A SCULPTOR has revealed the first glimpse of her proposed statue of Brief Encounter film director David Lean.

Laura Lian is hoping to create a life-size bronze of the Oscar-winning movie maker to take pride of place in Carnforth, where scenes from the black-and-white classic were filmed at the railway station in 1945.

Laura's sketch, drawn at her studio in Wells, Somerset, portrays Lean studying the Brief Encounter script in his director's chair, with a vacant chair beside him, where visitors can sit and pose for photographs.

She has shared her ideas with Carnforth Town Council and says she is "very excited" at the prospect of visiting Carnforth on August 17 with her agent Marc Silver, of London publishers Square Rock, to discuss the project.

Laura also plans to "get a feel" for the railway station and take tea at its famous Refreshment Room. The cafe inspired one of the sets in Brief Encounter, where Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) and Dr Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard) meet and fall in love.

"The most important thing I need to put across as a sculptor is getting the expression right on the face," said Laura, who has sculpted rock band U2 and jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, and whose work is collected by Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone and music manager Sharon Osbourne.

"With David Lean I need to get across the fact that he's really concentrating and studying the actors, and that's going to be a challenging thing to do, but it's important otherwise it just doesn't have the right energy."

Laura has spent hours poring over pictures and footage of Lean, who directed Great Expectations, A Passage to India, Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai. He died in 1991, aged 83.

Laura is keen for the bronze to be accessible and touchable, hence the vacant chair beside Lean. "I thought it would be nice if people felt they were part of the scene."

She expects the bronze to take "the best part of a year" and explained: "Once I get into a sculpture I live, breathe and sleep that person. My whole world becomes that person. I even dream about them."

Carnforth town clerk Philip Charnley told the Gazette that fundraising for the statue would be discussed at the August 17 meeting. He said the initial estimate for the project was £95,000, adding: "This is less than it cost to put Eric Morecambe on the promenade in Morecambe."

- An exhibition about David Lean's life and work continues at Carnforth Station Heritage Centre.