David Lean

Most articles by Ms. Jane Freebury are eye-openers for prospective viewers of the films discussed. Her latest one on David Lean (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 6) was no exception.

David Lean's films may not be among the twenty best films ever, but each of his films is memorable in one way or another. I think it is the intensity of the dramatic scenes and the strong hold he has on the storyline that carry his films through.

In my opinion the consistency of his output during a career spanning more than 30 years has only been surpassed by Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (not related to Ingrid).

I found the headline misleading: "David Lean's films at the British Council". It was as if the BC was going to show all of Lean's films. Of course, each of the three films on show is worth a trip to the Rooftop Theater, but the caption might easily lead us to think: "Wonderful, a rare chance to see a retrospective of Lean's films." A suitable headline would have been: "Three David Lean films at the British Council" or "Three of David Lean's films at the British Council".

Any retrospective should include the black and white films of Lean's early period: "Brief Encounter" and "Great Expectations" among them. The latter is Lean at his best. Hardly any filmmaker could make such an entertaining film out of a classic. (Charles Dickens's book of the same title.) From his later period "Ryan's Daughter" is better than "Doctor Zhivago".

Unlike Ms. Freebury, I would not rate "Lawrence of Arabia" as the best of the three on show, the others being "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "A Passage to India". There is a sluggishness at times in "Lawrence", uncharacteristic of David Lean. We may be mesmerized by the stunning photography of the desert scenes but all along we feel a nagging thirst due to the lack of intense acting of the star-studded cast, despite excellent performances in some of the smaller parts.

Jane Freebury must have personal reasons for preferring "Lawrence of Arabia". My favorite would be "Kwai" then "Passage". In "Lawrence" David Lean seemed to somewhat lose his control of the proceedings.

It is nice to talk about non-American films for a change.

S. HARMONO

Jakarta