Ryans Tochter (1970)

Ryans Tochter: Directed by David Lean. With Robert Mitchum, Trevor Howard, Christopher Jones, John Mills. Set in the wake of the 1916 Easter Rising, a married woman in a small Irish village has an affair with a troubled British officer.

“The art of David Lean in making film masterpieces from the 1940s to this last epic in 1970 is now a forgotten talent. Lean was the best at producing cinema that really was for the cinema. You can feel the cameras rolling, the scenes moving at a pace moviegoers can absorb and thrill to. Ryanu0026#39;s Daughter belongs with the best of Lean, and has long been underrated. The acting is wonderful – John Mills is outstanding, Leo McKern and Trevor Howard impeccable, Sarah Miles and Robert Mitchum excellent with just the right amount of awkwardness the parts require. Christopher Jones gave just the right amount of weight to the shell-shocked, traumatised World War I survivor of the trenches. The scenery lent itself to panoramic filming and the storm was a fantastic achievement on film for the period.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnfortunately, Leanu0026#39;s epics donu0026#39;t come over half so well on the small screen. I wish we could see all these films again in the cinema. I saw the revival of Gone With The Wind in 1968 in a big London cinema and it was marvelous. Wouldnu0026#39;t it be wonderful to see Lawrence of Arabia, Dr Zhivago, and Ryanu0026#39;s Daughter again on the big screen?”