DavidLeanBacon

Brief Encounter is a 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play Still Life. Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey, it follows a passionate extramarital affair in England shortly before World War II. The protagonist is Laura, a married woman with children, whose conventional life becomes increasingly complicated after a chance meeting at a railway station with a married stranger with whom she subsequently falls in love.

Oliver Twist is a 1948 British film and the second of David Lean's two film adaptations of Charles Dickens novels. Following his 1946 version of Great Expectations, Lean re-assembled much of the same team for his adaptation of Dickens' 1838 novel, including producers Ronald Neame and Anthony Havelock-Allan, cinematographer Guy Green, designer John Bryan and editor Jack Harris.

14 In Which We Serve is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by Noël Coward and David Lean. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information. The screenplay by 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 film's music as well as starring in the film as the ship's captain. The film also starred John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson and Richard Attenborough in his first screen role. In Which We Serve received the full backing of the Ministry of Information, which offered advice on what would make good propaganda and facilitated the release of military personnel. The film is a classic example of wartime British cinema through its patriotic imagery of national unity and social cohesion within the context of the war.

Great Expectations is a 1946 British drama film directed by David Lean, based on the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens and starring John Mills and Valerie Hobson. The supporting cast included Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan, Anthony Wager, Jean Simmons, Finlay Currie, Martita Hunt and Alec Guinness.

(Edited by David Lean) -- A World War II U-boat crew are stranded in northern Canada. To avoid internment, they must make their way to the border and get into the still-neutral U.S.

Interview with Geoffrey Wansell about how David Lean's film, 'The Sound Barrier' came about. The interview concentrates mostly on Terence Rattigan (who wrote the screen-play) - but there is background information on how David Lean did research and crafted the film.

December 1952 interview with David Lean about his 1952 film, 'The Sound Barrier'. The woman is Maureen Pryor (she was a well known character actress after 1952, so must have been a journalist prior to that). It is a good interview if you are interested in David Lean's techniques, aims, and priorities when making a film.

I did a colorized version (this film should not have been shot in black and white). The Sound Barrier is a 1952 British aviation drama film directed by David Lean. It is a fictional story about attempts by aircraft designers and test pilots to break the sound barrier. It was David Lean's third and final film with his wife Ann Todd. The Sound Barrier stars Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd, John Justin and Nigel Patrick. It was known in the United States as Breaking Through the Sound Barrier and Breaking the Sound Barrier. The Sound Barrier was a box-office success on first release, but it has become one of the least-known of Lean's films. Following on In Which We Serve (1942), the film is another of Lean's ventures into a genre of filmmaking where impressions of documentary film are created.

I did a colorized version and tried to revive the audio. This would be a fine educational comedy if it was good quality. It is a pity so many excellent films have not been preserved. David Lean edited Nell Gwyn (uncredited on the celluloid but verified as true by the British Film Institute). Nell Gwyn is a 1934 British historical drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Cedric Hardwicke, Jeanne de Casalis, Miles Malleson and Moore Marriott. The film portrays the historical romance between Charles II of England and the actress Nell Gwyn. In the opening credits, the dialogue is credited to "King Charles II, Samuel Pepys and Nell Gwyn" with additional dialogue by Miles Malleson. It was also released as Mistress Nell Gwyn. Herbert Wilcox had enjoyed a big success with the film, 'Nell Gwynn', in 1926 with Dorothy Gish staring, and decided to remake it with Anna Neagle (who would become his wife in 1943). Part of the finance was raised by United Artists. The film encountered censorship difficulties in the US, insisting on the deletion of some scenes and addition of others, including a marriage between James and Nell, and an ending where Nell winds up in the gutter. Plot: Nell Gwyn is first seen as an orange girl at the Old Drury Theatre in London. She attracts the eye of the King and he makes her one of the players at His Majesty's Theatre. She succeeds and winning the King's affection becomes his favourite, vying with Lady Castlemaine for his favours. Through her efforts, a palace which he is building for her is converted into a home for disabled soldiers and sailors. When his hour of death nears, the King dies in her arms, with her name on his lips.

I colorized this film to make it more colourful :-) This film was David Lean's first directing job. He was appointed assistant director and allocated the on-location (outdoor) scenes because the film's director, Maurice Elvey, had other pressing director commitments with films in the studio at that time (the UK government had passed the 'Cinematograph Films Act 1927'. This meant UK cinemas had to screen a certain percentage of British-made films - hence there was high demand for British films and studios produces a lot of 'quota-quickies' to meet the statutory demand). In addition, David Lean almost certainly edited the external film footage, and viewing the rather flat editing of scenes shot on the sound stage against the dynamic editing of the external footage, appears to this bear out. Just in passing : I wonder if George Orwell saw this film and it generated or influenced some of his ideas in his book, '1984'. High Treason is a 1929 film based on a play by Noel Pemberton Billing. It was directed by Maurice Elvey, and stars James Carew, Humberstone Wright, Benita Hume, Henry Vibart, Hayford Hobbs, Irene Rooke, and Jameson Thomas. Raymond Massey makes his first screen appearance in a small role. The film was initially produced as a silent but mid-way during production, Elvey was pushed by the studio to add sound to the film in order to cash in on the talkies. Although a third of the film was filmed in sound, Elvey maintained much of the silent footage and dubbed over the dialogue for shots that were originally silent, with Elvey himself voicing some of the minor characters, which he admitted when interviewed by the Mantioba Free Press shortly after the film was released in the US. Likewise, BIP's Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock was also turned into a sound picture mid-way during production (concurrently when High Treason was also in production) and many of the silent scenes used dubbed dialogue and sound effects in a similar fashion to High Treason. The sound version of the film was presented in a London trade show on 9 August 1929, then went into UK general release in silent and sound versions on 9 September 1929. The sound version was released in the US by Tiffany Productions in a heavily cut version (running just over 60 minutes) on 13 March 1930. The silent version and a trailer for the sound version are preserved and held by the British Film Institute; the only known surviving original copy of the sound version is a lavender fine grain of the American release version held in the collection of Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association (AMIPA), which has been recently restored by the Library of Congress. The film is a science fiction drama set in a futuristic 1940 (though this was originally set in 1950 for the silent version). The plot and aesthetics of the film are heavily influenced by Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Plot: In 1940/50, world peace is threatened when the "United States of Europe" comes into conflict with the "Empire of the Atlantic States". The former comprises Europe, India, the Middle East, Canada, Africa, and Australasia. The latter is a combination of the United States and South America. In the film the prohibition era in America extends to 1940 and the tension is initially caused by bootleggers crossing the borders between territories. One such incident leads to a shoot-out between border guards in which both sides suffer casualties. War looks likely, but the pacifist Peace League intervenes. Meanwhile, we learn that the tension is in fact carefully orchestrated by a sinister terrorist group financed by arms manufacturers. They blow up a rail tunnel under the English Channel. The President of Europe orders a mass enlistment and mobilisation, fearing that the Atlantic States are preparing a sneak attack. Dr. Seymour, leader of the Peace League, desperately attempts to avert war. His daughter Evelyn seeks to convince her boyfriend Michael, commander of the European air force, not to fight, but he insists he must do his duty. Evelyn says she will leave him. The European council are divided, but the president decides on war, saying that he will announce the outbreak of hostilities on television. The terrorists try to kill Dr. Seymour by bombing the Peace League, but Seymour survives. He tells Evelyn to make another effort to stop Michael ordering the airforce to attack, while he appeals directly to the President. Pacifists led by Evelyn demonstrate en masse at the airfield. Michael is uncertain what to do, but Evelyn convinces him to delay the attack. Seymour confronts the President, but is forced, despite his pacifism, to shoot him to stop him making the broadcast.

Steven Spielberg, Alec Guinness and Omar Sharif appear in this tribute to the great British film-maker, David Lean. Clips from many of his films, such as "Brief Encounter," "Hobson's Choice," "Great Expectations," "Doctor Zhivago," "Lawrence of Arabia," and "The Bridge on the River Kwai" are included. A warm insight into Lean's method and vision.

I did a colorized version of this film. The colorization AI is a bit flaky but it seems to add to the gothic charm of the first part of the film, and a bit to the decadent dreamy second part. Great Expectations is a 1946 British drama film directed by David Lean, based on the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens and starring John Mills and Valerie Hobson. The supporting cast included Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan, Anthony Wager, Jean Simmons, Finlay Currie, Martita Hunt and Alec Guinness. The script is based on a slimmed-down version of Dickens' novel. It was written by David Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Cecil McGivern, Ronald Neame and Kay Walsh, after Lean had seen an abridged 1939 stage version of the novel, written by Alec Guinness. John Bryan and Wilfred Shingleton won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Black-and-White, while Guy Green won for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. The film was also nominated for Best Director, as well as Best Screenplay Adaptation, and Best Picture. The film is now regarded as one of Lean's best; in 1999, on the British Film Institute's Top 100 British films list, Great Expectations was named the 5th greatest British film of all time.

I did a colorized version of this film to make the comedy more accessible (there are a lot of funny scenes that become apparent when the film presents more naturally). Using black and white film stock, I think, made the film unnecessarily dour, and to my mind, hides the backdrop of a class-based society with comical habitual causal malice - that is based on perceived class. I also sorted out the uneven and dull audio. Brief Encounter is a 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play Still Life. Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey, it follows a passionate extramarital affair in England shortly before World War II. The protagonist is Laura, a married woman with children, whose conventional life becomes increasingly complicated after a chance meeting at a railway station with a married stranger with whom she subsequently falls in love. The film premiered in London on 13 November 1945, and was theatrically released on 25 November to widespread critical acclaim. It received three nominations at the 19th Academy Awards, Best Director, Best Actress (for Johnson), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

I did a colorized version. It is not great entertainment in mono, so a bit of colour, I think, makes it less miserable and flat. The problem with the film, from my view, is Ann Todd is virtually an emotionless robot. Oddly, in real life she was tremendous fun and endearingly mischievous, but once she started acting, she became a text to speech machine. The Passionate Friends is a 1949 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean and starring Ann Todd, Claude Rains and Trevor Howard. The film is based on The Passionate Friends: A Novel (1913) by H. G. Wells. It describes a love triangle in which a woman cannot give up her affair with another man.

I made a colorized trailer of Balaclava from some of the better scraps of video I can find. The BFI has a decent copy of this movie (that has no commercial value) but they will not release it (even though they get tens of £millions of taxpayers money each year to promote films and film history). David Lean worked as a production assistant on this film (in charge of wardrobe - he was 19 through 20 years old during the shoot, and it was a lavish costume drama - so quite a responsibility for a young man). Balaclava is a 1928 British silent war film directed by Maurice Elvey and Milton Rosmer and starring Cyril McLaglen, Benita Hume, Alf Goddard, Harold Huth, and Wally Patch. Plot: A British army officer is cashiered (for duelling and being falsely accused of shooting his opponent in the back), and re-enlists as a private to take part in the Crimean War and succeeds in capturing a top Russian spy. The film climaxes with the Charge of the Light Brigade. It was made by Gainsborough Pictures. The charge sequences were filmed on the Long Valley in Aldershot in Hampshire.

I did a colorized verson of this film because it is good fun and should be viewed as entertainment, rather than as a historical curiosity. Edited by David Lean -- The Secret of the Loch is a 1934 British film about the Loch Ness Monster. It is the first film made about the monster. I've tried to restore it to a reasonable standard. I took the hiss, pops, crackle and noise out of the audio, enhanced the dialogue, and gave it a little stereo spread, and I gently de-noised, sharpened and upscaled the video. Charles Bennett said the film was based on his original idea. He later admitted it was "terrible... but amusing". Plot: Professor Heggie is determined to prove to a sceptical scientific community the existence of a dinosaur in Loch Ness. Young London reporter Jimmy Anderson believes him and offers to help. He also falls in love with Angela, the professor's granddaughter. Jimmy finally plucks up the courage to enter the Loch himself, and comes face to face with the monster. Cast: Seymour Hicks Professor Heggie Nancy O'Neil Angela Heggie Gibson Gowland Angus Frederick Peisley Jimmy Anderson Eric Hales Jack Campbell, the Diver Rosamund John Maggie Fraser, the Barmaid Ben Field Piermaster Robert Wilton Reporter Hubert Harben Professor Blenkinsop Fothergill Fewlass Llewellyn Scientist at Meeting Stafford Hilliard Macdonald D. J. Williams Judge Clive Morton Reporter/Photographer in Pub Cyril McLaglen Mate Production : Charles Bennett and Billie Bristow visited Loch Ness in December 1933 to research the film. The film was also known as Sinister Deeps. The film was shot over four weeks. In the film, the "monster" in actually a live iguana. Critical reception: TV Guide called the film "a trite programmer which doesn't make one believe in the humans' actions, much less the sea serpent's"; while Allmovie called it a "fairly amusing British monster movie...obscure but entertaining oddity"; and Britmovie noted an "enjoyable comic romp."

Director by Thomas Craven in 1971, this TV special documentary features Robert Bolt and Anthony Havelock-Allan exploring the film career of David Lean. David Lean gives an intimate and extensive interview with the director, Thomas Craven, who discusses his work and his methodology and approach to film-making.

A montage of classic David Lean film shots.

Done a colorized version as a test ... I can do better I think - but it takes ages ... audio needs work and the colorization is flaky (Photoshop colorize neural filter is better than this - but it will take maybe 60 hours processing with more time tweaking)

'Nostromo: David Lean's Impossible Dream' is a 2017 documentary written and directed by Pedro González Bermúdez. Music is by Guillermo Farré and cinematography by David Meléndez. Synopsis : David Lean devoted the last six years of his life in pursuit of a dream called 'Nostromo'. Based on Joseph Conrad’s novel of the same name, Nostromo was going to be an epic, painstakingly crafted movie with an attention to detail that, when compared with the action-packed, special-effects dominated movies of the day, seemed to be from a bygone era. Nostromo: David Lean’s Impossible Dream retraces the production process of that film. The film was never made after creative differences with financial backers and collaborators caused David Lean to abandon the project.

I made a colorized version as a test ...

David Lean co-wrote the film script with the author of the novel 'The Wind Cannot Read, Richard Mason. It is not a great script and David Lean considered it a draft that needed a lot of work (hence his eventual disengagement from the movie project). I have tried to make this movie presentable but - apparently the celluloid is lost, and the official DVD (I have) is a cobbled-together bunch of TV tape recordings that are savagely cropped, and have different aspect ratios (random black bars appearing), and different resolutions from low to blurry Lego, and different colour pallets. I have done the best I can and produced a rough but consistent 720p-ish video that is watchable in a 24 inch diagonal window (or lower). I cleaned the audio a little and gave it a small stereo spread to make it sound less 'dead'. For some reason Rumble reduces the resolution on most of my uploads to VHS tape quality ? Richard Mason's novel 'The Wind Cannot Read' is the story of a romance between a British officer and a Japanese girl in India during World World Two. David Lean completed a script and cast Kishi Keiko as the girl, but disagreed with Alexander Korda, and the project fell through. Lean had already entered into discussions with Sam Spiegel, regarding a film version of Pierre Boule's novel The Bridge on the River Kwai. After Korda's death in 1956 the rights to Mason's novel were sold to Rank Film Productions, who successfully realised the film in 1958, using the script Lean had written with Mason. Betty Box produced and Ralph Thomas directed this version, which stars Dirk Bogarde and Yoko Tani. The Wind Cannot Read is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis and John Fraser. It was based on the 1946 novel by Richard Mason, who also wrote the screenplay with David Lean. Songwriter Peter Hart received the 1958 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for the title song, performed by Vera Lynn. The title derives from a Japanese poem, and lines from the poem are prominently displayed (in English) in the movie. The same lines are on the tombstone of novelist/screenwriter Mason, who died in 1997. Plot : The film takes place in Burma and India during World War II. A British officer falls in love with his Japanese instructor at a military language school. They start a romance, but she is regarded as the enemy and is not accepted by his countrymen. They marry in secret and plan on spending his two weeks' leave together. When one of the other officers is injured, he is sent into the field as an interrogator. Later he is captured by the Japanese army when he is patrolling with a brigadier and an Indian driver in a Japanese-controlled zone. He escapes and returns to his own lines, only to discover that his wife is suffering from a brain tumour. Although the doctor initially gives her good odds of surviving, she dies after an operation. Cast: Dirk Bogarde as Flight Lieutenant Michael Quinn Yoko Tani as Aiko Suzuki ('Sabbi') Ronald Lewis as Fenwick John Fraser as Peter Munroe Anthony Bushell as Brigadier Heihachirō Ōkawa as Lieutenant Nakamura (Japanese: 陸軍中尉中村, Rikugun-Chūi Nakamura) Marne Maitland as Bahadur Michael Medwin as Officer Lamb Richard Leech as Hobson Tony Wager as Moss Tadashi Ikeda as Itsumi-san Yôichi Matsue as Corporal Mori (Japanese: 毛利伍長, Mōri Gochō) Donald Pleasence as Doctor Joy Michael as First nurse Avice Landone as Second nurse Jasdev Singh Soin as Indian soldier Production : In 1955 David Lean agreed to film Richard Mason's novel The Wind Cannot Read, the story of a romance between a British officer and a self-exiled Japanese woman in India circa 1943, during World War II. Originally Lean considered making the lead character a Canadian and offered the part to Glenn Ford. Lean also offered the role to Kenneth More, who was unsure about whether the public would accept him in the part and turned it down. It was a decision More later regarded as "the greatest mistake I ever made professionally". Lean had completed a script in collaboration with Mason and cast Keiko Kishi as the girl, but disagreed with Alexander Korda, who was to have produced the film and the project fell through. Lean had already entered into discussions with Sam Spiegel, regarding a film version of Pierre Boulle's novel The Bridge on the River Kwai. After Korda's death in 1956, the rights to Mason's novel were sold to Rank Film Productions, who assigned the project to the team of Betty Box and Ralph Thomas. Filming took place on location in India in early 1958, with Dirk Bogarde in the main role. Ralph Thomas later said he thought Sir John Davis of Rank "very bravely" authorised location-filming in India "because he trusted David Lean's judgement that it was a splendid book. It was a real three-handkerchief picture, which I thoroughly enjoyed making, and Dirk was very good in it." Reception : The film was one of the most popular at the British box office in 1958. Kinematograph Weekly listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958. Miscellaneous : During World War II, the beauty Aiko Clarke, was one of the several Japanese who taught at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She was immortalized by one of her students, Richard Mason, the author of The World of Suzie Wong, in his first novel The Wind Cannot Read. The Japanese instructors had to be accompanied by SOAS students for their protection, on outings in London. The instructors also taught respect for Japanese culture and life. Otome Daniels's parting words to pupils leaving for India were 'please look kindly on my people'. Mason served in the Far East in the Royal Air Force as an interrogator of Japanese prisoners-of-war. He did his writing in the evenings, often in temperatures of over 100 degrees and carried the manuscript in his jeep during the Burma Campaign.

Edited by David Lean -- The Secret of the Loch is a 1934 British film about the Loch Ness Monster. It is the first film made about the monster. I've tried to restore it to a reasonable standard. I took the hiss, pops, crackle and noise out of the audio, enhanced the dialogue, and gave it a little stereo spread, and I gently de-noised, sharpened and upscaled the video (but Rumble lowers the resolution back to DVD quality?). Charles Bennett said the film was based on his original idea. He later admitted it was "terrible... but amusing". Plot: Professor Heggie is determined to prove to a sceptical scientific community the existence of a dinosaur in Loch Ness. Young London reporter Jimmy Anderson believes him and offers to help. He also falls in love with Angela, the professor's granddaughter. Jimmy finally plucks up the courage to enter the Loch himself, and comes face to face with the monster. Cast: Seymour Hicks Professor Heggie Nancy O'Neil Angela Heggie Gibson Gowland Angus Frederick Peisley Jimmy Anderson Eric Hales Jack Campbell, the Diver Rosamund John Maggie Fraser, the Barmaid Ben Field Piermaster Robert Wilton Reporter Hubert Harben Professor Blenkinsop Fothergill Fewlass Llewellyn Scientist at Meeting Stafford Hilliard Macdonald D. J. Williams Judge Clive Morton Reporter/Photographer in Pub Cyril McLaglen Mate Production : Charles Bennett and Billie Bristow visited Loch Ness in December 1933 to research the film. The film was also known as Sinister Deeps. The film was shot over four weeks. In the film, the "monster" in actually a live iguana. Critical reception: TV Guide called the film "a trite programmer which doesn't make one believe in the humans' actions, much less the sea serpent's"; while Allmovie called it a "fairly amusing British monster movie...obscure but entertaining oddity"; and Britmovie noted an "enjoyable comic romp."

Edited (and no doubt filmed) by David Lean in 1978, 'Come To Our Home' is a promotion and appeal by Leonard Cheshire. He talks about the philosophy of the Cheshire Homes for the disabled, and encourages people to help out at their local Cheshire Home.

Edited by David Lean, 'The Last Adventurers' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Roy Kellino and starring Niall MacGinnis, Roy Emerton, Linden Travers and Peter Gawthorne. Plot: A shipwrecked castaway is rescued by a sea captain, and then falls in love with the captain's daughter. Cast: Niall MacGinnis - Jeremy Bowker Roy Emerton - John Arkell Linden Travers - Ann Arkell Peter Gawthorne - Fergus Arkell Kay Walsh - Margaret Arkell Johnnie Schofield - Stalk Ballard Berkeley - Fred Devlin Norah Howard - Mary Allen Bill Shine (actor) - Joe Hanson Esma Cannon - Polly Shepherd Wallace Douglas - Red Collins Critical reception: In the Radio Times, David Parkinson wrote, "It's a pity there's not much entertainment value to be had from this wonderful curio about a twice-shipwrecked castaway saved by a sea captain whose daughter he then falls in love with, much to the old tar's displeasure. What is fascinating about Roy Kellino's adventure is that it was edited, with greater tautness than it deserves, by director-in-waiting David Lean. The casting is also noteworthy, with future Carry On star Esma Cannon in a rare glamour role, and Ballard Berkeley (who would later achieve fame as the Major in Fawlty Towers) playing the heroic lead."