Maverick: David Lean’s Critics, Crisis, and Comeback

Barnaby Thompson’s *Maverick – The Epic Adventures of David Lean* premiered in Cannes Classics and focuses on a 1970 Agonquin Hotel meeting where Lean faced the National Society of Film Critics after *Ryan’s Daughter*. Lean says the session left him ashamed and reluctant to work for years.

Deadline Hollywood

Between 1957 and 1965 Lean directed *The Bridge on the River Kwai*, *Lawrence of Arabia* and *Doctor Zhivago*, earning 28 Oscar nominations, seven Best Picture wins for the first two and five wins for *Zhivago*. He won Best Director twice and had 11 nominations overall. *Ryan’s Daughter* (1970) earned four nominations, winning for supporting actor John Mills and cinematography, but critics panned it, and Lean did not direct again until *A Passage to India* (1984).

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The film features Lean, critics Richard Schickel and Pauline Kael, and filmmakers Joe Wright, Steven Spielberg, Denis Villeneuve, Francis Ford Coppola and Brady Corbet. Wright notes Lean’s emotional exposure on *Ryan’s Daughter*; Spielberg calls *The Bridge on the River Kwai* “the perfect picture”; Villeneuve likens *Lawrence of Arabia* to the pyramids of architecture.

The Independent

At the time Pauline Kael dismissed Lean as a “super-technician” and David Thomson called him “more an accountant than a poet.” Actors Robert Mitchum and Omar Sharif called him monomaniacal and selfish, while Paul Greengrass called him one of the arsiest directors.

The Independent

Joe Wright says Lean “opened himself up emotionally with *Ryan’s Daughter* and was wounded by the scorn.” Coppola calls him “what cinema was supposed to be,” and Corbet calls him “a reminder of what we used to go to the movies for.” The documentary argues Lean’s meticulous craftsmanship set the template for modern blockbusters.

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The documentary positions Lean as the father of the modern blockbuster, noting his massive casts, widescreen canvases and epic storytelling. Spielberg, Villeneuve and Corbet cite his techniques when shaping films like *Dune*. A renewed interest among Gen-Z audiences suggests his style may be resurging.

The Independent

Polls show divergent assessments: the 1999 BFI Sight & Sound poll placed three Lean films in the top five British titles, while the 2022 world poll listed none. The documentary notes speculation that Lean’s father’s lack of encouragement deepened his self-doubt after the critics’ assault. Distribution for *Maverick* remains pending, with promoters urging viewers to seek it out.

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• “He’s monomaniacal and nothing else,” — Robert Mitchum

The Independent

• “the perfect picture” — Steven Spielberg on *The Bridge on the River Kwai*

The Independent

• “Lawrence of Arabia is to cinema what the pyramids are to architecture,” — Denis Villeneuve

The Independent