My Ten Favourite David Lean Films

A personal journey through my experiences with one of cinema’s greatest visual poets

Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Credit: Sony

Warning: Contains spoilers

One day in late 1984, my father inadvertently introduced me to David Lean, when I was nine years old. Doctor Zhivago (1965) was on the television that afternoon, and he’d mentioned he was going to watch it. He said it was a “grown-up” film, and that I probably wouldn’t be interested. He could not have been more wrong. I was completely blown away.

All right, yes, at nine, I didn’t fully grasp the nuances of the love triangle, but the film certainly proved an education in the horrors of the Russian revolution. More importantly, Lean’s epic visual style, even on television, had me utterly captivated. I’d never seen a film that long before. I’d never seen a film with a sad ending before. It took me on an emotional journey that captivated my burgeoning cinematic soul.

After the film, there was a documentary about the making of the soon-to-be-released A Passage to India (1984), as well as celebrations showing clips of his other films. Snippets of The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and other classics flashed before my eyes, and I told my father that whenever one of Lean’s films was being shown on the television, he was to let me know. I wanted to see every film he had ever made.

Thus, my love for David Lean, one of cinema’s greatest visual poets, was born. I devoured his work whenever I could, occasionally on cinema rereleases, where his astonishing imagery could be best appreciated. With at least two of Lean’s classics due for significant anniversaries this year, I thought now would be a good time to celebrate the best of his back catalogue by listing a countdown of my personal favourites. This list is entirely personal and subjective, not necessarily what I’d consider his “greatest” (if that were the case, the order would be significantly different). A lot has been written about David Lean by cineaste academics, but I hope my perspective provides a little more insight on why his films mean so much to me.