Film Noir: "Brief Encounter"

As we were asked to look at Film Noir I watched "Brief Encounter", directed by David Lean, starring: Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. "Brief Encounter" is a classic romantic drama set in 1945 during World War Two in and around the fictional Milford railway station. The plot of the film is, a married woman Mrs Laura Johnson meets a stranger (Dr Alec Howard, in a railway station and was tempted to have an affair with him.
The opening shot was a long shot of the train station and instantly I noticed chiaroscuro lighting being used. As the film was in black and white (as most film noirs are) the location looked extremely bleak, dull and mysterious. This was also done by the amount of steam created by the trains, making you feel as though you want to see through the steam to see where you were and what/who else was near you. Next, we are taken into the train station's waiting room (looks slightly like a little cafe), which has a counter, simple wooden tables and chairs. As it is a small room, it was enclosed and had a sense of being claustrophobic. This is the place where Mrs Johnson and Dr Howard randomly met for the first time. It therefore seems that the little cafe is a link between the two main characters, or maybe the actual train station is a metaphor for linking them together, and how places are linked between different locations.
Following the film, we come to Mrs Johnson's' house, where we are introduced to her husband and two children. Their family is a typical and traditional family as there is the husband and wife and then two children, a son and daughter. It is as though she is leading two lives at the moment. Laura starts to play music which is diegetic as we too hear it. Internal monologue is used as we hear her thoughts, giving an insight to what she is thinking..her problems and troubles. We hear things that sound like her conscience is falling apart as she keeps doing things out of her comfort zone. She is not used to the consequences and especially lying to her husband. It seems that once you start lying, there becomes more and more lies being told, and they sound more reasonable and trustworthy. It is apparent that she does not think about who she is lying to.. as she also lies to many of her friends too as she is using them as part of her lies. Another thing I noticed was that the music would build up whilst she made lies or when something was dramatic. This made tension and suspense
We are then taken to what looks like a restaurant which appears to be quite chaotic as many people are there and the staff are moving quickly. Laura is sitting by herself reading a book and unexpectedly Dr Howard comes along and as there is no other seating, he asks if he can share the table (a very predictable event- as soon as the audience recognizes who he is). We see them seating together from an angle which appears to make us feel like we are looking in on them, invading their privacy and almost spying on them.
Throughout the film, there are many different shot types but the main common ones seem to be: long shots, over-the-shoulder shots, close ups, mid shots. The long shots helped show a lot of the characters surroundings and movement of the characters and things around them. There were many close ups which help to show character's faces- their emotions and feelings. For example, there is a close up of Laura's face to show that she has fallen for Alec.
The music used is mostly diegetic music as the woman plays the record player. The music is quite loud and dramatic (orchestra music) and it sets the atmosphere of the dramatic love triangle. Piano seems to be an insturment used a lot in this film too, giving different atmospheres and moods. One is romance and a piano is being played a number of times in the restaurants the couple go to. The music helps to set the mood of both the characters and setting. For example, a bell for the train is rung to show that the train is about to leave. Throughout the film, music is played a lot, the music could be used to imply the idea of it never-ending, like the lies she tells.
Another example of the romantic music, is when they frantically run for the train, it matches their actions well. The sense of them being rushed is created. The music also cuts out at times, to emphasise what they say and what is happening. For instance, the music gets more dramatic when the flashbacks turn to the present time.
The editing used in 'Brief Encounter' is started with the white credits of the film, which are very simple and classic for a film of that time. The lighting is darkened at one point, which helps to focus the shot on her face and what she says. A number of shots are also faded into one another, which shows fluency, making the film flow smoothly. Furthermore, many flashbacks are used, to show the story in two perspectives, the past and the present; to explain what happened to the main character, Laura.