A story never heard before…
Briefest Encounters is a Documentary Drama based on the life of an actress named Janet Morrison. She died in 1972 and it was believed that she had no living relatives.
In 1930, she had an affair whilst on Broadway with Brief Encounter actor Cyril Raymond and from this romance came the birth of a child. When the child was four, she gave him up for adoption and he was never to see his mother again or know who his real parents were.
Briefest Encounters – An Untold Love Story
The Story
Two actors meet on a Broadway stage in 1929 and have a passionate affair and the result is a child born out of wedlock. But that boy is never to know or meet his father and his mother gives him up for adoption when he is just four years old. This documentary tells the true life love story which revolves around a series of brief encounters and missed opportunities that in the end take their toll on the lead players.
Briefest Encounters uncovers the hidden past of actor Cyril Raymond, who played Fred Jesson – Laura’s dependable husband in the film. In an uncanny twist of fate, Cyril himself experienced a ‘brief encounter’ with fellow actor Janet Morrison during a transatlantic stage production.
Their love resulted in the birth of a son, Nicholas – a child who would never know his true parents. Born into a prestigious theatrical family, Nicholas was ultimately placed for adoption at the age of four.
Cyril Raymond (left), Nicholas (centre), Janet Morrison (right).
This film is about more than one lost love – it’s about three intertwined lives, missed chances and the emotional cost of convention.
It is a testament to a hidden history and a reflection of the very themes that make Brief Encounter timeless: longing, restraint and the heartbreak of what might have been.
With your help, we can finally bring this extraordinary story to light.