MovieChat Forums > Brief Encounter (1946) Discussion > Please, less hysteria toward Dr Harvey

Please, less hysteria toward Dr Harvey

posted 12 years ago by jdown-1
8 replies | jump to latest

I’m still trying to understand this urge that (presumably women?) commenters have to kick poor Dr Harvey in the shins and whack him over the head with their umbrellas. What, dear commenter, is the source of your bile and outrage toward the man? Why the misandry that permeates your comments?

Is it because your heartthrob Billy Joe didn’t ask you to the junior prom? Were you left at the altar? When you finally did marry, did hubby petition for divorce after a few months? (can’t imagine why!) At any rate, here you are, convinced that every man from here to Shanghai is a dirty, low-down, scum-sucking, lying, cheating, four-flushing, two-timing worm whose only goal in life is to seduce and ruin a Nice Decent Girl.

So, angry and distrustful of anything in pants, you sit down to watch Brief Encounter. And oh my word! That … that cad, that evil Alec Harvey has the unmitigated gall to be attracted to a woman who is not his wife! Of all the nerve! You can tell he’s up to no good because he’s a … a doctor! And the first two times their paths crossed, he was cordial and brief! Why, that proves he was out to seduce poor Laura all along! The man should be taken out and horse-whipped to within an inch of his life!

Brief Encounter and Still Life, the Noel Coward play on which it was based, are generally interpreted as a poignant, bittersweet love story. Why must commenters here try to twist it into a morality tale whose purpose is to teach us the merits of good Christian Family Values? To do so, one must ignore half the scenes and half the dialog in the movie. But that does not stop them. Do they really believe that is what Noel Coward had in mind?

Just out of curiosity, dear commenter, did you ever see a play called Romeo and Juliet? Did you leave the theater thinking, Well, it just goes to show what happens when a girl is attracted to the Wrong Sort of Boy. Were you pleased with the ending because that silly Juliet got what she deserved? Did Will Shakespeare write R & J to also teach us the importance of good Christian Family Values?

Considering your attitude toward half the human race in general and Dr. Harvey in particular, dear commenter, be careful of the movies you watch. For example, never watch Strangers When We Meet. Your poor heart will not be able to take it!

[–] Sugarminx 12 years ago

Lol! Brilliant.

I was really surprised at all the anti-Alec sentiment on the board. It's a LOVE story ffs!

It's as if people see poor little defenseless Laura as being unable to look after herself and therefore the perfect prey for the evil, dastardly doctor - oh what a shame he didn't have a mustache that he could have twirled for effect as he tied her to the railway tracks!

It would appear that Laura is seen as some sort of paragon of virtue, well excuse me, just because she didn't act on her feelings by getting physical with Alec doesn't mean that she wasn't just as unfaithful as he - in an emotional sense.

To be honest I'm not interested in seeing this film as anything more than a tragic love story , but it seems some people are more interested finger pointing and apportioning blame.

Tap Tommy

[–] jdown-1 12 years ago

Ah, Slinky, I wish I'd thought of that: twirling his mustache (!) and tying her to the railroad tracks!!! What an image! I laughed out loud.

[–] michael_wallace_ellwood 11 years ago

My wife thinks he was a cad. I'm not quite so sure, but in any case, he handled it badly. He more or less forced her to say she loved him, when it might have been better to keep it unspoken, and much lower key.

They could perhaps have carried on meeting (just for lunch, as I suggest elsewhere), each living out their respective fantasies while enjoying each other's company. They might have actually come to know each other properly, and actually formed a genuine friendship rather than had a torrid affair.

And if he'd really loved her, he would not have forced the pace, knowing that it would almost certainly end up causing her pain one way or another.

[–] lamont-hard 11 years ago

I think your wife has it right. How would he go from wanting to bed this woman to being just fiends. As a guy I believe he would have always tried to bed her and she would at some point gave in. The one thing no one talks about is what about his wife and kids. Her husband and kid would not have been the only ones to suffer, His wife could have made it difficult for them by threatening his career. He would be leaving his child fatherless [considering he would take the job away from the jilted spouses.] So I would not go as far saying he was really bad but he would have caused all involved heartache.

[–] NewtonFigg 11 years ago

How would he go from wanting to bed this woman to being just fiends.

I can still see Alfalfa standing in front of the class and singing "Just fiends, lovers no more" while Miss Crabtree gasps.

[–] drippan-1 11 years ago

I'm a guy and I have no thoughts on Dr. Harvey at all because the story was all told from Laura's point of view except for one scene (unless she was listening at the door when the two doctors talked).

As far as Laura, she was in love and she felt like he was in love with her. It doesn't matter what any of us believe or what the doctor felt, to Laura it was quite real and quite painful.

To me, the movie was a guidebook to an affair or, in other words, 'Affairs For Dummies' book. What I mean is that it shows a lot of the emotions that goes with having an affair. The good feelings and the bad feelings and the lies. It seemed like a warning or precaution to what will happen if you have an affair from the woman's point of view.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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