Editing Brief Encounter (section)

===Critical reception===
''Brief Encounter'' received widespread critical acclaim, with Johnson and Howard's performances earning high praise;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/88-brief-encounter |title=Brief Encounter |last=Turner |first=Adrian |date=26 June 2000 |website=[[The Criterion Collection]] |access-date=17 March 2017 |quote=On its initial release, ''Brief Encounter'' was hailed as a groundbreaking piece of realism [...]}}</ref> although there were doubts that it would be "generally popular".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/16/brief-encounter-romance-archive-review |title=Brief Encounter |author-link=C. A. Lejeune |first=C. A. |last=Lejeune |date=25 November 1945 |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |access-date=30 October 2021}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' praised the film, stating, "Coward's name and strong story spell nice US chances."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=28 November 1945 |title=Brief Encounter |url=https://archive.org/details/variety160-1945-11/page/n200/mode/1up?q=%22brief+encounter%22 |magazine=Variety |page=17}}</ref>

It was a moderate success in the UK and became a major hit in the US, leading to Johnson's nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].

Today, ''Brief Encounter'' is widely acclaimed for its black-and-white cinematography and the evocative atmosphere created by its steam-age railway setting, elements particularly associated with David Lean's original version.<ref>{{cite book |last=Huntley |first=John |title=Railways on the Screen |publisher=Ian Allan |year=1993 |isbn=0-7110-2059-0 |location=[[Shepperton]]}}</ref> On the review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's critical consensus states: "''Brief Encounter'' adds a small but valuable gem to the Lean filmography, depicting a doomed couple's illicit connection with affecting sensitivity and a pair of powerful performances."<ref>{{cite web |title=Brief Encounter (1945) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1003094-brief_encounter |access-date=5 April 2021 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=26 November 1945 |title=Brief Encounter |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1003094-brief_encounter/ |access-date=10 March 2016 |work=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average score]] of 92 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."<ref>{{cite web |title=Brief Encounter Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/brief-encounter |access-date=30 September 2020 |website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>