Great Expectations

Today I watched Great Expectations, directed by David Lean in 1946. It seems like every positive review of this focuses on how great of an adaption the movie is. Even Ebert brings up the fact that it is mostly great because it's so well adapted. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I've never read the Charles Dicken's novel. I honestly have only read like, Oliver Twist, in high school, and I don't remember liking it. It feels dumb to talk about how I've never read anything by an incredibly famous author, but here you go.

So, with that in mind, I didn't really like today's movie, at all. It felt like it was six hours long, even though it was only two. I didn't care about the characters. I didn't like the plot. The way everyone talked just irritated me. I did not like Pip's large bow ties.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

Today I obviously watched The Bridge on the River Kwai, directed by David Lean in 1957. I haven't seen this movie until now, and I was moderately excited to watch it. Moderately because it's almost three hours long, and I was tired and pouty. Ebert's essay sounds sort of unenthusiastic about the whole thing, but I really loved this movie. I was just so interested in the characters and plot, it didn't feel that long to me at all. I always heard mumblings about how so many people love this movie, and I really understand why now. After I watched it, my mom told me it was one of my her dad's favorite films. I miss him, but it felt really nice and special to watch it and think of him :)

Lawrence of Arabia

I feel like it took me the whole day to watch this movie, and it basically did - it's about 4 hours long and I paused it at intermission to go to Whole Foods to get food for work the next day. It's a long movie but it was worth it. Lawrence of Arabia was directed in 1962 by David Lean. It seems like it would have been impossible to sell this idea. A bunch of unknown actors not doing too much in the desert for 4 hours. I'm so glad that it was made. It reminded me of all the things I loved about Aguirre, the Wrath of God - the strangeness, the madness, the epic feel and scope of the whole thing. It is everything that I love about epic, adventure movies. Sort of insane and boring but so utterly engrossing.