David Lean was the son of strict Quaker parents and did not see his first film until aged 17. He began his film career in 1928 as a teaboy for Gaumont-British studios, where he soon was promoted to clapboard boy, and finally to editor - a position at which he excelled. By the end of the 1930s Lean was the most highly-paid film editor working in British cinema and widely regarded as the best.

As a director, David Lean's first intention was always to tell a story, few directors were as able to convey the spirit of place in film. Surprising the audience was very important to David Lean, whether it was Pip rushing straight into Magwitch in the graveyard in Great Expectations or Harold Hobson drunkenly pursuing the moon in a puddle in Hobson's Choice, Lean conjured up image after image to amaze, amuse, move or excite his audience.

The collection comprises;

• The Sound Barrier
• Hobson's Choice
• Blithe Spirit
• Brief Encounter
• Great Expectations
• Oliver Twist
• Madeleine
• The Passionate Friends
• This Happy Breed 
• In Which We Serve