David Lean

David Lean co-directed Brief Encounter (1945) and Great Expectations (1946) before embarking on a series of increasingly ambitious large-scale productions - The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Ryan's Daughter (1970) - that redefined what the widescreen image could contain. His use of the desert, the sea, and the mountain landscape as emotional instruments earned him two Academy Awards for Best Director. He worked in extreme conditions with small crews for long periods and was known as a perfectionist of rare intensity.