Sir David Lean CBE was born on the 25th of March 1908 in Croydon, Surrey, England
He was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor.
Widely considered one of the most important figures in the history of British cinema,
Lean is predominantly remembered for directing large-scale epic film productions.
His parents were Quakers and he was a pupil at the Quaker-founded Leighton Park School in Reading.
Lean was described as a half-hearted schoolboy with a dreamy nature who was labelled a "dud" of a student.
When David was ten years old his uncle gave him a Brownie box stills camera.
Lean said,
"You usually didn't give a boy a camera until he was 16 or 17 in those days. It was a huge compliment and I succeeded at it."
At that young age he really embraced the hobby, even learning to develop and print his own photographs.
Lean left school in the Christmas Term of 1926, at the age of 18 and entered his father's chartered accountancy firm as an apprentice and as an apprentice chartered accountant he was obliviously massively bored at his work so he spent every evening in the cinema.
After a year of his apprenticeship his aunt advised him to go and find a job he actually enjoyed.
David visited "Gaumont Studios" in Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush, London where his enthusiasm obviously made a good impression because the bosses offered him a month-long internship without pay.
During that month he must have showed a lot of promise because Gaumont actually kept him on, first he was a Teaboy but he was quickly promoted to Clapperboy and soon he rose to the position of a "third assistant director"
Come 1930 Lean was 23 years old and was working as an editor mainly editing newsreels for Gaumont and MovieTone.
Cutting together news reels in the 30's would have meant working in a very busy and time sensitive work environment and at the same time David began getting work editing feature films, between 1930 and 1940 Lean has 20 film editing credits.
Editing those 20 films lead to him landing the job of editing two films,
49th Parallel (1941) & One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942) both these films were directed by the legendary directing team of Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger. I imagine working at that level would have opened doors for Lean.
In 1942 he landed a job working for Noël Coward who was making a film called,
"In Which We Serve" (1942)
Directed by Noël Coward & David Lean,
Written by Noël Coward, Produced by Noël Coward, Music by Noël Coward &
Clifton Parker, Cinematography by Ronald Neame, Edited by Thelma Connell & David Lean, Starring Noël Coward, John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson, Richard Attenborough, Narrated by Leslie Howard.
After the sinking of the HMS Torrin during the Battle of Crete in 1941, the ship's survivors recall their tour of duty in flashback while awaiting rescue in lifeboats being strafed by German aeroplanes.
The term propaganda is used to describe a lot of films made during times of war that shed a positive light on the war effort but this film is 100% a propaganda film. It was made in cooperation with the assistance of the Ministry of Information.
The screenplay written by Noel Coward was inspired by the exploits of Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was in command of the destroyer HMS Kelly when it was sunk during the Battle of Crete. Coward composed the music for the film as well as starring as Captain E. V. Kinross. Having a great deal of experience directing theatre productions and being around film productions Coward took on directing this film... why not he was doing everything else!
But being a novice when it came to the technical aspects of film making he did the best thing could have done, he surrounded himself with capable professionals in their fields, He had seen and admired Ronald Neame's work so he hired him as the cinematographer and chief lighting technician. Coward insisted that the Italian film producer Filippo Del Giudice was released from his internment as an "enemy alien" to work on the film as art director he got to do it but his secretary Ann Elwell was actually an MI5 intelligence officer. Coward was confident to handle the direction of the actors but would be at a loss with the action scenes, so he asked editor and aspiring film director David Lean to direct those. "In Which We Serve" became Lean's directorial debut and Cowards only outing as a director but the collaboration ended up being the first of several films Lean and Coward would make together.
In fact Lean's next three projects were adaptations of Noel Coward plays produced by Noel Coward. "This Happy Breed" (1944), "Blithe Spirit" (1945) & "Brief Encounter" (1945)
where Blithe Spirit is not at all shabby but Brief Encounter went on to win the Grand Prix at the 1946 Cannes film festival and Lean was Oscar nominated for his direction and the screenplay adaptation, Celia Johnson was also nominated for Best Actress. It has since then Brief Encounter has become a true classic and one of the most highly regarded British films of all time.
Off the back of the success of his Coward productions Lean went on to tackle adaptations of works by Charles Dickens.
"Great Expectations" (1946)
Directed by David Lean, Written by David Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan &
Ronald Neame, Based on the 1861 novel "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens,
Produced by Anthony Havelock-Allan & Ronald Neame, Music by Walter Goehr,
Cinematography by Guy Green, Edited by Jack Harris, Starring John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan, Anthony Wager, Jean Simmons & Alec Guinness.
In this Dickens adaptation, orphan Pip discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham, and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella, he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.
"Oliver Twist" (1948)
Directed by David Lean, Written by David Lean & Stanley Haynes
Based on the 1837 novel "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens, Produced by Ronald Neame
& Anthony Havelock-Allan, Music by Arnold Bax, Cinematography by Guy Green
Edited by Jack Harris, Starring Alec Guinness, Robert Newton, Kay Walsh, John Howard Davies, Anthony Newley & Diana Dors.
When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble, for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger and his criminal mentor, Fagin. When kindly Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes plots to kidnap the boy.
Both of these films are considered the finest cinema adaptations of Dickens's stories but I feel I should mention the controversy surrounding Lean's Oliver Twist.
Alec Guinness's portrayal of Fagin and the make-up he wore was considered antisemitic and it was felt to perpetuate Jewish racial stereotypes. Guinness wore heavy make-up, including a large prosthetic nose, to make him resemble the character as he appeared in George Cruikshank's illustrations in the first edition of the novel. When production began, the Production Code Administration advised David Lean to,
"bear in mind the advisability of omitting from the portrayal of Fagin any elements or inference that would be offensive to any specific racial group or religion."
Lean employed make-up artist Stuart Freeborn to create the Fagin make-up; Freeborn had suggested to David Lean that Fagin's exaggerated profile should be toned down for fear of causing offence, but Lean ignored this advise after seeing a screen test of Guinness in toned-down make-up, So filming was completed with a faithful reproduction of Fagin from Cruikshank's illustration form the 1830's, Lean thought that the fact Fagin was not explicitly identified as Jewish man in the script so that should be fine.
An illustration form the 1830's and A pic of Guinness in the film and I have to say this "Look" for Fagin is to say the least is "A Bit Much!"
When the film was released in 1948, an American columnist Albert Deutsch, saw the film in London. Deutsch wrote that even Dickens "'could not make Fagin half so horrible,' and warned that the film would fan the flames of anti-Semitism." The New York Board of Rabbis appealed to Eric Johnston, head of the Production Code Administration, to keep the film out of the U.S. Other Jewish groups also objected, and the Rank Organization announced in September 1948, that the U.S. release was "indefinitely postponed."
The film was not released in the United States until 1951, with 12 minutes of footage removed. The film was banned in Israel for antisemitism. It was banned in Egypt for portraying Fagin "too sympathetically". (what a world we live in!)
In 1949 the release of the film in Germany was met with protests outside the Kurbel Cinema by Jewish objectors. The Mayor of Berlin, Ernst Reuter, was a signatory to their petition which called for the withdrawal of the film. The depiction of Fagin was considered especially problematic in Germany in 1949!
If you buy the film today on physical media it is the full uncut version of the film.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding "Oliver Twist" these two Dickens adaptations were the first films Lean made with Alec Guinness, whom Lean went on to consider his "good luck charm".
Lean's next project was not nearly as controversial.
The Passionate Friends (1949)
Directed by David Lean, Written by Eric Ambler, Stanley Haynes & David Lean,
Based on the 1913 novel "The Passionate Friends" by H.G. Wells, Produced by Ronald Neame, Music by Richard Addinsell, Cinematography by Guy Green, Edited by Geoffrey Foot, Starring Ann Todd, Claude Rains & Trevor Howard.
Mary longs for Steven, a lover she turned down years ago. Later, Mary is married to Howard, but meets up with Steven while on vacation in the Swiss Alps. A seemingly platonic encounter fueled by pent-up passion leads to an affair between Mary and Steven, and she must choose between the two men.
Even though the film received positive reviews on its Release in 1949 the film did not make a profit at the box office. The film was the first time Lean worked with actress Ann Todd, Lean went on to direct her in other films and he also married her.
In 1950 Lean made the film "Madeleine" a noir based on the true story of Madeleine Smith, a young Glasgow woman from a wealthy family who was tried in 1857 for the murder of her lover, Emile L'Angelier. The trial was much publicised in the newspapers of the day and labelled "the trial of the century". Lean's adaptation of the story starred his then wife, Ann Todd, Lean made the film primarily as a "wedding present" to Todd, who had previously played the role onstage. He was never really satisfied with the film and cited it as his least favourite movie he made.
The Sound Barrier (1952)
Directed by David Lean, Written by Terence Rattigan, Produced by David Lean, Music by Malcolm Arnold, Cinematography by Jack Hildyard, Edited by Geoffrey Foot,
Starring Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd, Nigel Patrick, John Justin & Denholm Elliott.
With a passion for aviation design and engineering, wealthy oilman John Ridgefield is determined to break the sound barrier with the aircraft company he owns. He has already lost his son in the pursuit, and his daughter, Susan, resents her father even more when he chooses her husband, World War II pilot Tony Garthwaite, to be one of the test pilots. Yet Ridgefield stands resolute in the name of scientific progress.
The accuracy of the aviation aspects of this film has led to its being seen as a "semi-documentary". The film pays tribute to the British effort in the advancement in aviation of the development and the perfecting of the jet engine by Frank Whittle and Power Jets Ltd and others. David Lean gathered research and press clippings regarding jet aircraft approaching supersonic speeds, He interviewed British aeronautic designers. He even managed to fly with test pilots and he produced a 300-page notebook that he then turned over to screenwriter Terence Rattigan. The screenplay concentrated on the newly discovered problems connected to flying at supersonic speeds and is loosely based on the real-life story of aircraft designer Geoffrey de Havilland and the loss of his son. Geoffrey de Havilland, Jr. who was a company test pilot who died attempting to fly faster than the speed of sound in the DH 108 in 1946.
Contrary to what is depicted in this film, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier was the rocket-powered Bell X-1 flown by Chuck Yeager of the United States Air Force in 1947.
Chuck Yeager's feat was portrayed in the 1983 film "The Right Stuff".
Yeager attended the US premiere of "The Sound Barrier", he described the film in his first biography, "The Sound Barrier was entertaining, but not that realistic – and any pilot who attempted to break the sound barrier in the manner portrayed in the film (forcing the centre stick forward to pull out of a dive) would have been killed."
Because the 1947 Bell X-1 flight had not been widely publicised due to national security, many who saw The Sound Barrier thought it was a true story, and that the first supersonic flight was made by a British pilot.
The Sound Barrier was the 12th most popular movie at the British box office in 1952 and also did brisk business in the United States, making a comfortable profit.
Hobson's Choice (1954)
Directed by David Lean, Written by Wynyard Browne, David Lean & Norman Spencer, Adapted from the 1916 play of the same name by Harold Brighouse, Produced by David Lean & Alexander Korda, Music by Malcolm Arnold, Cinematography by Jack Hildyard, Edited by Peter Taylor, Starring Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda de Banzie, Daphne Anderson & Prunella Scales.
Henry Hobson, a British widower, is the overbearing owner of a shoe shop. His three daughters; Alice, Vicky and Maggie work for him and all are eager to get out from under his thumb. When the headstrong Maggie announces she intends to marry Henry's best employee, Will, father and daughter engage in an intense showdown. As Maggie works on launching a competing business, she also helps her sisters free themselves of their domineering father.
Charles Laughton, David Lean and John Mills during filming of "Hobson's Choice" in 1954.
Long story short! This film is a bobby dazzler! a rule of thumb is if a film has Charles Laughton in it, it is probably worth a watch and if black and white British romantic comedies made in the 50's is your jam this is a must see film! It is a bit of a masterpiece.
In his New York Times review in 1954, Bosley Crowther called Hobson's Choice "a delightful and rewarding British film", and praised the performances of the three leads and its producer/director. TV Guide gave the film four stars, characterising it as "a fully developed comedy of human foibles and follies with Laughton rendering a masterful, sly performance, beautifully supported by de Banzie and Mills." In the opinion of Daniel Etherington of Channel 4, the "character interactions between the couple and the old bugger of a dad are fascinating, funny and moving." His verdict is, "Displays the Lean mark of quality and sterling work from its leads. A gem." and I agree this film is a gem!
The film was one of the most popular films at the British box office in 1954 the film was a real "money maker" at the British box office in 1954.
"Summertime" (1955)
Directed by David Lean, Screenplay by David Lean & H.E. Bates, Based on the play "The Time of the Cuckoo" by Arthur Laurents, Produced by Ilya Lopert, Music by Alessandro Cicognini, Cinematography by Jack Hildyard, Edited by Peter Taylor, Starring Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi, Darren McGavin & Isa Miranda
Middle-aged Ohio secretary Jane Hudson has never found love and has nearly resigned herself to spending the rest of her life alone. But before she does, she uses her savings to finance a summer in romantic Venice, where she finally meets the man of her dreams, the elegant Renato Di Rossi. But when she learns that her new paramour is leading a double life, she must decide whether her happiness can come at the expense of others.
Lean shot this film on location in Venice in the summer of 1954 and it was one of the first British-produced films to be shot entirely on location.
The film was released in the UK in November 1955 under the title "Summer Madness" perhaps because British people wouldn't relate to the concept of "Summertime"!
A reviewer for Variety wrote that the film "stacks up as promising entertainment - with some reservations. There is a lack of cohesion and some abruptness in plot transition without a too-clear buildup. Lesser characterizations, too, are on the sketchy side. ... Rossano Brazzi ... scores a triumph of charm and reserve. Hepburn turns in a feverish acting chore of proud loneliness."
Regardless of it's apparent lack of cohesion the film grossed over $4m worldwide against a production budget of $1.1m
"Summertime" (1954) was produced by British Film company "London Films" and distributed worldwide by "United Artists" in fact all 11 of Lean's films were British films but as with every great British director they find themselves working for Hollywood!
End of Part One!
