Stars: Michael Caine, Millicent Martin, Julia Foster, Eleanor Bron, Shirley Ann Field, Alfie Bass, Vivien Merchant, Denholm Elliott

Director: Lewis Gilbert

Summary: The story of a Cockney lothario with no conscience and proud of his numerous conquests. Suddenly, faced with a serious illness, he finds the magic of his life has gone and he becomes a lonely, rather sad figure.

In ALFIE, Michael Caine stars as the title character, a guiltless London lothario whose only pleasure in life seems to be a good time--he has a date with a different woman for each day of the week. After accidentally impregnating his live-in girlfriend, Gilda (Julia Foster), Alfie takes a vacation in the country to think about things--but he can't hide forever. Dodging his fatherly responsibilities, Alfie continues to engage in sexual affairs with a variety of women: millionairess Ruby (Shelley Winters), young runaway Siddie (Millicent Martin), and eventually his friend's wife, Lily (Vivien Merchant). The good times seem endless until misfortune strikes and Alfie is forced to face the product of his reckless debauchery.
Based on the novel of the same name by Bill Naughton, ALFIE touches on a number of controversial topics (polygamy and orphaning, for starters). Director Lewis Gilbert cleverly mixes comedy and tragedy; the end result: a crucial lesson about immorality and the rewards of peace of mind. The film features one of Caine's finest performances as well as an excellent supporting role by Merchant.

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Expanded from a one-act stage play by Noel Coward, Brief Encounteris without doubt one of the true masterpieces of British film history. The story seems slight--a respectable suburban housewife has a chance meeting with a handsome married doctor, their friendship becomes romance, but they feel the pressures of convention pulling their relationship apart--but the writing, acting and direction are sublime, turning what might have been just another melodrama into a memorable and heartbreaking story of impossible love. David Lean went on to make much bigger films than this, but few of those epics packed the emotional punch of this picture, set in a mundane world of railway stations, semi-detached houses and inexpensive cafes. Trevor Howard is perfectly cast as Alec, the doctor, but the film belongs above all to Celia Johnson, as the heroine Laura. It's easy to mock her clipped ultra-English accent, but she gives one of the greatest screen performances imaginable, brilliantly evoking how an ordinary life can be turned upside down by unexpected passion. Throw in the superb use of Rachmaninov's swooning Second Piano Concerto, shrewd supporting acting from Cyril Raymond, Joyce Carey and Everley Gregg, and some of the best black-and-white photography of its era, and the result is irresistible. Anyone who isn't besotted with Brief Encounterhas either never been in love, or doesn't deserve to be. --Andy Medhurst

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Theatrical Trailer
Subtitles:	Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, Turkish
Year:	1965
Release Date:	August 26, 2002
Runtime:	109 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P H E 8084
Keywords:	Alfie, General, Drama
Genre:	Drama