Topic: Directors Best Poll #1 - David Lean

[Antares]

Brief Encounter
Hobson's Choice    
Lawrence of Arabia
The Bridge on the River Kwai    

Oliver Twist
Great Expectations
In Which We Serve
Dr. Zhivago
   
This Happy Breed    
The Sound Barrier

[hal9g]

Brief Encounter
Summertime
Bridge on the River Kwai
Lawrence of Arabia

Doctor Zhivago
Ryan's Daughter
Great Expectations
Oliver Twist

[Najemikon]

Shockingly, I haven't seen enough Lean, but he is astonishingly varied. I adore Lawrence Of Arabia and would rate that his best. Bridge on the Rover Kwai is fascinating and clever, but I was surprised how tough I found Dr Zhivago; very pretty, but rather dull, the central character is a bit of an arse and the screenplay treats his family very poorly. I know it's a metaphor, but still, it disappointed me. Blithe Spirit I didn't like at all. I know I've seen his Dickens films, but not paid them the attention they deserve.

I'll put this right one day.

[Dragonfire]

I've only seen Bridge Over the River Kwai and Doctor Zhavigo..and that was years ago for both.  I remember really liking them both.  Well I did see a bit of Bridge Over River Kwai recently after my mom and step dad got it on Blu-ray.  Gorgeous picture.

[addicted2dvd]

Never seen a single one of these movies. Not surprising as new as I am to the classics.

[Antares]

Never seen a single one of these movies. Not surprising as new as I am to the classics.

You should start with The Bridge on the River Kwai, then follow-up with Lawrence of Arabia. The former is his most accessible, while the latter is his greatest achievement.

[Najemikon]

Never seen a single one of these movies. Not surprising as new as I am to the classics.

You should start with The Bridge on the River Kwai, then follow-up with Lawrence of Arabia. The former is his most accessible, while the latter is his greatest achievement.

 

I agree Lawrence is his greatest achievement, but I would say switch 'em. Lawrence first, then Bridge. Reason being, Bridge is rather satirical and subversive. Fiendishly clever, but I think as a first step, the sumptuous honesty of Lawrence is a better choice.

But Pete, either way, catch up pal!   

[m.cellophane]

Lawrence of Arabia
Bridge on the River Kwai
Summertime
Doctor Zhivago


Brief Encounter
Ryan's Daughter
Great Expectations
Oliver Twist

I love a good epic.  

[Antares]

Never seen a single one of these movies. Not surprising as new as I am to the classics.

You should start with The Bridge on the River Kwai, then follow-up with Lawrence of Arabia. The former is his most accessible, while the latter is his greatest achievement.

 

I agree Lawrence is his greatest achievement, but I would say switch 'em. Lawrence first, then Bridge. Reason being, Bridge is rather satirical and subversive. Fiendishly clever, but I think as a first step, the sumptuous honesty of Lawrence is a better choice.

But Pete, either way, catch up pal!   

I don't know, I think Pete would find Lawrence a little on the slow side because he's not use to David Lean's style of film making. I remember the first time I watched and that scene with Omar Sharif approaching the oasis seemed to go on forever. Now, it's my favorite part of the film, but if you're not used to Lean it may turn you off.

[Najemikon]

Just saw on the BFI's Twitter that David Lean would have been 103 today. They posted this quote:

"Some people say I have celluloid in my veins instead of blood"

 

[MEJHarrison]

Well, I've only seen The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia.  They were both quite good.  But it's been way to long since I've seen them.  Guess I'll have to watch again!

[KinkyCyborg]

Lawrence Of Arabia
The Bridge On The River Kwai

A Passage To India


I have Dr. Zhivago & Ryan's Daughter but have yet to watch them. I watched A Passage To India quite a few years ago and found it dreadfully boring. I was baffled how it won the Best Picture Oscar. May need to watch it again to see if time has changed my perception of the film.

[Najemikon]

I'm currently reading a fascinating book which gives a fluid, but detailed history of cinema and I just hit a very interesting chapter that questions Lean's place in cinema history. As I said in the Michael Bay thread (of all places), the author accepts Lean was probably instrumental in breaking the "washing line" effect of the new widescreen format, but that he pales in comparison to others like Kurosawa.

Now Antares did mention Kurosawa in response to what I said about Lean before and I bet he'd love this particular section of the book because I know he appreciates both directors. The author notes that actually, the careers of Lean and Kurosawa were very close and both started working with a "depopulated image", except Lean would fall into the trap of creating travelogues. Kurosawa would also lose focus as his career went on, but he replaced it with more technical ingenuity.

Now, I adore Lawrence of Arabia, and had I read this a few years ago, I think I would have strongly disagreed. But since then, I've seen Bridge On The River Kwai again, which I really like, but the story is more a parable with unlikely characters, and Dr Zhivago which I was really disappointed by. It looks stunning, but I found the story uneven and while I wouldn't word it so strongly, "travelogue" is unfortunately accurate.

In conclusion, the author has a point. When you consider the advancements Hitchcock, Hawks, Welles, Truffaut and Kurosawa were making around the world, whether you like them or not, Lean did seem to be playing it safer.

Anyway, just food for thought. I wanted to share some of the insight from this book, which, by the way, is The Story of Film, by Mark Cousins. It's a bit pricey now, though the used editions are fair...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1862055742/qid%3D1094810513/sr%3D2-1/ref%3Dsr_2_11_1/202-6237291-9550228

EDIT: There's a great little quiz on the books website: http://www.storyoffilm.com/ I scored 185...

[Antares]

Just placed it on my library queue.

And in regards to the travelogue conjecture, I feel he got too wrapped up in the expansive beauty of Cinemascope. Dr. Zhivago is the one film that demonstrates this the most.

[m.cellophane]

I think David Lean's place in film history is secure, in spite of the comparison to Kurosawa. To me, they're each notable for completely different reasons.

EDIT: There's a great little quiz on the books website: http://www.storyoffilm.com/ I scored 185...

I got a 180.