British Directors: David Lean and Carol Reed
Choose a starting date
Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 15 Oct 2025End Date: 19 Nov 2025Wed (Daytime): 14:00 - 16:00In PersonLocation: Keeley StreetDuration: 6 sessions (over -6 weeks)Course Code: HF357Tutors: John WischmeyerFull fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
This course focusses on the careers and the artistic output of two hugely popular British filmmakers whose careers have provided British cinema with some of its most cherished films; movies such as Brief Encounter (Lean 1945), Great Expectations (Lean 1946), The Third Man (Reed 1949), Our Man in Havana (Reed 1960) and Lawrence of Arabia (Lean 1962). We will examine both their careers and their films in order to achieve a better understanding of both.
What will we cover?
When Hitchcock left for America in 1939 he left a vacancy for title of ‘greatest British director’. For me, the key contenders were Michael Powell, Carol Reed and David Lean. At that time David Lean was the best editor in England, having edited several Powell and Pressburger films. Noel Coward gave him his first directing opportunity in 1942. After four Coward films Lean moved on to Dickens’ adaptations and then full-scale epics shot-on-location. Despite his eclecticism, there is a signature Lean style concerned with subtle integration of style and theme, with expression of character, emotion, mood; and the particularities of space, place and period articulated through dialogue and plot, sound, colour, editing, music, chiaroscuro and lighting. Despite directing only 16 features during his 40-year career, Sir David Lean is one of the most popular and well-known British film-makers. We will analyse sequences from his lesser-known films, and the famous peaks: Brief Encounter (1945), Great Expectations (1946), The Bridge On the River Kwai (1957), the definitive biopic Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), A Passage to India (1984). The films of Carol Reed (1906 -1976), films wholly British in character and situation, were the first such movies to win wide popularity in the United States. The Fallen Idol (1948) was the one of a trio of films Reed made in collaboration with novelist-screenwriter Graham Greene, one of the most significant creative associations between a writer and a director in the history of film (outside of Powell and Pressburger). The team followed with The Third Man (1949), which dealt with the black market in post-war Vienna, and Our Man in Havana (1960). He was, finally, near the end, awarded an Academy Award for Oliver! (1968), his musical re-make of David Lean’s Oliver Twist (1948).
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Demonstrate familiarity with the careers of both David Lean and Carol Reed
- Display knowledge of some of the key films directed by Lean and Reed
- Exhibit knowledge of the production contexts for some of Lean and Reed’s films.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners. No previous study is necessary but all levels will increase their knowledge and critical ability.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Opening lecture, proper big screen viewings of film clips, sequences and re-mixes that stimulate group discussion and debate.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
No other costs. Tutor will screen extracts of films or supply links to online viewing. Bring notepad or tablet.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.
John Wischmeyer (MA in Film Theory) set up, ran and programmed his own cinema in West London and has since taught film studies at the former Gainsborough studio, the BFI and City Lit since 1999, Hitchcock’s centenary year. John has covered a wide range film topics under the banner ‘Cinema Investigates America’ and has a particular interest in and considerable knowledge of Hitchcock, Hollywood studios, American independent cinema and film noir, film technique and style.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.