David Lean

 David Lean




Blithe Spirit (1945)

Brief Encounter (1945)

Great Expectations (1946)




RANKED:

3. Blithe Spirit (1945)


Despite being a commercial failure in 1945, David Lean's British screwball comedy "Blithe Spirit" is now retrospectively considered a classic. Filmed in technicolor, this lively affair finds a middle-aged writer being haunted by the ghost of his dead first wife. His second wife is none too pleased. Everyone in the production disliked the project and so did audiences. However, critics noted a certain charm with the film, along with its technical advancements with the colorization and all the special effects involving the ghostly apparitions. "Blithe Spirit" may not be a film everyone will remember, but it is certainly a notable film in the illustrious career of David Lean.




2. Great Expectations (1946)


After the war, David Lean adapted two of Charles Dickens most famous novels. The first, released in 1946, was Dickens 1861 novel "Great Expectations." Centering on a young orphan boy who finds himself in the fortunate circumstances of becoming a noble gentleman, the film was praised by critics and audiences for effectively rendering the classic Dickens novel to cinematic terms. After the success of this "Great Expectations" adaptation, Lean would go on to make "Oliver Twist" for his next feature-length film, which would also be a success. 




1. Brief Encounter (1945)


Adapted from the 1936 play "Still Life" by Noel Coward, David Lean's 1945 British film "Brief Encounter" tells the story of a...well...brief encounter that eventually turns into a doomed romance. A married woman and a married man meet at the train station and begin to form a bond and eventually fall in love, all the while meeting in secret. However, they both know that their relationship is doomed to fail as our protagonist Laura can't disregard her family, her husband, and her values. This is why the film works so well and why it was successful with 1940s British audiences: Laura continues to uphold the values commonly held by British society, while all the while allowing herself moments of respite. The fact that it is only a respite is what drives the romantic tension of the film. Laura does not consummate the romantic relationship and, in the end, ends up back in the arms of her husband. For today's audiences, this might seem like an undesirable ending, as many would feel that Laura is not doing what's 'in her heart' and in her own interest. However, the moral integrity of British society at the time was far too great for such a disintegration of values. Rather, it was the tragic nature of the romance that created a fervor in the viewer and made "Brief Encounter" an iconic British film. 

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