David Lean was a multi-academy award winning British director who directed such classics as "The Bridge on the river Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia"
Lean burst into the wild world of movies as a clapper boy. This was in the late 1920's and sound was slowly incorperating itself into film . Working his way up the ladder, Lean became an editor, and after editing films like Pygmalion and 49th Parallel was considered one of the best in the business. Although he was getting offers to direct low-budget films, Lean refused. This was until 1942, when Lean shared the director's chair with Noel Coward for In Which We Serve.
This was a major turning point in Lean's career, and from 1942 to 1946 he was able to direct many successful dramas from such as This Happy Breed (1944) and Blithe Spirit (1945) and was nominated for a `best director academy award for Brief Encounter (1946).
The next turning would have to be the pair of Dickens movies he directed, Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948). These are considered to be the definitive screen translations of the two novels. Another best director nomination was awareded to Lean for directing Great Expectations.
From 1949 to 1957, Lean continued directing dramas, and was nominated for a third directing oscar for Summertime (1955). But in 1957, the most important event in his career occurred. The World War II movie, The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) was released. This was the best directing (so far) of Lean's career, and it showed. The Bridge on the River Kwai was critically acclaimed and won 7 academy awards, including Best Picture, and won Lean the Best Director academy award that had narrowly escaped him so many times in the past.
Lean's next film secured his place in film history. Lawrence of Arabia (1962), the incredible story of T.E. Lawrence was an immediate classic, and is still considered one of the best epics ever created. Lawrence of Arabia was originally nearly 4 hours long, but the studio had Lean cut it shorter, twice. The film was finally restored in 1989.Lean's second well-deserved Best Director came from Lawrence of Arabia, and like Kwai the film won 7 total, including Best Picture.
Doctor Zhivago (1965) was considered to be Lean's last great film for 19 years. Known as one of the classic romances, the movie was especially successful in the box office.
Five years after Zhivago, Ryan's Daughter (1970) was released. It was torn apart by the critics, and according to Richard Schickel, Lean was so emotionally damaged by the reviews, especially those of Pauline Kael, that he didn't create another film for 14 years.
Lean's final film A Passage to India (1984) was another critically acclaimed film that was also very successful in the box office. But at the time of India's release, Lean was already 76 years old.
He spent the next couple of years working on his next project Nostromo, but unfortunately, he died in 1991, before filming could begin.
David Lean was a visionary director whose greatest fans include Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. Yet the common man is ignorant of his name.
Movies might live forever, but humans don't.
We could use some more directors like David Lean.
Sources:
http://www.britmovie.co.uk/directors/d_lean/biog.html
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Lean,+David
http://us.imdb.com/Bio?Lean,+David
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