David Lean - Softcover

In the course of his career, David Lean created some of the most unforgettable images in cinema history: the terrifying opening graveyard sequence in Great Expectations, the poignant railway farewell in Brief Encounter, the shimmering desert of Lawrence of Arabia and the frozen expanses of revolutionary Russia in Dr Zhivago. Film-maker and historian Kevin Brownlow spent many hours with Lean, who talked openly about a career which lasted over 50 years. Furthermore, Lean's family and friends - from the son from whom he was estranged, to the women who loved him - talk frankly about his complex personality: a man who was charming, self-deprecating, autocratic and ruthless, and yet surprisingly generous. Brownlow's definitive biography of Lean leaves the reader with an understanding of the man and an appreciation of his cinematic achievement.

In discussions with the author, film director David Lean talks about his cinema career, which spanned more than half a century and encompassed films such as "Brief Encounter", "Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia". There are also contributions from family and friends.