Pick of the Week: The David Lean Collection

DVD Release Date: September 9, 2003

I’ve always admired David Lean as a director, and he’s made many films I’ve enjoyed, including “Summertime” (1955), “Brief Encounter” (1945), “Doctor Zhivago” (1965), “Great Expectations” (1946), “Oliver Twist” (1948), “Ryan's Daughter” (1970), and “Blithe Spirit” (1945). “The David Lean Collection” is a box set of three DVDs that includes three of my other favorite movies directed by Lean: “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957), and “A Passage to India” (1984).

This boxed set deepened my appreciation of Lean’s ability to create movies of epic grandeur. All three films are absorbing stories set against spectacular backdrops, but they are more than mere spectacle—all three are thematically rich, exploring character, politics, society, and history. The three movies in “The David Lean Collection” scored big at the Academy Awards, being nominated for a total of 29, of which they won 15.

“Lawrence of Arabia,” which ranks fifth on the American Film Institute’s list of great films, chronicles the adventures of eccentric Englishman T.E.

Lawrence, who rallied the Arabs to fight the Turks during World War I. What I love about this movie is that it’s one of the most cinematic films I’ve ever seen, while at the same time it creates a nuanced character study of the enigmatic, complex Lawrence. The photography captures for me the beautiful and inhospitable nature of a vast desert. I’ll never forget Peter O’Toole’s intense performance in the title role—he is the very embodiment of obsession.

“The Bridge on the River Kwai,” which ranks thirteenth on AFI’s great movie list, tells the curious tale of a British army officer who commands a group of POWs building a bridge for the Japanese in World War II Burma. I’ve always admired Alec Guinness’ Oscar-winning performance as the brave Col. Nicholson who ends up going a little mad. To me, Nicholson personifies a good man who gets so wrapped up in his own world that he loses sight of the moral implications of his actions. The movie has a truly exciting finale when William Holden’s character leads a commando squad in an attempt to destroy the strategic bridge that Nicholson’s men have worked so hard to build.

“A Passage to India,” adapted from E.M. Forster’s famous novel, involves beautiful cinematography and exotic locations, but it’s not an adventure film. I would describe it as a sociopolitical drama set in 1920s India. Judy Davis plays Miss Quested, a young Englishwoman who goes to India. She does not fit in well with the Brits who are there to administer the colony, and her repressed sexuality is challenged by the foreignness of the environment. Miss Quested’s association with an Indian physician (Victor Banerjee) leads to a trial that brings the underlying tensions between Indians and colonial Brits to the surface. “A Passage to India” is a good film rather than a great one, but I think it is well worth seeing. In addition to being lushly cinematic, the movie explores difficult issues. Both the acting and the well-drawn characters helped pull me into the film’s story.

I’ve listed the special features for each of the three discs in “The David Lean Collection” below.

Special features on the DVDs:

“Lawrence of Arabia”

• Anamorphic Widescreen (2.20:1)
• English 5.

1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai

“The Bridge on the River Kwai”

• Anamorphic Widescreen (2.55:1)
• English 5.1 Dolby Digital
• English 2-Channel Dolby Surround
• French Language Track
• Spanish Language Track
• Portuguese Language Track
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
• Talent Files
• Theatrical Trailers

“A Passage to India”

• Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
• English 2-Channel Dolby Surround
• French Language Track
• Spanish Language Track
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Reflections of David Lean (8 min.)
• Talent Files
• Theatrical Trailers