David Lean’s 29th death anniversary today
Today marks the death anniversary of prolific filmmaker Sir David Lean CBE. Known for his epic masterpieces, the editor, producer, director and scriptwriter has ruled the English film industry for over five decades, starting from 1942.
Born on March 25, 1908, to Francis William le Blount Lean and Helena Tangye, Dean was a dreamer as a schoolboy. At the age of 18, his uncle gave him a Brownie Box Camera, which sparked his interest in filming and movies. Pursuing his passion, he first entered the film industry as an editor.
David Lean made his directorial debut with Which We Serve (1942), in collaboration with Noel Coward. A few years later, his film Brief Encounter (1945), received two Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress for Celia Johnson for the role of Laura Jesson.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), became a filmic milestone in his career, winning 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Direction for Lean and Best Actor for Alec Guinness for the role of Colonel Nicholson. The film is based on the story of two British and American World War II prisoners in a Japanese prison camp in Burma.
Lean's next epic Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is the story of British officer trying to unite the squabbling Bedouins of the Arab peninsula to fight in World War I and to push them on for independence. Peter O'Toole was cast in the titular role of T E Lawrence for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The movie won seven awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
David Lean's Doctor Zhivago (1965), a film adaptation of Boris Pasternak's Nobel Prize winning novel of the same name, was also appreciated by critics and audiences alike. It is the story of how the Russian Revolution destroyed the personal life of aristocratic physician Yuri Andropov Zhivago (Omar Sharif). Julie Christie played the role of Lara Antipova in the film.
His film Ryan's Daughter (1970) did not receive much critical appreciation. However, the production did notably well at the box office, later winning two Oscars, including Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor.
Fourteen years later, Lean returned with his last masterpiece, A Passage to India (1984), an adaptation of E M Forster's novel of the same name where Alec Guinness played the role of Deccani Brahmin Narayan Godbole. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Lean, and Best Actress for Judy Davis for her portrayal of Adela Quested.
David Lean passed away on April 16, 1991, due to head and neck cancer.
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