You were our patron saint, yet still they blame us for only praying to be famous

[sovay]

Late last night, I discovered this photograph:



It's David Lean in 1943, on the set of This Happy Breed. I found the image unattributed on a site devoted to his movies; I thought it was a film still. I had never seen a picture of him before. He could have been one of his own leads. I wouldn't wish him out of his directing career—for all I know, he was a block in front of the camera—but that's a character actor's face if ever I've seen one. He looks like a very ascetic faun.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

He looks EXACTLY like a very ascetic faun.

He could have come out of one of your stories. He could be Justin or Alex. (Well, actually, he looks too old for Justin, but he still does feel like he could come from a story of yours, even if not a *precise* story.)

[gwynnega]

What an amazing photograph.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

In which he looks like a sardonic owl:



Nine

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

That is very cool. I should think that three years of living on wartime rations brought out the cheekbones in everyone who wasn't married to a butcher, but the shape and angle of his knee is equally eloquent. Lean David, indeed.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

My, that's a brilliant photograph. I'd love to know who shot it.

And I think you're right about the very ascetic faun thing.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

I keep wondering if it's the medium of black-and-white film that makes people look so distinct and interesting, or if people were just fundamentally more distinct and interesting before colour photography.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

He could have played the Glue Man.

[gaudynight78.livejournal.com]

Hell, he looks more like Peter Wimsey than anybody else I've ever seen, including Roy Ridley.