Filmmaking QuotesFilmmaking Quotes
  • Home
  • Quotes by Film Director
  • Quotes by Topic
Instagram
Filmmaking QuotesFilmmaking Quotes
  • Home
  • Quotes by Film Director
  • Quotes by Topic
Filmmaking QuotesFilmmaking Quotes
You are at:Home » 25 David Lean Quotes: The Master of the Epic

25 David Lean Quotes: The Master of the Epic

6 Mins Read Quotes by Film Directors Updated:January 14, 2023
david lean quotes

David Lean is one of the most influential film directors of all time. He is best known for large-scale epics such as Lawrence of Arabia, Brief Encounter, and Doctor Zhivago.

Lean’s first major success as a director came with “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” winning the Academy Award for Best Director in 1957. Consequently, he received the Academy Award for Best Film Editing and received nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Art Director.

Below we’ve listed 25 of our favorite quotes from the English director guaranteed to inspire and help take your filmmaking to the next level.

David Lean Filmmaking Quotes

I want to make something that if I went to the cinema and it wasn’t me, I’d enjoy watching.

Film is a dramatised reality and it is the director’s job to make it appear real… an audience should not be conscious of technique.

I realise more and more that reality on the screen, which used to be the thing to aim at, is a sort of bore. I don’t mean that the audience should sit there and say, “Oh, that’s unreal”. But movies are a kind of dream and I think they should have an unreal edge to them, and that’s what I try to do.  David Lean

[on Doctor Zhivago (1965)] That film earned me more money than all my other films put together. It’s a wonderful story – you want to know what happens next. And wonderful characters. And Julie (Christie)…..which was quite a face.

[on the Academy Awards] If you have no hope of getting one, they’re despised. But it you have, they’re very important.

I wouldn’t take the advice of a lot of so-called critics on how to shoot a close-up of a teapot.

Good films can be made only by a crew of dedicated maniacs.

I hope the money men don’t find out that I’d pay them to let me do this.

On Writing the Screenplay

I find dialogue a bore, for the most part. I think that if you look back on any film you’ve seen, you don’t remember lines of dialogue, you remember pictures.

I’m first and foremost interested in the story, the characters.

I like making films about characters I’d like to have dinner with.

My distinguishing talent is the ability to put people under the microscope, perhaps to go one or two layers farther down than some other directors.

These American writers really frighten me. They talk so well and write so badly. I have now worked with five of them and not one has come along with a big, original idea.

I rather like mysteries. But I do dislike muddles.

[on film adaptations] I think the best you can do in a movie is to be faithful to the author’s intention in all areas. With the two Dickens films I did – Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948) – they are, oh, pencil sketches of these great novels that he wrote, but I think they are faithful. I wouldn’t have been ashamed to show him the films.

[interview on the set of A Passage to India (1984)] He’s a writer, I’m a filmmaker. I like movies, and I’ve tried to make a movie that I would like to see. The end is different, certainly, but I think I wouldn’t be ashamed for Forster to read the script. I think I stuck with his characters, and on the whole, given the limitations of time, I mean what’s one doing? One’s doing something in 2 hours, a book that thick, it’s a sort of sketch of it, and I’m extracting a movie from it. Those who want to read Forster, read the book. Those who want to go to a movie, and don’t read, come and see our film.

Working with Actors and Casting

Always cast against the part and it won’t be boring.

Actors can be a terrible bore on the set, though I enjoy having dinner with them.

Casting is a nightmare because it is an eternal compromise. You hardly ever have the actor give a performance of which you say, yes, that’s right on it. They just haven’t got that sense of humour, or they haven’t got that feel about them or whatever it is. The nearest person to a perfect piece of casting was Trevor Howard in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). He was just wonderful for the tunnel-vision priest – a kind of peasant who knew exactly what was right and what was wrong and was therefore not all that intelligent.

I suppose I don’t have much contact with actors off the set because I have so much contact with them on the set. I’m trying to get things out of them – I’m squeezing them a little, I’m encouraging them – I’m a general sort of wet-nurse to actors.

David Lean Quotes on Editing

[on his background as an editor] It’s everything. I often wonder at directors who’ve never been editors. I just don’t understand how they go to work. I kind of piece it together as we’re making it. And editing is one of the, if not the, chief of the tools of my trade.

When the great actor says the line, you can put scissors precisely at the point A and it’s wonderful. When the star says the line, you can hold for four frames longer because something else happens.

I like spectacle. When I say spectacle, I don’t think you can just put on a load of spectacle and expect it to be successful with the public; of course you’ve got to have a foreground action, and it’s awfully easy for critics to say “Oh the background swamped the foreground”, but I don’t think I’ve done that.

However brilliant a scene may be, if it is not essential to his play the dramatist must cut it.

Willy [William Wyler] once said to me, “If you’re going to shock an audience, get them almost to the point of boredom before doing so…” And of course he’s right.

Recommended David Lean Books

Disclaimer: Filmmaking Quotes is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. All links to Amazon are affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission for any purchases you make. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but this commission keeps Filmmaking Quotes running.

David Lean: A Biography, 1996
David Lean: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series), 2009

Final Words

Don’t forget to bookmark this page, or print it out, and refer to it next time you need some inspiration. Like the article? Show your appreciation by sharing it with other filmmakers.

If you’re looking for more inspiration from legendary film directors, then check out our related articles below.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email WhatsApp

Related Posts

9 Mins Read

30 William Wyler Quotes: Hollywood’s Most Celebrated Director

Updated:January 14, 2023
6 Mins Read

28 Jean-Luc Godard Quotes: Rewriting the Rules of Cinema

Updated:January 8, 2023
7 Mins Read

24 John Hughes Quotes to Inspire Screenwriters and Filmmakers

Updated:December 30, 2022
About

Welcome to filmmakingquotes.com – a website that shares the secrets of the masters of cinema and helps readers take their filmmaking to the next level.

We regularly update the website, so don't forget to bookmark filmmakingquotes.com and keep checking back for fresh articles and new filmmaking inspiration. 

Quote of the Week

Most Popular Quote Articles
  • 57 Ridley Scott Quotes: The Master of the Sci-Fi Movie
    57 Ridley Scott Quotes: The Master of the Sci-Fi Movie
  • Film Editing Quotes
    Film Editing Quotes
  • 70 Martin Scorsese Quotes on Cinema, Directing and Film History
    70 Martin Scorsese Quotes on Cinema, Directing and Film History
  • 55 David Lynch Quotes: Lost in Another World
    55 David Lynch Quotes: Lost in Another World
  • Special Effects, Animation and CGI Quotes
    Special Effects, Animation and CGI Quotes
  • Stanley Kubrick Quotes: A Masterclass in Filmmaking
    Stanley Kubrick Quotes: A Masterclass in Filmmaking
SUPPORT THIS SITE

Disclaimer: Filmmaking Quotes is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. If you click the banner below before making a purchase on any Amazon item, we will receive a small commission. This won’t cost you any extra but will help with the cost of running Filmmaking Quotes. Thank you for your support.

Amazon Link

Recent Posts
  • william wyler quotes30 William Wyler Quotes: Hollywood’s Most Celebrated Director
  • Jean-Luc Godard Quotes28 Jean-Luc Godard Quotes: Rewriting the Rules of Cinema
  • John Hughes Quotes24 John Hughes Quotes to Inspire Screenwriters and Filmmakers
  • Andrei Tarkovsky Quotes30 Andrei Tarkovsky Quotes: Sculpting in Time and Cinematic Poetry
Copyright filmmakingquotes 2022. Powered by WPX.
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Write for Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT