Classic (and rare) David Lean films on the way.

It’s not up at their website yet, but recently I got a press release from the Pacific Cinematheque announcing that 10 of the 16 feature films directed by David Lean will be coming to that theatre next month — including three films that I have long wanted to see but, as near as I can tell, are unavailable on DVD.

Here’s the list, with the dates the films are screening and links to any earlier comments, however peripheral, that I may have written on the films I have already seen:

1. In Which We Serve (1942) — Nov 20,24
2. This Happy Breed (1944) — Nov 20,23
3. Blithe Spirit (1945) — Nov 7,9
4. Brief Encounter (1945) — Nov 7-8
5. Great Expectations (1946) — Nov 14,16
6. Oliver Twist (1948) — Nov 14-15
7. The Passionate Friends (1949) — Nov 8-9
8. Madeleine (1950) — Nov 15-16
9. The Sound Barrier (1952) — Nov 24,26
10. Hobson’s Choice (1954) — Nov 23,26

Just for completeness’ sake, here are the six films Lean directed that are not playing as part of this series:

1. Summertime (1955)
2. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) — Nov 21
3. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) — Nov 22-23
4. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
5. Ryan’s Daughter (1970)
6. A Passage to India (1984) — Nov 27

The picture of Lean above, by the way, comes from this collection of publicity stills for The Sound Barrier, one of the three films I have not yet seen, at the British Film Institute.

NOV 9 UPDATE: The Cinematheque website now has a page for the series here. They are also showing three of Lean’s later epics as a “supersized sidebar” to the main series; I have added the dates for those films above, and you can check for showtimes here.