David Lean abstained from his usual grand epic approach (as seen in Doctor Zhivago, which screens from Fri 27 Nov for at least one week) for something a lot more intimate with this, an achingly lovely film often cited as the most romantic film of all time.

Turbulent passion and middle class restrain combine in uniquely English style when married housewife Laura (Celia Johnson) and dashing doctor Alec (Trevor Howard) embark on a remarkably chaste, yet overwhelmingly passionate, affair after a chance meeting at a railway station. Theirs is one of the most vivid doomed romances ever committed to film, and its swooning exploration of the conflicting demands of personal happiness and social responsibility remains as timeless and universal as ever. Enjoy its return to the big screen – and bring a spotless tissue.

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