Ryan's Daughter
Dir: David Lean
1970
****
No one does 'Epic' like David Lean, even when concentrating on a simple premise in a simple place, Ryan's Daughter is bigger than it's supposed to be. For the length of time the film lasts, there is still very little character development of some of the key characters and some would argue the pay off wasn't really worth it. While I can't quite understand why John Mills won Best supporting actor (although it seems true what they say, you play retard, you win awards - just don't go too far) and why Trevor Howard didn't win or was even nominated (apart from the at the Golden Globes). It's just one of those films I suppose, very much of its time and very much a David Lean film. Give me Doctor Zhivago or Lawrence of Arabia over this any day but that's not to say I didn't like it, Freddie Young definitely deserved to win for best Cinematography as it is beautiful throughout.