6. Brief Encounter (1945)
An iconic, truly beautiful romance,
Brief Encounter was the epitome of 1940s cinema and released at the end of the Second World War. Detailing the brief, intense love affair between Laura Jessop, a housewife, and Alec Harvey, a doctor, it's a slow, gently growing romance that shows the effect that unexpected love can have on people's well-ordered lives. Its moral murkiness lies in the fact that Laura and Alec give up their love in order to resume the normal responsibilities, however depressing and life-draining - it's implied that they're giving up the chance to be truly happy in order to keep up appearances. While some argue that their actions as selfless and indicative of true love, it's still somewhat disheartening to think that the film is bringing home the message that selflessness conquers everything, that our own lives are not our own. Perhaps if the film ended in something resembling fondness on Laura's part if it could be argued that she could look back on the romance with a nostalgia - but as the movie ends with Laura a miserable, broken and truly unhappy woman, it's hard to think that their sacrifice is an example worth following.