David Lean a film adaptation of "A Passage to India" (1984), from E. M. Forster's 1924 novel of colonial conflicts in British-occupied India. Entirely shot on location in the sub-continent, this became his last completed film. He rejected a draft by Santha Rama Rau, responsible for the stage adaptation and Forster's preferred screenwriter, and wrote the script himself. In addition, Lean also edited the film with the result that his three roles in the production (writer, editor, director) were given equal status in the credits. Lean recruited long-time collaborators for the cast and crew, including Maurice Jarre (who won another Academy-Award for
David Lean its televised versions; the theatrical re-release greatly revived Lean's reputation. Several of the many other later twentieth century directors who have acknowledged significant influence by Lean include Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Spike Lee, and Sergio Leone. John Woo once named "Lawrence of Arabia" among his top three films. More recently, Joe Wright ("Pride & Prejudice", "Atonement") has cited Lean's works, particularly "Doctor Zhivago", as an important influence on his work, as has director Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight Rises)". The critical verdict was not unanimous, however. For example, David Thomson, writing about Lean in his "New Biographical Dictionary of Film",