David Lean: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers) (Paperback)

~ Steven Organ (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.

From the Inside Flap

Interviews with the director of Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Passage to India, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and many other epic films

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (May 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1604732350
• ISBN-13: 978-1604732351
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #455,920 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful collection of interviews with a great storyteller, July 22, 2009

By	Michael Cohn "agile developer" (Lafayette, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: David Lean: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers) (Hardcover)

Sometime around 1971-73, before video recorders and DVRs, my dad let me stay up late one Friday night to watch "The Bridge on the River Kwai." Wow. A few years later, I came across "Lawrence of Arabia." Double wow. By then I'd learned what a director did and discovered that two of my favorite movies had been directed by David Lean.

This book is an excellent collection of interviews with the director. Some are direct question/response interviews. Of these, I think the standout is Robert Stewart's 1965 interview right after Dr. Zhivago came out. I loved reading Lean's thoughts on how he handled Zhivago himself because as Lean said, "he's not a typical screen hero. He is an observer. He doesn't do anything really." Yet, he turned that into a powerful movie and character.

Other of the interviews are of the "I interviewed David Lean and here are his comments and my thoughts." Another standout here is also from 1965 by Hollis Alpert. But the best is perhaps Harlan Kennedy's from 1985 and shortly after "A Passage to India," which has the luxury of looking back over Lean's entire career.

The editor of the book is uniquely qualified to have collected this diverse set of interviews. He maintains an interesting website devoted specifically to David Lean.

This is an excellent book that I can highly recommend to anyone interested in great films, great directors, or looking to learn how to tell a great story.