9. David Lean
David Lean is not just a filmmaker; he is an institution. A person who could be considered the pioneer of the epic genre, Lean has been consistently ranked as one of the finest auteurs of all-time. Forbidden to go to the movies by his Quaker parents, the British director spun a secret passion into a career that went from English class staples (Oliver Twist) to exotic epics (The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago).
Some critics have dismissed Lean as a technical whiz without a vision — but he had a true gift for placing introspective figures on expansive canvases. Some of his projects have had profound impacts on many future filmmakers; the prominent ones being Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg, Sergio Leone and Spike Lee.
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