The Best Movies Directed by David Lean
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1Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony QuinnLawrence of Arabia, a sweeping epic drama, chronicles the remarkable life and adventures of T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), a British officer stationed in the Middle East during World War I. The narrative unfolds as Lawrence is dispatched to Arabia, where he forges an unlikely alliance with Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) to launch a guerrilla war against the Turks. Despite grappling with his own moral quandaries and the harsh desert conditions, Lawrence's strategic brilliance shapes the course of history in the Arabian Peninsula. This cinematic masterpiece bagged seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, underscoring its timeless appeal and technical excellence.More Lawrence of Arabia
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2Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley HollowayReturning home from a shopping trip to a nearby town, bored suburban housewife Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) is thrown by happenstance into an acquaintance with virtuous doctor Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard). Their casual friendship soon develops during their weekly visits into something more emotionally fulfilling than either expected, and they must wrestle with the potential havoc their deepening relationship would have on their lives and the lives of those they love.More Brief Encounter
3William Holden, Alec Guinness, Sessue HayakawaSet against the backdrop of World War II, The Bridge on the River Kwai is an epic war film. It narrates the tale of British POWs, commanded by Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), who are forced by their Japanese captors to construct a strategic railway bridge. Under extreme conditions, they must grapple with questions of duty and honor. The film's climax unfolds around an American commando mission led by Major Shears (William Holden) to destroy the bridge. Noteworthy for its memorable performances and gripping narrative, the film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.- Dig Deeper...Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes
- #20 of 262 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #659 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
4Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine ChaplinSet against the backdrop of Russia's tumultuous political landscape, Doctor Zhivago is a sweeping epic that tells the tale of Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif), a physician and poet. Balancing his love for two women, Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin) and Lara (Julie Christie), amidst the chaos of World War I and the Russian Revolution, Zhivago grapples with his torn affections. Directed by David Lean, this film won five Academy Awards. It stands as a monument in cinema history for its grandeur and portrayal of human resilience during times of upheaval.More Doctor Zhivago- #127 of 262 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #31 of 80 onThe Best Period Romance Movies
- #128 of 375 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
5Robert Newton, Alec Guinness, John DaviesWhen 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (John Howard Davies) dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble (Francis L. Sullivan), for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger (Anthony Newley) and his criminal mentor, Fagin (Alec Guinness). When kindly Mr. Brownlow (Henry Stephenson) takes Oliver in, Fagin's evil henchman Bill Sikes (Robert Newton) plots to kidnap the boy.More Oliver Twist- #196 of 342 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
- #8 of 23 onThe Best Movies Where The Director Is Directing Their Spouse
- #8 of 75 onThe Best Movies About Orphans
6John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Bernard MilesIn this Dickens adaptation, orphan Pip (John Mills) discovers through lawyer Mr. Jaggers (Francis L. Sullivan) that a mysterious benefactor wishes to ensure that he becomes a gentleman. Reunited with his childhood patron, Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt), and his first love, the beautiful but emotionally cold Estella (Valerie Hobson), he discovers that the elderly spinster has gone mad from having been left at the altar as a young woman, and has made her charge into a warped, unfeeling heartbreaker.More Great Expectations- #271 of 375 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
- #253 of 675 onThe Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
- #29 of 70 onThe Best Oscar-Nominated Movies of the 1940s
7Robert Mitchum, John Mills, Trevor HowardRyan's Daughter is a 1970 epic romantic drama film directed by David Lean. The film, set in 1916, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair with a British officer during WWI, despite opposition from her nationalist neighbours. The film is a very loose adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary. The film stars Robert Mitchum, Sarah Miles, John Mills, Christopher Jones, Trevor Howard and Leo McKern, with a score by Maurice Jarre.
8Judy Davis, Peggy Ashcroft, Victor BanerjeeBased on the renowned E.M. Forster novel, this expansive period drama centers on the changing dynamic between British colonials and native locals in India during the 1920s. When an outing to explore scenic caves ends in English tourist Adela Quested (Judy Davis) accusing Indian doctor Aziz Ahmed (Victor Banerjee) of rape, the incident results in a major court case, one that reinforces tensions between the British Empire and the growing movement towards Indian independence.
9Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda De BanzieHenry Hobson (Charles Laughton), a British widower, is the overbearing owner of a shoe shop. His three daughters -- Alice, Vicky and Maggie (Brenda De Banzie) -- work for him and all are eager to get out from under his thumb. When the headstrong Maggie announces she intends to marry Henry's best employee, Will (John Mills), father and daughter engage in an intense showdown. As Maggie works on launching a competing business, she also helps her sisters free themselves of their domineering father.
10Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi, Darren McGavinMiddle-aged Ohio secretary Jane Hudson (Katharine Hepburn) has never found love and has nearly resigned herself to spending the rest of her life alone. But before she does, she uses her savings to finance a summer in romantic Venice, where she finally meets the man of her dreams, the elegant Renato Di Rossi (Rossano Brazzi). But when she learns that her new paramour is leading a double life, she must decide whether her happiness can come at the expense of others.More Summertime- #35 of 79 onThe Best Movies About Vacations
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11Ann Todd, Trevor Howard, Claude RainsIn this drama, based on the H.G. Wells novel, Mary (Ann Todd) longs for Steven (Trevor Howard), a lover she turned down years ago. Later, Mary is married to Howard (Claude Rains), but meets up with Steven while on vacation in the Swiss Alps. A seemingly platonic encounter fueled by pent-up passion leads to an affair between Mary and Steven, and she must choose between the two men -- the husband who loves her and the now-married man she rejected years earlier.
12Noel Coward, John Mills, Bernard MilesCo-directors David Lean and Noel Coward (in his sole filmmaking effort) created this patriotic World War II drama under the auspices of Great Britain's Ministry of Information. After the sinking of the HMS Torrin during the Battle of Crete in 1941, the ship's survivors -- including Captain Kinross (Noel Coward), Chief Petty Officer Hardy (Bernard Miles) and Seaman Blake (John Mills) -- recall their tour of duty in flashback while awaiting rescue in lifeboats being strafed by German airplanes.More In Which We Serve- #230 of 262 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #66 of 70 onThe Best Oscar-Nominated Movies of the 1940s
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13Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings, Kay HammondSkeptical novelist Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison) invites self-proclaimed medium Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) to his home for a séance, hoping to gather material for a new book. When the hapless psychic accidentally summons the spirit of Condomine's late wife, Elvira (Kay Hammond), his home and life are quickly turned into a shambles as his wife's ghost torments both himself and his new bride, Ruth (Constance Cummings). David Lean directed this adaptation of Noel Coward's hit play.More Blithe Spirit- #25 of 48 onThe Funniest Movies About Ghosts
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- This Happy Breed is a play by Noël Coward. It was written in 1939 but, because of the outbreak of World War II, it was not staged until 1942, when it was performed on alternating nights with another Coward play, Present Laughter. The two plays later alternated with Coward's Blithe Spirit. The title, a reference to the English people, is a phrase from John of Gaunt's monologue in Act II, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's Richard II. The story of the play concerns the working class Gibbons family between the end of World War I and the outbreak of World War II. It anticipates the non-violent ways in which social justice issues might be incorporated into post-war national reconstruction, examines the personal trauma caused by the sudden death of sons and daughters and anticipates the forthcoming return of English men from the war. It is also an intimate portrait of the economy and politics of Great Britain in the 1920s and 1930s (such as the General Strike of 1926), as well as showing the advances in technology – the arrival of primitive crystal radio sets and telephones, home gas lights being replaced by electricity and mass broadcast radio. This Happy Breed is one of a very few Coward plays to deal entirely with domestic events outside an upper class or upper middle class setting. A number of scenes are reminiscent of previous Coward works, such as Cavalcade (1931) or the short play Fumed Oak from Tonight at 8.30 (1936).
15Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd, Nigel PatrickWith a passion for aviation design and engineering, wealthy oilman John Ridgefield (Ralph Richardson) is determined to break the sound barrier with the aircraft company he owns. He has already lost his son in the pursuit, and his daughter, Susan (Ann Todd), resents her father even more when he chooses her husband, World War II pilot Tony Garthwaite (Nigel Patrick), to be one of the test pilots. Yet Ridgefield stands resolute in the name of scientific progress.
16Max von Sydow, Charlton Heston, Carroll BakerFrom his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ (Max von Sydow) is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. Major aspects of Christ's life are touched upon, including the execution of all the newborn males in Egypt by King Herod (Claude Rains) ; Christ's baptism by John the Baptist (Charlton Heston) ; and the betrayal by Judas after the Last Supper that eventually leads to Christ's crucifixion and miraculous return.- #103 of 242 onThe 200+ Best Movies Based On A True Story
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17Ann Todd, Norman Wooland, Ivan DesnyMadeleine Smith (Ann Todd), the beautiful eldest daughter of a wealthy Glasgow family, begins an illicit love affair with the charming Emile (Ivan Desny), a working-class Frenchman. When she begins to suspect that Emile loves her only for her money and social status, Madeleine agrees to marry the man her iron-fisted father (Leslie Banks) approves of, wealthy and respectable William Minnoch (Norman Wooland). When Emile dies suddenly, suspicion points to Madeleine as his murderer.
18Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, John MillsIn 1919, Frank Gibbons (Robert Newton) returns home from army duty and moves into a middle-class row house, bringing with him wife Ethel (Celia Johnson), carping mother-in-law Mrs. Flint (Amy Veness), sister-in-law Sylvia (Alison Leggatt) and three children. Years pass, with the daily routine of family infighting and reconciliation occasionally broken by a strike or a festival. By the time the children have grown into adults, another war is looming.
19Wendy Hiller, Rex Harrison, Robert MorleyThe daughter of rich weapons manufacturer Andrew Undershaft (Robert Morley), idealistic young Barbara (Wendy Hiller) rebels against her estranged father by joining the Salvation Army. Wooed by professor-turned-preacher Adolphus Cusins (Rex Harrison), Barbara eventually grows disillusioned with her causes and begins to see things from her father's perspective. Based on the play by George Bernard Shaw, the film's comedic social commentary pulls no punches.
20Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor
Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor is a short television film by David Lean.
