Month: September 2003

Two aspects of David Lean’s directorial style are most striking. Using the technique of letting scenes “introduce” one another, Lean maintains congruity across different scene locations and characters. Lean also uses visual metaphors and the symbolic actions of his characters to give his storytelling depth. “There are two men in there, one half-mad, the other…

The introduction and conclusion of “Citizen Kane” serve as bookends to the many observations of a man’s life. They encapsulate the film’s dark tone, and emulate the varied aspects of power and wealth. The two sequences also offer two perspectives of the same material in life and death. Moving up from the “No Trespassing” sign…

David Lean and Robert Bolt undertake the monumental task of developing T.E. Lawrence in their epic film, a man eluding simple explanation. An outsider among British and Arab cultures alike; Lawrence is a loner, a thrill seeker, headstrong, yet intelligent and idealistic. He is enigmatic. A man racing along the English countryside gives us our…