SIFF David Lean Retrospective
Film reviews by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1991 Jeff Meyer
The filmmaker retrospective this year focused on four of the late David Lean's films; three of them are among his lesser-known, non-epic pictures. Here's four thumbnail reviews...
BRIEF ENCOUNTER (David Lean Retrospective/Britain, 1945):
It has its moments, and you get Stanley Holloway wandering in and out, so it's watchable; but despite it's reputation as one of the great romantic films of all time, I found it unexceptional. (However, I think they forgot to show a reel of it; that I'm not sure should tell you something about the pace of it.)
HOBSON'S CHOICE (David Lean Retrospective/Britain, 1945):
Lean's only out-and-out comedy, this is a treat, telling the story of a period romance of practicality between a humble and rather simple cobbler (John Mills) and the elder daughter (Brenda de Banzie) of a wealthy, imperious ogre of a bootmaker played by Charles Laughton. The parts with Laughton are actually rather slow, but once the film settles on Mills and de Banzie (who decides that it's time she got married and that Mills has his points), it's a charmer.
DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (David Lean Retrospective/Britain, 1965):
Very beautiful and pretty to look at, like a Christmas snow scene under glass: after the first hour and a half, you want to turn it upside down and shake it. Alec Guinness is (as usual) magnetic in the few spots he's on, but Ralph Richardson isn't really given much room to move around in. Did anyone else find themselves snorting with amusement during Omar Sharif's last scene? Another tragic mass transit story...
SUMMERTIME (David Lean Retrospective/Britain, 1955):
I like Katherine Hepburn, I like the script, Lean captures Venice nicely, and it's interesting to see what Darren McGavin looked like when he was young and hadn't discovered vampires yet. Nothing very special, but you feel full up afterwards.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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