Directed By… David Lean – Volume Two (Blu-ray) ***Preorder*** 1/7

David Lean is a name synonymous with sweeping epics, the Academy Award-winning director behind The Bridge On The River Kwai, and Lawrence Of Arabia. He was also known for intimate drama and comedy, and for his masterful ability to capture human emotion against sweeping backdrops.

Our second David Lean collection brings together five of his finest postwar films, each accompanied by brand new and archival Special Features.

• The Passionate Friends (1949)
• Madeleine (1950) – worldwide first on Blu-ray!
• The Sound Barrier (1952)
• Hobson’s Choice (1954)
• Summertime (1955)

Packaged together in a Limited Edition Hardbox, the set also includes Part Two of an Imprint exclusive documentary on David Lean.

1500 copies only.

The Passionate Friends 

Ann Todd, Claude Rains and Trevor Howard star in this love triangle drama, based on the novel of the same name by H. G. Wells.

The accidental meeting of two one-time passionate friends nearly causes the total disruption of a marriage, until the husband realises the truth.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p high-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• NEW Audio commentary by Alain Silver & Jim Ursini, authors of David Lean and his Films
• NEW The Passionate Friends: An Appreciation – interview with professor Melanie Williams, author of David Lean
• NEW Interview with first assistant editor Jim Pople
• Stills Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

Madeleine 

Worldwide first on Blu-ray!

David Lean continued his collaboration with his spouse Ann Todd, in this remarkable true story following Madeline Smith, accused of murder in 1857.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a restored high-definition transfer
• NEW Audio commentary by Alain Silver & Jim Ursini, authors of David Lean and his Films
• NEW Madeleine: An Appreciation – interview with professor Melanie Williams, author of David Lean
• NEW Interview with actor Douglas Barr
• NEW Interview with actor Michael Medwin
• NEW Interview with 1st assistant editor Jim Pople 
• Stills Gallery
• Audio: English 2.0 Mono
• Aspect Ratio 1.33:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

The Sound Barrier 

Take to the skies with The Sound Barrier, a sensational aviation drama starring Ralph Richardson, Ann Todd, John Justin, and Nigel Patrick.

John Ridgefield, pioneer airman and visionary, manufactures jet planes designed to fly faster than sound into a new world. But his daughter, Susan, believing that human life is more important than human progress, condemns her father’s aims and endeavors as senseless ambition.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• NEW Audio commentary by Alain Silver & Jim Ursini, authors of David Lean and his Films
• NEW The Sound Barrier: An Appreciation – interview with professor Melanie Williams, author of David Lean 
• NEW Interview with scenic artist Peter Mullins
• BFI interview with David Lean (1959)
• Interview with journalist Geoffrey Wansell
• Stills Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

Hobson’s Choice 

Academy Award winner Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry VIII) is Henry Hobson in Hobson’s Choice, the BAFTA-winning, hit comedy based on the play of the same name by Harold Brighouse.

Harry Hobson, a prosperous provincial bookmaker and widower, has his home and business looked after by his three daughters. While he has allowed his two younger daughters to marry, the eldest, Maggie, must stay and care for him. But Maggie has other ideas and is determined to have her own way.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p high-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• NEW Hobson’s Choice: An Appreciation – interview with professor Melanie Williams, author of David Lean
• Interview with actress Prunella Scales
• Interview with associate producer and co-writer Norman Spencer 
• Stills Gallery
• Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

Summertime 

Hollywood icon Katharine Hepburn stars in this heartwarming, Technicolor romantic comedy, filmed on location in Venice. 

A highly-strung and lonely American looks for love in Venice. Soon, fantasies of romance become reality when she meets a handsome – but married – Venetian man.

Based on the stage play The Time of the Cuckoo by Aurthur Laurents, David Lean described Summertime as his favourite film he made, once saying “I’ve put more of myself in that film than any other I’ve ever made.”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 1080p high-definition presentation on Blu-ray
• NEW Audio commentary by Alain Silver & Jim Ursini, authors of David Lean and his Films
• Audio commentary by film scholar Mark Nicholls
• NEW Summertime: An Appreciation – interview with professor Melanie Williams, author of David Lean
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Aspect Ratio 1.37:1
• Optional English HOH Subtitles

Bonus Disc

Continue your deep dive into the career and legacy of David Lean, with archival featurettes and the second part of our Imprint exclusive documentary on David Lean, by author Simon Lewis. 

Special Features:

• NEW Before The Epic: David Lean’s Little Gems – Part Two – documentary by author Simon Lewis (2025)
• David Lean: A Self Portrait – documentary (1971)
• The South Bank Show: ‘David Lean – A Life in Film’ (1985)
• The South Bank Show: ‘David Lean and Robert Bolt’ (1990)

Booklet

A 70-page hardcover booklet, containing four chapter excerpts from The Films of David Lean by Alain Silver and James Ursini.