Paul Greengrass is the latest director in a series of notable filmmakers such as Robert Altman, Woody Allen, and David Lynch to deliver an 90-minute talk and Q&A as part of the David Lean Lecture. The BAFTA-sponsored event aims to promote and advance film education and is named for the vital contributions to the organization and the art made by the Lawrence of Arabia director. Greengrass, whose latest feature Captain Phillips was both a critical and commercial success, spoke of his fascination with Lean’s films and the development of the artistic eye.
Greengrass posits where the desire to direct films comes from and he argues that childhood loneliness and experiences of domestic drama, both of which are recurring motifs in the biographies of the great directors, were the forces that inspired the need to commit images to film — for Greengrass, “movies became a refuge.” The director shifts into anecdotes detailing his early struggles in school and finding a point of view as a storyteller on his first feature The Theory of Flight. Often undertaking material that is deeply rooted in social injustices of the fears of a post 9/11 world, Greengrass also makes a compelling appeal to the audience to the BAFTA institute to better protect and champion young British filmmakers creatively and finically stymied by the system.
Greengrass is both articulate and coy here on a variety of topics including the economics of Hollywood and his work on the Bourne series. The guiding thread to his expansive lecture, however, remains a deep love of cinema. Citing Kubrick, Kurosawa, Scorsese and Lean, Greengrass says, “there is a deep reverence, a desire to return again and again to the old masters.” Take a listen below to both the one-hour lecture and the 30-minute Q&A portion, and check out the other Lean lecturers here.
What did you make of Greengrass’ talk?