Post by london777 on Aug 1, 2018 20:06:10 GMT
Among the best films ever made:
1) Brief Encounter
2) Great Expectations
3) Oliver Twist
But he had a lot of help from a certain CD's story-telling genius for the latter two. All Lean had to do was not mess up, and he didn't.
Then still good, but quite some way behind:
4) The Sound Barrier
5) Doctor Zhivago (We can excuse Pasternak's ideological fence-sitting in his situation, but no excuse for Lean)
6) In Which We Serve (though a bit clunky in places, presumably the bits Lean did not direct, but we shall never know as Coward was such a liar).
worthy but dull:
7) Passage to India
8) The Bridge on the River Kwai
Could have been great if not for the insertion of the William Holden sub-plot. I believe I am correct that this was not in the original novel? A vulgar and derivative, but no doubt successful, attempt to appeal to the US market, most of which was probably unaware that the UK was a participant in WWII in Asia.
..................................................
I need to watch Lawrence of Arabia again. Until now my feeling has been that I was one of the members here who have watched it too many times. In my case once. I have an aversion to Peter O'Toole, and the misrepresentation of the political issues makes me mad, whereas the political bits that were correctly shown just make me very sad. But I will steel myself to watch again as so many members I respect esteem it highly.
1) Brief Encounter
2) Great Expectations
3) Oliver Twist
But he had a lot of help from a certain CD's story-telling genius for the latter two. All Lean had to do was not mess up, and he didn't.
Then still good, but quite some way behind:
4) The Sound Barrier
5) Doctor Zhivago (We can excuse Pasternak's ideological fence-sitting in his situation, but no excuse for Lean)
6) In Which We Serve (though a bit clunky in places, presumably the bits Lean did not direct, but we shall never know as Coward was such a liar).
worthy but dull:
7) Passage to India
8) The Bridge on the River Kwai
Could have been great if not for the insertion of the William Holden sub-plot. I believe I am correct that this was not in the original novel? A vulgar and derivative, but no doubt successful, attempt to appeal to the US market, most of which was probably unaware that the UK was a participant in WWII in Asia.
..................................................
I need to watch Lawrence of Arabia again. Until now my feeling has been that I was one of the members here who have watched it too many times. In my case once. I have an aversion to Peter O'Toole, and the misrepresentation of the political issues makes me mad, whereas the political bits that were correctly shown just make me very sad. But I will steel myself to watch again as so many members I respect esteem it highly.