Product: Ryan's Daughter (Two-Disc Special Edition) (2006)
Rating: 5.0
a generation later, david lean is vindicated
among the most ridiculous critical reactions to any movie ever is the vicious reaction to david leans film. a coterie of untalented hacks (led by the likes of pauline kael and richard schickel) were bound and determined to tear down lean after the huge financial successes of his past few movies, and this gorgeous meditation on the power of forgiveness (or lack thereof) was their victim. with robert mitchum cast against type, and sarah miles (ripped into by some idiots as being given the role because she was the wife of screenwriter robert bolt!), and three great character actors: leo mckern, trevor howard, and oscar-winning john mills all giving spectacular performances. i will admit that christopher jones is a weak link, but if so, it is the only significant flaw. the movie is as beautiful to watch as any you will ever see, and maurice jarre (as usual) took his work up a step in composing the score for a lean film. is it as good as "brief encounter" or "lawrence of arabia"? no. but this terribly underrated movie ranks up there with the best of the rest of the david lean movies, including the dickens adaptations or "kwai" or "zhivago". great movie!