David Lean once picked his favourite actor to direct
In the 1940s, David Lean emerged alongside Alfred Hitchcock as one of the leading forces in British filmmaking. Where Hitchcock specialised in horror, Lean found his niche in the historical epic. His directorial debut with 1942’s In Which We Serve marked the first of four collaborations with fellow filmmaker Noël Coward.
Lean broke into the international arena in the mid-1950s with 1955’s Summertime arriving as his first movie to be financed by the prestigious Hollywood studios. Over the next decade, Lean completed his three most important contributions to 20th-century cinema: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.
Summertime proved to be Lean’s gateway to mainstream success and hence one of the most pivotal moments in his career. The romantic drama starred Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi, Darren McGavin, and Isa Miranda and followed the story of a lonely secretary (Hepburn) who visits Venice and falls for a local antique dealer.
Lean co-wrote the screenplay with H.E. Bates and based the story on Arthur Laurents’ famous play, The Time of the Cuckoo. As one of his early career high points, Lean was understandably rather attached to the movie; it turns out his deep admiration for the leading lady was another defining factor.
In the summer of 2022, The Criterion Collection released Summertime on Blu-ray. The release’s exclusive bonus features include Lean’s 1963 interview on CBC‘s ‘Close-Up’. During the conversation, Lean discussed his more recent movies, Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai. However, when asked to name his favourite actor to work with, he beamed professional and personal adoration for Hepburn.
“I think the actor that I’ve enjoyed working with more than anybody else is Katharine Hepburn,” Lean said. “I did a film in Venice with her called Summertime here, Summer Madness in England. She’s a joy. She’s a wonderful technician, and she has, I think, a great, great gift. On top of that, I happen to like her very much personally. She’s a great human being.”
Katharine Hepburn, born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1907, rose to prominence on Broadway in the late 1920s and was quickly scouted by the burgeoning Hollywood scene. Her charm and talent saw her cast in several high-budget movies early on, and for her third movie, 1933’s Morning Glory, she won an Academy Award for ‘Best Actress’ at the ceremony’s sixth instalment. From a total of 12 career nominations, Hepburn won four, her last in 1982 for her role in Mark Rydell’s On Golden Pond.
Commenting on her own personality, per The New York Times, Hepburn intriguingly contrasted with Lean’s more positive appraisal. “I strike people as peculiar in some way, although I don’t quite understand why,” she said. “Of course, I have an angular face, an angular body, and, I suppose, an angular personality, which jabs into people.”
Watch the trailer for David Lean’s formative classic Summertime below.
