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David Lean

David Lean

Editor, director and writer, also producer · Died April 16, 1991, aged 83 · Croydon, Surrey, England, UK

Sir David Lean CBE (25 March 1908 – 16 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, he is best remembered for adapting the works of Charles Dickens and Noël Coward, and for his large scale period epics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Ryan's Daughter (1970), and A Passage to India (1984). Acclaimed and praised by directors such as Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick, Lean was voted 9th greatest film director of all time in the British Film Institute Sight & Sound "Directors Top Directors" poll 2002. Nominated seven times for the Academy Award for Best Director, winning twice for The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, he has seven films in the British Film Institute's Top 100 British Films (with three of them being in the top five).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 25, 1908
Died
April 16, 1991 (aged 83)
From
Croydon, Surrey, England, UK
Works as
Editor, director and writer, also producer
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 45 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 8% in 30 days

What are David Lean's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 88th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 95th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Self
27%
Morality
17%
Survival
7%
Society
6%
Power
6%
Ideas
5%
Romantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 4 · Dark 12

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 9 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 7 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 15 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 10

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Melancholic
14
Romantic
6
Warm
5
Hopeful
5
Other
14

How their films linger

Bittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet16
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Lean's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Lean's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

45 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page; 25 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • A Passage to India(1984)

    Director · Editor · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director · Writer · as himself

  • Ryan's Daughter(1970)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Doctor Zhivago(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Greatest Story Ever Told(1965)

    Second Unit Director

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Wind, Sand and Star (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Actor

  • Lawrence of Arabia(1962)

    Director · Producer · as Motorcyclist by Suez Canal (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Summertime(1955)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Hobson's Choice(1954)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Sound Barrier(1952)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Madeleine(1950)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Passionate Friends(1949)

    Director · Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Oliver Twist(1948)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Great Expectations(1946)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Brief Encounter(1945)

    Director · Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Blithe Spirit(1945)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • This Happy Breed(1944)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • In Which We Serve(1942)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • One of Our Aircraft Is Missing(1942)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The 49th Parallel(1941)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Major Barbara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Assistant Director

  • Spy for a Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Editor

  • French Without Tears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Editor

  • Spies of the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Editor

  • Pygmalion(1938)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Wife of General Ling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Editor

  • Dreaming Lips (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Editor

  • As You Like It(1936)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Ball at Savoy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Editor

  • The Crouching Beast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Editor

  • Escape Me Never (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Editor

  • The King of Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Editor

  • Tiger Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Editor

  • The Secret of the Loch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Editor

  • Dangerous Ground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Editor

  • The Fortunate Fool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Editor

  • Song of the Plough (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Editor

  • Money for Speed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    Editor

  • The Ghost Camera(1933)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Insult (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Editor

  • These Charming People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Editor

  • The Night Porter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Editor

  • Sailors Don't Care (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Assistant Camera

  • Quinneys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Production Runner

Career shape

A full career of 46 titles from 1927 to 1984.

Biggest box office

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

$112M worldwide

Highest rated

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 46: 2 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting17 of 46: 5 only directing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score89thWriting9 of 46: 0 only writing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score89thProducing2 of 46: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleEditing24 of 46: 23 only editing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score84thOther crew5 of 46: 4 only other crew, 1 with another role

46 titles, 12 with more than one role — editing and directing overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1920s2 · crew1930s19 · crew1940s12 · crew1950s5 · crew1960s4 · 2 acting · 3 crew1970s3 · 1 acting · 2 crew1980s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do David Lean's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 88th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up18
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 22 titles divides audiences: 12 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved8
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most loved · director

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles; fans 58, detractors 31. The element that speaks to their work as an editor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is David Lean's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles12–59 · median 45 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles8–38 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles2–23 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles19–40 · median 29 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 52 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does David Lean work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Lean's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ronald Neame shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers