Ryan's Daughter (1970)

In a small Irish village, the daughter of the bistro owner, Rosy Ryan (Sarah Miles) falls in love with the teacher Charles (Robert Mitchum). Despite the age difference, they get married. When some time later, a Rosy disappointed by married life meets Major Doryan (Christopher Jones), a young English officer who has returned injured from the war, it is love at first sight....

A cursed film that shattered David Lean's career, "Ryan's Daughter" is nevertheless a sumptuous and original re-reading of Madame Bovary, a lesson in humanity. Attention, unjustly forgotten masterpiece!

If Lawrence of Arabia is unquestionably the "perfect film" of David Lean, Ryan's Daughter is perhaps his masterpiece, in any case his most personal achievement. Time has done its job and this film has today acquired a reputation in keeping with its immense dramatic and pictorial qualities. It is only a pity that the painful reception of this singular production, completely out of step with its time, kept its master builder away from film sets for so long