He directedLawrence of ArabiaandBridge on the River Kwai.
The films areIn Which We Serve,This Happy Breed,Blithe SpiritandBrief Encounter.
And our review of the Blu-ray set of David Lean Directs Noel Coward follows after the jump.
In Which We Serve was David Leans directorial debut, and a credit he shared with Coward.
The film follows the ship the HMS Torrin as it goes into battle and gets sunk.
It then cuts to the lives of its crew.
People die, some people are jerks, and it never pretends that everyone is noble.
At the same time it is a war picture with an obvious goal.
If Im lukewarm on the film, its partly because it seems so meant for its period.
Its a good for what it is film.
This Happy Breed is the beginning of Britishs Kitchen Sink cinema.
The father is Frank Gibbons (Robert Newton) and his wife is Ethel (Celia Johnson).
The parents are a proper sort, while the children get into all the trouble.
Much of it focuses on settling down, as all the children eventually move into serious relationships.
Theres drama that comes from unexpected deaths, and rebellious children, but it mostly stays about the people.
Its a solid work, but borders on feeling like a history lesson.
Its a good film, and fascinating, but a touch dull.
The film comes in full frame (1.37:1) and in 2.0 Monaural sound.
Extras on this disc include another discussion with Barry Day (15 min.
), and The Golden Age (44 min.
), an interview with the then 99 year old cinematographer and eventual director Ronald Neame.
Even at that age, hes a great interview, and provides wonderful anecdotes.
Its worth purchasing the whole set for his talk.
The films trailer and re-release trailer are also included.
Blithe Spirit is a rare David Lean Comedy and he acquits himself well.
Its minor but charmingly so.
The Blu-ray is in full frame (1.37:1) and in 2.0 monaural sound.
Here the picture quality shows the problems with Technicolor restoration.
Theres a near-constant flickering of the image that often happens with older three strip films.
It still looks good for its age.
It comes with a Barry Day conversation (11 min.
), and an episode of the Southbank Show on Noel Coward (51 min.
), with interviews with Coward,John Gielgud,Daniel Masseyand John Mills among others.
The films theatrical trailer is also included.
The masterpiece of the set isBrief Encounter.
The doctor leaves, and Laura returns home to listen to the radio.
As she sits, she reflects on the affair the two had.
After a chance (brief) encounter, the two begin spending time together.
Shes a slightly bored housewife, and the two have an obvious immediate connection.
But here the subject matter of passion is as ripe as anything in cinema history.
Whats also great about it is that Lean doesnt muck about.
The performances are top notch across the board, and the troubles they face are completely empathetic.
Lean at the time heard snickers in test screenings and for a long time thought it was a failure.
