Sooooooo…. it's 9 years later. Let's get back on topic shall we?
If 'small' means black & white and under 2 hours, then you can't go wrong with Lean's Dickens adaptations: Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. GE tends to get the most praise out of the two as capturing the essense of the novel, but I think the two films are on a par. The opening scenes alone for both films are outstanding in terms of cinematography, setting, mood and overall storytelling.
"The trouble is most people are twats or cunts. Or both."

Soooo sorry, it's wasn't Three on a Match, it was Three Strangers with Geraldine Fitzgerald and Peter Lorre.

Greenstreet was fantastic in The Maltese Falcon and it is remarkable that his film career started at age 63.
I stopped watching Three On a Match about a quarter of the way thru and I don't remember Lorre being in it.
The first half of The Lady Eve is wonderful and Coburn does his usual great job, but that is a Stanwyck movie from beginning to end. The second half of the movie is a little hard to swallow as it is so obvious that the con artist and the English Lady are the same person. I love the ending of the movie.
Bachelor Mother is a fun movie with a great cast but the remake they made with Eddie Fisher is terrible.

Maltese Falcon has to be Sidney's best. Check out Three On a Match with Peter Lorre, it's one of my favorites. Did you know he did his first film at age 63? Remarkable isn't it? My favorite Coburn has to be The Lady Eve, I am crazy for Sturges. Merrier is cute and I also like something called Bachelor Mother with Ginger Rogers and David Niven.

Elsa was the perfect lovable foil for Laughton in "Witness."
I also love those older fat guysmore grandfathery to me (so sorry your father was not there for you)plus those three were terrific actors and had great screen personas.
The Greenstreet/Lorre movies are all very good. Casablanca is my favorite movie and "The Verdict" is a lesser known Greenstreet/Lorre film that I thought was very good.
My favorite Coburn movie is "The More the Merrier" with Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea. Coburn was perfect as Benjamin Dingle.
I have not seen The Night of the Hunter. I will put in on my watch list. Thank you.

Yes, it was his best; maybe because Elsa was with him to add extra needling. I also like Jamaica Inn, which was Hitchcock. I don't know what it is, but I love older, fat men like Laughton, Greenstreet, Coburn, especially Coburn. Maybe they represent the father I never had. Laughton was very depressed over the failure (at the time) of The Night of the Hunter. It was his only attempt at directing and because it was so poorly received, he never did another. That was a real shame. The reason why people stayed away was because the portrayal was TOO good. Mitchum just radiated evil and because it was directed at innocent children and not another evil person, it was repelling. I have to admit, I don't like watching it either. Today, it's considered one of Mitchum's best.

I agree. My favorite Laughton film is "Witness for the Prosecution." Laughton was so Laughtony in that.

To me, anything with Laughton is a winner.

I second "Hobson's Choice": it's one of my favorite movies.

I recommend Hobson's Choice as a "small" Lean picture. It stars Charles Laughton, Brenda de Banzie, and John Mills. It is a much lighter film than Brief Encounter but it is very good.

One of my favourites is 'This Happy Breed' directed by David Lean. It is based on the 1939 play of the same title by Nol Coward and stars Celia Johnson and Stanley Holloway. I wouldn't say it was on the same scale has Brief Encounter or has the same emotional impact, but a great movie nevertheless.
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