DavidLeanBacon

Edited by David Lean (uncredited on celluloid but verified as true by the British Film Institute). Turn of the Tide (1935) is a British drama film directed by Norman Walker and starring John Garrick, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Wilfrid Lawson. It was the first feature film made by J. Arthur Rank. Lacking a distributor for his film, Rank set up his own distribution and production company which subsequently grew into his later empire. The film contains many Whitby registered boats (WY) and contains much documentary-style footage of making and repairing lobster creels. Plot The film is set in the fictional Yorkshire fishing village of Bramblewick and relates the rivalry between two fishing families. It is filmed mainly around Robin Hood's Bay (evidenced in the WY identity codes on the fishing boats). The characters speak in the local Yorkshire accent and dialect. Rivalry between the lobster fishermen begins when one boat is fitted with a new diesel engine. Ropes are cut so the lobsters cannot be retrieved. The feuding comes to an end when a man from one family says he wants to marry a girl from the other family. The work is based on the 1932 novel Three Fevers by Leo Walmsley. Cast John Garrick as Marney Lunn J. Fisher White as Isaac Fosdyck Geraldine Fitzgerald as Ruth Fosdyck Wilfrid Lawson as Luke Fosdyck Moore Marriott as Tindal Fosdyck Sam Livesey as Henry Lunn Niall MacGinnis as John Lunn Joan Maude as Amy Lunn Derek Blomfield as Steve Lunn Hilda Davies as Mrs. Lunn Reception : Writing for The Spectator in 1935, Graham Greene remarked that the film was "unpretentious and truthful", and "one of the best English films he had yet seen". Rejecting contemporary critical comparison of the film to Man of Aran, Greene suggested that where Man of Aran had featured sentimentality, Turn of the Tide's director "Norman Walker is concerned with truth, [...] and the beauty his picture catches is that of exact statement". Although the film was originally considered a box-office disappointment it was eventually voted the sixth best British movie of 1936. Britmovie called it a "refreshingly compassionate drama that benefits from being filmed on location at Robin Hood's Bay and Whitby".

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.

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.

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.

A brief encounter between film director David Lean and Leonard Cheshire. Lean directs and appears in this film in which he tells how he became interested in the work of Cheshire in India to support disabled people. Leonard Cheshire speaks of setting up the Raphael home in the foothills of the Himalayas, as well as his plans for the future.

Directed by David Lean, this short film, made in 1977, is a promotion for Leonard Cheshire's charities which were set up to help disabled people live productive happy lives. Leonard Cheshire speaks to camera – and David Lean’s behind it. Lean was friendly with Cheshire and directed the low-budget film, produced on behalf of the Ryder-Cheshire charity, free of charge. Cheshire’s wide-ranging discussion of disability here and worldwide, illustrated with interspersed stills and footage, offers up much useful material for anyone studying the history of how disability is viewed.

Blithe Spirit is a 1945 British fantasy-comedy film directed by David Lean. The screenplay by Lean, cinematographer Ronald Neame and associate producer Anthony Havelock-Allan, is based on actor/director/producer and playwright Noël Coward's 1941 play of the same name, the title of which is derived from the line "Hail to thee, blithe Spirit! Bird thou never wert" in the poem "To a Skylark" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The song "Always", written by Irving Berlin, is an important plot element in "Blithe Spirit". The film features Kay Hammond and Margaret Rutherford, in the roles they created in the original production, along with Rex Harrison and Constance Cummings in the lead parts of Charles and Ruth Condomine. While unsuccessful at the box office and a disappointing adaptation for the screen, according to Coward, who wrote the screenplay himself, it has since come to be considered notable for its Technicolor photography and Oscar-winning visual effects in particular. Plot :Seeking background material for an occult-based novel he is working on, writer Charles Condomine invites eccentric medium Madame Arcati to his home in Lympne, Kent, to conduct a séance. As Charles, his wife Ruth and their guests, George and Violet Bradman barely restrain themselves from laughing, Madame Arcati performs peculiar rituals and finally goes into a trance. Charles then hears the voice of his dead first wife, Elvira. When he discovers that the others cannot hear her, he evasively passes off his odd behaviour as a joke. When Arcati recovers, she is certain that something extraordinary has occurred, but everyone else denies it. After Madame Arcati and the Bradmans have left, Charles is unable to convince Ruth that he was not joking. Elvira soon appears in the room, but only to Charles. He becomes both dismayed and amused by the situation. He tries to convince Ruth that Elvira is present, but Ruth thinks Charles is trying to play her for the fool, so becoming rather upset, she quickly retires for the night. The following evening, Elvira reappears, further confounding the situation. Relations between Charles and Ruth become strained until he persuades Elvira to act as a poltergeist and transport a vase and a chair in front of his current wife, Ruth. As Elvira continues her antics, Ruth becomes frightened and runs out of the room. Ruth seeks Madame Arcati's help in sending Elvira back where she came from, but the medium confesses that she does not know quite how to do so. Ruth warns her disbelieving husband that Elvira is seeking to be reunited with him by arranging his mortal demise. However, ghostly Elvira's mischievous plan backfires; as a result, it is Ruth, not Charles, who drives off in the car she has tampered with and ends up dead. A vengeful Ruth, now too in spirit form, harasses Elvira to the point where she wants to depart the earthly realm. In desperation, Charles seeks Madame Arcati's help. Various incantations fail, until Arcati realises that it was the Condomines' maid Edith who summoned Elvira. Arcati appears to succeed in sending the spirits away, but it soon becomes clear that both have remained. Acting on Madame Arcati's suggestion, Charles sets out on a long vacation, but he has a fatal accident while driving away and joins his late wives as a spirit himself.

A silent home movie shot by David Lean with a hand camera while on holiday in Italy in Summer 1950. The added audio is ambient mood music by the Nobodies.

Edited by David Lean : Java Head is a 1934 British historical drama film directed by J. Walter Ruben and an uncredited Thorold Dickinson. It stars Anna May Wong, Elizabeth Allan and Ralph Richardson. Plot: The film is set mostly in the seaport of Bristol, England, in the years 1848-50. Captain Jeremy Ammidon is the founder of the shipping line Ammidon & Sons, and lives with his family in his house "Java Head", named after the promontory in Java, Indonesia, now known as Tanjung Layar. His elder, land-based son William runs the company day-to-day, and wants to upgrade the fleet from slow sailing ships to fast clippers and steamships, and to carry contraband, all against his father’s wishes. Captain Ammidon’s younger, seafaring, son Gerrit is friends with Nettie Vollar. Nettie secretly loves Gerrit but her strict and religious grandfather, who has had a 20-year quarrel with his old shipmate Captain Ammidon, disapproves of any deeper friendship between Nettie and Gerrit. Gerrit leaves on a commercial voyage and spends a year sailing round the world, taking weeks longer than other ships. He returns with a new bride, the beautiful Taou Yuen, who is the daughter of a Manchu prince.[a] The Ammidon family are shocked and the conservative local townspeople are scandalised, exchanging gossip about Gerrit returning with “a heathen Chinese! From China!” Churchgoers look on aghast when she attends Sunday service in traditional Chinese dress, although the vicar is more welcoming and explains he has studied the teachings of Confucius. Although the Ammidons are initially as hostile as their friends and neighbours, the women in the family warm to Taou Yuen’s grace and nobility. Taou Yuen fears she is pursued by an evil spirit. She also tells Gerrit that “Unless I make you happy, I have no right to live.” Time passes, and Gerrit wants to return to sea. He shows signs of dissatisfaction with his marriage to his exotic wife, and is concerned about leaving her alone while he is away. He starts to pay attention to Nettie, feeling sorry for her and her family’s deteriorating business position. Without consulting Captain Ammidon or Gerrit, William orders four clipper ships and two steam packets. Captain Ammidon is initially interested in the details, but he then discovers that William has also been using the family’s ships to transport opium. Captain Ammidon is appalled and dies from shock. Gerrit decides he no longer wants to be part of the firm but to sell up and take one ship to start a new business in the Far East. He is also annoyed by Taou Yuen’s mourning ceremonies and her attitude towards death, which he does not understand. Gerrit and Nettie declare their love for each other, but Gerrit says he must leave her as he already has a wife. Taou Yuen realises that her husband loves another woman, and that there cannot be two loves in his life. She visits Nettie and, as she is about to garrotte her to death, she is disturbed. Taou Yuen poisons herself with opium and dies. Gerrit sails away with Nettie to their new life together.

Edited by David Lean -- 'Tiger Bay' is a 1934 British film directed by J. Elder Wills and starring the Chinese-American actor Anna May Wong. Film Plot: A young Englishman abroad, Michael, visits the local low-life spot of Tiger Bay to test his assertion that the spirit of human romance survives even in the most unpromising of circumstances. He intervenes when a local criminal protection racketeer targets a Chinese nightclub, and falls in love with the owner's young English foster-sister. But Olaf's gang have only just started their campaign against Lui Chang, the cultured, elegant woman who owns the premises... and she is determined not to be intimidated or driven out of business under any circumstances... Sadly it ends in tragedy.

Edited by David Lean -- 'Escape Me Never' is a 1935 British comedy drama film directed by Paul Czinner, produced by Herbert Wilcox, and starring Elisabeth Bergner (recreating the role of Gemma as she created it onstage in New York and London), Hugh Sinclair and Griffith Jones. The score is by William Walton with orchestration by Hyam Greenbaum. Bergner was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance, but lost to Bette Davis (playing Joyce Heath in 'Dangerous' - 1935). 'Escape Me Never' Plot : a fallen woman with a baby gets involved in a love triangle with the son of a famous composer. This is not a quality copy but it is worth watching because the clever editing by David Lean is so good it overcomes some of the mechanical wooden acting in the film by the lesser characters. Elisabeth Bergner is delightful and tremendously funny in the film.

A promotional clip made in 1995, narrated by Omar Sharif, that introduces the restored version of Dr Zhivago. There are a few interesting stills in the clip, so it is worth including here for fans/students of David Lean.

Featurette, produced in 1965, presenting Omar Sharif on the set of Dr Zhivago (1965). It is promotional but there is a little inside information about the filming and some behind-the-scenes shots.

Featurette, produced in 1965, presenting Julie Christie on the set of Dr Zhivago (1965). It is promotional but there is a little inside information about the filming and some behind-the-scenes shots.

A featurette, produced in 1965, presenting Geraldine Chaplin on the set of Dr Zhivago (1965). It is promotional but there is a little inside information about the filming and some behind-the-scenes shots.

'David Lean's film of Dr.Zhivago' was produced in 1965 as an extended promotional trailer. Pre-release screenings had some critics denigrating the film for what they described as 'romanticization of the revolution' (even though the film was essentially true to Boris Pasternak book upon which it was based). The film was big budget and broadcast adverse criticism had to be overcome to recover costs from ticket sales - so a mass of promotional material was made by the studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and widely distributed. In the end people ignored the critics and Dr Zhivago made about 10 times its budget with massive ticket sales. However, David Lean was wounded by some of the criticism from the professional pundits and became somewhat embittered. An unfortunate character flaw of David Lean was his inability to deal with criticism, even when he knew it was not genuine and only done to be controversial to sell copy.

Although uncredited, David Lean directed many of the cinematic scenes in the 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' and edited the scenes for the final cut. Also uncredited, he assisted with the montage (the storyboarding of the rushes for the entire film edit) and was also an advisor/contributor to script reworks during the shoot. The Greatest Story Ever Told is a 1965 American epic film produced and directed by George Stevens. It is a retelling of the Biblical account about Jesus of Nazareth, from the Nativity through to the Ascension. With an ensemble cast (ranging from Telly Savalas to John Wayne). Incidently, it was Claude Rains' final film role.

'Dr. Zhivago - The Making Of A Russian Epic' is a Documentary made in 1995 to give viewers an idea about how Dr. Zhivago (1965) was filmed, how obstacles were overcome, and the relationships and rivalries between the parties. Omar Sharif narrates this documentary that delves into the making of Doctor Zhivago (1965). Included are various clips from the film, and a lot of behind the scenes footage of director David Lean and stars. We also hear several stories about improvised material and problems on the set.

Edited by David Lean -- Major Barbara is a 1941 British film starring Wendy Hiller and Rex Harrison. The film was produced and directed by Gabriel Pascal and edited by David Lean. It was adapted for the screen by Marjorie Deans and Anatole de Grunwald, based on the 1905 stage play Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw. It was both a critical and a financial success. Plot: In this social satire, Barbara Undershaft (Hiller), an idealistic major in the Salvation Army, is deeply troubled by the fact that her father, Andrew Undershaft (Robert Morley), is a wealthy weapons manufacturer. Meanwhile, Andrew is looking for an heir for his industrial empire, in particular a foundling like himself.

'Moscow In Madrid' (1965) is a Featurette about how the expanse (Steps) of Russia and city of Moscow was created in countryside just outside Madrid, for the film Doctor Zhivago. When David Lean made film Doctor Zhivago (1965), he realized that it would be impossible to do location shooting in Moscow. Instead, he found a location on the plains outside Madrid, Spain, and built a set to look like the Russian capital. This promotional film gives viewers a look at the set under construction. Bill Welch was the construction manager for the sets and did an amazing job.

This is an audio article about the woeful collaboration between David Lean and Steven Spielberg on the unmade film 'Nostromo'. Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard is a 1904 novel by Joseph Conrad. It is set in the fictional South American country of Costaguana, and more specifically in that country's Occidental Province and its port city of Sulaco. Though Costaguana is a fictional nation, its geography as described in the book resembles real-life Colombia. Costaguana has a long history of tyranny, revolution and warfare, but has recently experienced a period of stability under the dictator Ribiera. Charles Gould is a native Costaguanero of English descent who owns an important silver-mining concession near the key port of Sulaco. He is tired of the political instability in Costaguana and its concomitant corruption, and uses his wealth to support Ribiera's government, which he believes will finally bring stability to the country after years of misrule and tyranny by self-serving dictators. Instead, Gould's refurbished silver mine and the wealth it has generated inspires a new round of revolutions and self-proclaimed warlords, plunging Costaguana into chaos. Among others, the forces of the revolutionary General Montero invade Sulaco after securing the inland capital. Gould, adamant that his silver mine should not become spoil for his enemies, orders Nostromo, the trusted "Capataz de Cargadores" (Head Longshoreman) of Sulaco, to take the mine's most recent load of silver offshore, and arranges for the mine complex to be destroyed by dynamite if the coup leaders try to take it. Nostromo is a commanding figure in Sulaco, respected by the wealthy Europeans and seemingly limitless in his abilities to command power among the local population. He is, however, never admitted to become a part of upper-class society, but is instead viewed by the rich as their useful tool. He is believed by Charles Gould and his own employers to be incorruptible, and it is for this reason that Nostromo is entrusted with removing the silver from Sulaco to keep it from the revolutionaries. Accompanied by the young journalist Martin Decoud, Nostromo sets off to smuggle the silver out of Sulaco. However, the lighter on which the silver is being transported is struck at night in the waters off Sulaco by a transport carrying the invading revolutionary forces under the command of Colonel Sotillo. Nostromo and Decoud manage to save the silver by putting the lighter ashore on Great Isabel. Decoud and the silver are deposited on the deserted island of Great Isabel in the expansive bay off Sulaco, while Nostromo scuttles the lighter and manages to swim back to shore undetected. Back in Sulaco, Nostromo's power and fame continues to grow as he daringly rides over the mountains to summon the army which ultimately saves Sulaco's powerful leaders from the revolutionaries and ushers in the independent state of Sulaco. In the meantime, left alone on the deserted island, Decoud eventually loses his mind. He takes the small lifeboat out to sea and there shoots himself, after first weighing his body down with some of the silver ingots so that he would sink into the sea. His exploits during the revolution do not bring Nostromo the fame he had hoped for, and he feels slighted and used. Feeling that he has risked his life for nothing, he is consumed by resentment, which leads to his corruption and ultimate destruction, for he has kept secret the true fate of the silver after all others believed it lost at sea. He finds himself becoming a slave of the silver and its secret, even as he slowly recovers it ingot by ingot during nighttime trips to Great Isabel. The fate of Decoud is a mystery to Nostromo, which combined with the fact of the missing silver ingots only adds to his paranoia. Eventually a lighthouse is constructed on Great Isabel, threatening Nostromo's ability to recover the treasure in secret. The ever resourceful Nostromo manages to have a close acquaintance, the widower Giorgio Viola, named as its keeper. Nostromo is in love with Giorgio's younger daughter, but ultimately becomes engaged to his elder daughter Linda. One night while attempting to recover more of the silver, Nostromo is shot and killed, mistaken for a trespasser by old Giorgio.

A featurette made in 1965 about Boris Pasternak And David Lean. It presents a potted history of Boris Pasternak and describes how David Lean came to make Doctor Zhivago - a David Lean film adapted from Boris Pasternak's book of the same name.

Behind The Camera with David Lean is a 1965 Featurette on the Doctor Zhivago Film Shoot. There is a little inside information, but it is mostly promotional fluff.

David Lean (2023) Mini Biography (Audio Article)

Edited by David Lean -- Dangerous Ground is a 1934 British mystery film directed by Norman Walker and starring Malcolm Keen, Jack Raine and Joyce Kennedy. The film was a quota quickie, produced by Paramount's British subsidiary at British and Dominions Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. The film's editor was David Lean who was working in low-budget films during this stage of his career. Plot :Two insurance detectives work with the police to identify and bring down a crime kingpin. After one is murdered, his partner and his daughter decide to solve the case themselves.