MovieChat Forums > Brief Encounter (1946) Discussion > Her husband knew and Doc was a cad

Her husband knew and Doc was a cad

posted 12 years ago by nutritionist
25 replies | jump to latest

Upon watching the movie a second time, I saw it from another angle:

First, I see that she was targeted and preyed upon by the caddish doctor on the make. He had a "delicate" wife, which in those days means she would have her own bedroom and not have any marital relations for fear of getting pregnant again and due to lots of headaches or other illnesses women in fragile "delicate" states had in those days after having done their duty in providing an heir and a spare.

Once he knew she was married he should have stopped his pursuit. He saw she was naively ripe for his romanticizing her. Also, having a tremendous ego, he didn't want to be the only cheating one, so a married woman would be equally sharing of any guilt. It was absolutely inappropriate for him to have gone to the movies with her and beg her to see him again the following week, and then taking off from the hospital again to go Rowing- that is courting behavior, and his colleagues too must have seen him shirking work every week.

At the very beginning of the film, we see her arriving home after just parting for the last time with Doc. Her husband calls to her as soon as she comes in, he is very attentive at dinner and in the library asks her a Crossword Puzzle question that I believe he had prepared. The answer was "Romance". I believe because he was a kind and gentle man, he would never have confronted her, he was using that question as a gentle opening- for her to spill the beans!

There is no way that her husband did not notice for five weeks that is wife had changed and was going through something very very tumultuous in her life. He was quiet and reserved and boring, but nothing about her husband had him being a complete fool. When he saw her acing very strangely, he must have remembered that she told him about going with "a strange man to the movies" "a doctor".

I think her husband must have quietly found out a little bit about a romance going on, he must have known that of course it was Thursdays. The scene where she was at home after a Thursday, sitting at her dressing table, and her husband came in and asked her about her day, and then asked did she go alone to the movies?, that extra question shows he knew something was going on. She must have been acting very strangely at home before and after Thursdays, we hear her saying how odd her husband didn't notice- Of course he did! But he is too kind a person to confront her, and he loved her and didn't want to lose her by pushing her away.

I think it's clear Her husband knew the doctor (Alec) was going to end it that Thursday because he found out the doc was moving away, either from someone he asked when he made inquiries, or he might even have spoken to the doctor himself, which helped the Doc to make a quick decision to get away.

I think that last Thursday, her husband called a friend of hers to meet her at the Train Station as a favor (not elaborating to the woman exactly why, maybe just that he was worried about her health), because he knew she would be distraught and didn't want her to be alone, and he turned out to be right- she might have killed herself had that woman not been there. I don't believe that it was a coincidence that the woman showed up by accident. The fact thAT THE DOCTOR DID NOT COME BACK IN OR DELAY HIS trip and left the country SO QUICKLY shows that the husband must have known and spoken to him. Also, the Doc had seen from his friend (steven) at the apartment that his colleagues would severely frown on his behavior and his reputation would be ruined. I don't think the Caddish Doc cared about her reputation at all due to his behavior the whole time.

When she called her husband very late from a pay phone after the Apartment incident was when her husband must decided it was getting out of hand and set into motion for the end of it-He must have called her alibi 'with the sick mother" and found out it was false- he must have called Doc demanding he get out of town right away.

It shows what a cad the doctor is that he had a job offer and knew he was going to leave eventually and yet still arranged for them to sleep together at the apartment. He knew he had an escape route from the beginning but he almost RUINED her life. But her husband cleverly saved her behind the scenes.

The fact that he thanked her for coming back to him SHOWS CLEARLY that he knew.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] artemis1644 12 years ago

What an imagination!! And kill joy! lol

[–] gerrad-tharm 12 years ago

I don't know if that's sensible and well-thought-out, nonsense or just a conspiracy theory! You speak as if its fact with all the 'must's' in there! Rather than your interpretation. I would habve thought, had that been true, then this would have been widely known. I was interested when the husband said 'thankyou for coming back to me' - he knew something was up - and I agree the doc was a cad - but there's a lot of speculation in there too!

[–] pillix 12 years ago

Yes. No doubt Dr. Alec was taking advantage of the little housewife with a simple life... On the other hand, to "fall in love" you need to be available. One cannot love your wife/husband and at the same time fall in love with another person. If one does is because people can be living together, be married and still, not really love their spouses. When you love somebody, truly, sincerelly, there's no room for others; of course, we're talking about couples love, not love in general.

[–] lamont-hard 12 years ago

I don't think the husband knew as much as you are saying. But then again why would he say something along the lines of letting her know he was thankful she returned.

I too feel the doc was looking to score with her in the sack. And it was more lust than love. I did not really understand why she was going to have a affair. she would have lost her family and she really never expressed what was the problem with her husband. Did she still love him. Being bored seems to be a far stretch in leaving him and her child. especially if she has not discussed it with him.

[–] Tchoutoye 12 years ago

The OP's theory suffers too much from fashionable notions of exaggerated female victimhood. As if it were inconceivable that Laura could have had equally lustful feelings of her own.

[–] CaperGuy 12 years ago

Sure, the doctor was a cad, but both he and the woman were open to the same thing, that being some extra-marital romance and fantasy. He pursued her but she could have ended the whole thing at any time. She could have nipped this romance in the bud by not encouraging him. She was not as naive as some suggest. She quickly became an accomplished liar and cheat.

Clearly both participants were bored with their lives and wanted a secret diversion. As to whether they were in love or lust, I say it was part lust and part fantasy for both. I do not believe it was true love. At no time did she ever consider leaving her husband nor did he entertain leaving his wife. Both were devoted to their spouses and children. They simply needed some entertainment and excitement that they could have asked for at home.

As for the husband, I don't think he knew with certainty but he strongly suspected that something was awry. He trusted his wife implicitly and he was not bold enough to investigate the matter. Eventually he did look at the clues and put everything together. He was the adult in the triangle who valued his wife and his marriage above all else. he might have done some behind-the-scenes wrangling in order to resolve this matter for himself and his wife but that is not made clear in the film. All we can really know is that he loves his wife and that he was willing to overlook whatever faults she may have had in order to keep his wife. If there is any lesson here, it is that his wife probably did not deserve him.

[–] fonte-2 12 years ago

"Ditto" to Caperguy

[–] Sugarminx 12 years ago

Everyone here seems to agree that the 'doc' was a cad.

Well if that is the case what is she? for while he's doing the chasing, she seems to be more than willing to be caught!

Why is his behaviour seen as being worse than hers?

It irritates me that there seems to be some sort of consensus that his motivations are base. Is it so totally impossible that a man can have real, true and deep feelings that are about more than just the physical?

My interpretation of the film was that Alec really loved Laura. That she returned his love, but they were not free to act on those feelings. And this is ultimately what makes the story work as well as it does.

When you cast one or the other as the villain, the story loses its impact.

Edited to correct grammatical error.

Tap Tommy

[–] jeanarchdeacon 12 years ago

I agree with Slinkyplanb completely. I believe that they found their true love in each other but knew in their hearts that it was found too late. They sacrificed their love for each other knowing in the end it could never be, without destroying other lives. Destroying other lives with their love for each other in the end would never make them happy. He did the noble thing by going away with his family.

[–] npaxton-3 11 years ago

I agree. They were two people who had been married to others for quite some time, had built a life together, and brought children into it. I don't think either of them was looking to have an affair when they first met, even though they had been bored in their respective marriages, as many couples are, at times, in a long relationship. They met and found that doing ordinary things with someone new had an excitement that was missing in their lives.
I do not believe the husband knew. What he did know was that his wife was going through some emotional turmoil that caused a distance between them. When he said that he was glad she came back to him, I believe he was referring to her being in the present again and available to him. The audience knowing about the five weeks' liaison, will see the irony in his words.
This is a gentle and beautifully made film with fine acting and musical score.

[–] CosyCatNap 11 years ago

I agree, Slinky. If Alec were indeed a cad, why was his friend so disappointed with him? From that scene it's clear that he doesn't usually have affairs.

But I have love in my heart - Yes, as a thief has riches, a usurer money

[–] gwenhazelstone 9 years ago

Finally. Someone who understands this movie. I agree with you completely, Sugarminx.

[–] 12 years ago

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