David Lean

Along with Michael Powell and Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean (1908-1991) is one of the most significant British filmmakers to emerge from the first half of the twentieth century. His use of panoramic landscapes, precision editing, grandiose compositions, and epic themes--as epitomized in his classics Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago--have influenced Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and numerous other directors. Lean's films encompass a wide range of styles and genres: quiet, personal dramas (Brief Encounter, Summertime); stylized adaptations of classic novels and plays (Blithe Spirit, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Passage to India); and wartime dramas (In Which We Serve, The Bridge on the River Kwai). David Lean: Interviews offers the reader the most thorough and complete compendium of illuminating interviews with the director, several of which are exclusive to this edition. Lean speaks openly about his process and his passion for film, revealing a complicated and talented artist who at times shows great bravado, while at other times exposes deep insecurities. The volume chronicles the career of one of cinema's most popular and groundbreaking filmmakers.