #76: Brief EncounterMatthew Dessemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-20508735461261117212015-10-19T19:53:45.572-07:002015-10-19T19:53:45.572-07:00While I agree with your premise that our culture h...While I agree with your premise that our culture has significantly changed since 1946, I do not believe that it has changed so much that it has “stranded this film’s values.” Nor do I think that what you call “self-abnegation” is an exclusively female experience. Even in this film, told from a woman’s perspective, Alec also denies himself.<br /> <br />You further suppose that Alec and Laura’s John B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-49226216128421539322011-04-06T20:12:18.175-07:002011-04-06T20:12:18.175-07:00Thanks, Fran and Matthew! :) I'll have to look...Thanks, Fran and Matthew! :) I'll have to look for IMPROVISATIONS TO MUSIC now, clearly....<br /><br />One minor point I wanted to make to <br />Shawn McGuire's comment - there <b><i>were</i></b> women writers and directors in Golden Age Hollywood like Frances Marion, Anita Loos, Salka Viertel, and Dorothy Arzner. While in the minority as compared to their male counterparts, they did Timothy Liebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964909587824784208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-79874111336504471582011-04-05T14:38:16.338-07:002011-04-05T14:38:16.338-07:00Fran M. & Timothy Liebe,
Timothy, you're ...Fran M. & Timothy Liebe,<br /><br />Timothy, you're right that this film is ripe for parody, and judging from Fran's post, you weren't the only person to think so. I love Nichols/May & will seek out their version; thanks for bringing it to my attention!Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-83189570668199462072011-03-27T09:47:25.485-07:002011-03-27T09:47:25.485-07:00Mike Nichols and Elaine May do a great parody of t...Mike Nichols and Elaine May do a great parody of this movie on their CD, "Improvisations to Music." It's brilliant and incredibly funny.Fran M.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-74744629082426585462010-11-28T22:45:04.653-08:002010-11-28T22:45:04.653-08:00Matthew - got a whole shedload of self-righteous s...Matthew - got a whole shedload of self-righteous social conservatives here, don't you? I wonder if they'd feel the same way if, say, <b><i>they</i></b> were Alec, finding the weight of societal expectation against their own gratification? <br /><br />Somehow, watching the last few elections here in the US, I Think Not.<br /><br />PS: Don't expect you to post this b/c you're a Timothy Liebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964909587824784208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-91918199397865550472010-11-09T01:23:47.547-08:002010-11-09T01:23:47.547-08:00I just watched this film and I was eagerly searchi...I just watched this film and I was eagerly searching the internet for some analysis as to the social context of this film, and I came across this old discussion. I think we can all project our values on this situation now, but what was the perspective of the day? The empathy with the woman reminds me of Chopin's Awakening, as well as the the inability for her to claim herself and her A Figure Eighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12156152838079307598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-92100904124991256842010-08-22T11:52:29.893-07:002010-08-22T11:52:29.893-07:00Robert,
I'm pleased to have lived up to your ...Robert,<br /><br />I'm pleased to have lived up to your low expectations! Are you saying that in the struggle between cultural necessity and individual desire, you are always on the side of cultural necessity? What was so necessary about Alec and Laura's misery in <em>Brief Encounter</em>? Who benefited from it?Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-37634627661557314402010-08-22T02:46:11.416-07:002010-08-22T02:46:11.416-07:00Oh, yes, you're so insightful, what with your ...Oh, yes, you're so insightful, what with your "fuck" and your "bullshit" and endless complaining about endless voiceovers.<br /><br />But what can one expect from a representative of the American Weimar generation (and an Angelino, no less) when he writes "Watching today, it's impossible to fathom this kind of miserable self-control, and it makes some of their Robert J. Rasmussennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-88682779164461946422010-03-19T10:57:30.168-07:002010-03-19T10:57:30.168-07:00"Genre that has completely vanished from cine..."Genre that has completely vanished from cinema: the woman's picture."<br /><br />Maybe I don't exactly understand the nature of this 'genre', but wouldn't Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence", or even "Brokeback Mountain" qualify?Lucnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-38008505416014370792008-08-28T12:04:00.000-07:002008-08-28T12:04:00.000-07:00You're right. The voice-over is relentless. I must...You're right. The voice-over is relentless. I must have been nodding when I wrote that comment. And I do love this blog of yours, matthew, it is thorough, intelligent, and funnier than hell. In fact, I shall read more of it now...<BR/><BR/>Thanks!<BR/>SeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-16259327218139025382008-02-20T12:34:00.000-08:002008-02-20T12:34:00.000-08:00Anonymous,If you think I'm ripping the film for it...Anonymous,<BR/><BR/>If you think I'm ripping the film for its innocence, you've misunderstood me. The only thing I "ripped" the film for were its voiceovers, which I still don't like. I do love your characterization of the poor: the romance between the conductor and shopclerk was certainly motivated by the desire for more kids, more government funds, and help rebuilding the mud hut.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-6320509076348572472008-02-20T11:59:00.000-08:002008-02-20T11:59:00.000-08:00Laura and Alec are firmly middle class, so they ha...Laura and Alec are firmly middle class, so they have everything to lose and nothing to gain by this affair. The rich - we Americans - can fuck around all we like, because the only real risk is a venereal disease. The poor - everyone else - can fuck around all they like because there is no social standing to lose and they'll have more kids to get them government funds and perhaps some help Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-68312798138515500252007-12-16T15:28:00.000-08:002007-12-16T15:28:00.000-08:00J. P.,I've been thinking about it. I need to clea...J. P.,<BR/><BR/>I've been thinking about it. I need to clean up some of the earlier entries first.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-44313242676607241162007-11-17T19:35:00.000-08:002007-11-17T19:35:00.000-08:00Matt,You've mentioned before that clearing the pic...Matt,<BR/><BR/>You've mentioned before that clearing the pictures is the biggest obstacle to publishing. One entity that has (or could probably get) the rights to all of them is Criterion themselves. They might be willing to do a deal with you. Now that they've linked to your blog, it seems like you have an in. ;)<BR/><BR/>J.p.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-8014342199619524862007-10-08T22:30:00.000-07:002007-10-08T22:30:00.000-07:00Jeff,Good point -- something I was aware of and di...Jeff,<BR/><BR/>Good point -- something I was aware of and didn't occur to me the whole time I was writing. I'd say you can delete the "perhaps" in "would perhaps have been hidden and furtive" -- look what Great Britain did to Alan Turing in 1952—and he saved the country from the Nazis!Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-40261445596300009562007-10-08T22:27:00.000-07:002007-10-08T22:27:00.000-07:00Shawn,Good point—the one real winner in the ...Shawn,<BR/><BR/>Good point—the one real winner in the system of values that drives <EM>Brief Encounter</EM> is Fred. But also note that the reason men made these pictures (instead of, say, more monster movies) is because women went to them, in great numbers. It's not <EM>just</EM> a case of the male-dominated industry setting the terms for films; if women stopped going to chick flicks andMatthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-13091553775168978222007-10-08T04:06:00.000-07:002007-10-08T04:06:00.000-07:00A potential answer to the 'why are these British p...A potential answer to the 'why are these British people acting this way?' question can be found in the character of Noel Coward - remember that he was gay, and that back in the 1940s the kinds of relationships a lot of homosexuals had would perhaps have been hidden and furtive, like Alec and Celia's.Jeff McMahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17455194268519396055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-22927145355431152172007-10-07T12:12:00.000-07:002007-10-07T12:12:00.000-07:00Your comment on the current state of the chick fli...Your comment on the current state of the chick flick as the new form of the weepie made me crack a smile. You quickly cite a quote (and open up a whole can o' worms) that boils the weepie down to stories of women in self-denial. I think it is workth mentioning the film (along with almost all films of its time) was written and directed by men. It makes sense that women's stories would have been Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-76712316875190224552007-10-02T15:51:00.000-07:002007-10-02T15:51:00.000-07:00Brian,Thank you! The problem with doing this as a...Brian,<BR/><BR/>Thank you! The problem with doing this as a book would be reproducing the images, but I thought I'd look into it when I had 100. And yes, I'm trying to pick up the pace a little; I'm watching <EM>And God Created Woman</EM> tonight.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-19562670166783052472007-10-02T15:47:00.000-07:002007-10-02T15:47:00.000-07:00Wow, another review after only a week! Is this a ...Wow, another review after only a week! Is this a harbinger of a quicker pace? :)<BR/><BR/>Kidding aside, count me as another who's greatly impressed with the writing here. You really should see if you can get these published in book form.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04073043953694570924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-13495873864570671112007-10-02T15:44:00.000-07:002007-10-02T15:44:00.000-07:00To clarify, I'm not arguing that conservatives don...To clarify, I'm not arguing that conservatives <EM>don't</EM> sincerely value choosing the good over the easy (as "why say you value..." may suggest), just that consumer economies inevitably move things towards choosing the easy over the good. Or to put it another way, how does one simultaneously support the abolition of no-fault divorce and the abolition of environmental regulations?Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-46653808045309453382007-10-02T15:08:00.000-07:002007-10-02T15:08:00.000-07:00Anonymous,I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I ag...Anonymous,<BR/><BR/>I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I agree with you about the way changes in our culture have stranded this film's values. And like I said, comparing women's pictures to chick flicks makes it quite apparent how much things have changed. But <EM>Brief Encounter</EM> doesn't have much of an idea of the "greater good" -- what, exactly, are Alec and Laura sacrificing for? Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-10215128945987981572007-10-02T14:29:00.000-07:002007-10-02T14:29:00.000-07:00I am greatly enjoying your work here. I'm a person...I am greatly enjoying your work here. I'm a person who reads so much and watches so much that endings rarely surprise me so it's a great pleasure to read someone who actually thinks about film rather then just reduces them down to nothing.<BR/><BR/>One thing I wanted to point out about this type of film is that it may not be culturally significant anymore because it's largely left the social Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com