1962 Directed by David Lean
The story of British officer T.E. Lawrence's mission to aid the Arab tribes in their revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Lawrence becomes a flamboyant, messianic figure in the cause of Arab unity but his psychological instability threatens to undermine his achievements.
Peter O'Toole Alec Guinness Anthony Quinn Jack Hawkins Omar Sharif José Ferrer Anthony Quayle Claude Rains Arthur Kennedy Donald Wolfit I.S. Johar Gamil Ratib Michel Ray John Dimech Zia Mohyeddin Howard Marion-Crawford Jack Gwillim Hugh Miller John Barry Bruce Beeby Fred Bennett John Bennett Steve Birtles Robert Bolt Peter Burton J.R.M. Chapman Barbara Cole Basil Dignam Peter Dukelow Show All…
They don’t make them like this anymore.
It is an oft-repeated and tired saying that glorifies the past and belittles the achievements of the present yet, in the case of David Lean’s sweeping, Lawrence of Arabia, it is entirely true. Whilst epic films are still produced today few can match the scale, artistry and majesty of this larger than life tale of a narcissistic British army officer and his conflicted loyalties during the Arab Revolt. At just shy of four hours, Lean takes the audience on a grand journey that manages to juggle the personal travails and wider issues of an entire nation.
What makes this stand above nearly every other epic is that the film perfectly balances these small…
Today was the day...
...that I finally conquered Lawrence of Arabia.
I'm only 51 years late to the party. How did I manage to miss out on this golden gem of cinema? Well, I honestly couldn't tell you. I've been swept away by other great films throughout the years, I have always been short of time and my backlog grows and grows with every day. It's sad that a monumental film like this got pushed so far back but my mindset was always "I'll watch that soon. I HAVE to watch that soon."
Repeat that for a few years and you get why I'm only just now seeing Lawrence of Arabia here in May of 2013. But I'm glad I…
One of the grandest epics ever produced on film celluloid, Lawrence of Arabia isn't just a film but a journey of a man's life & his love for a nation, and even with its nearly 4 hours of runtime, it manages to keep the viewers completely glued to their seats, thanks to the sheer magic of David Lean's stellar direction, breathtaking cinematography, stunning production design, spectacular score & Peter O'Toole's dominating performance.
Set during the First World War, Lawrence of Arabia follows the life of a controversial British figure named T. E. Lawrence and covers his experiences in the Arab Peninsula where he was sent to investigate the progress of Arab revolt against the Turks but later leads them in winning their…
I like sand. It's coarse, rough, and mesmerizing. And it gets everywhere.
Something about my parents' massive television renders everything so crystal clear. I assume it's one of those high def formats that I can't keep rack of, 1080p Blu-ray with 10K megapixels and a 3D surround sound and dreamatorium, that sort of thing. I've no idea. The television is bigger than your apartment. It's disgusting, but holy fuck, it makes bad movies look good and good movies look great and movies like this look like... your preferred cliche of what looks good. The depth you get, the visual depth, the clear, clean colors, the details you pick out, it's too real, so vivid that it breaks down your suspension of disbelief, because it shows the edges of the sets when there…
how is a colonialist epic about a tormented sadist with a twinkle in his eyes so universally beloved?" ... best not to answer that.
what i find most amazing about Lean's masterpiece is that such a politically thorny, morally vague 228-minute film about a man's grand-scale psychic collapse has become such a celebrated movie, regarded as a treasure by EW and the the intelligentsia alike.
i should probably say a little something about the 4K DCP presentation, but... i'm sleepy. maybe later.
I'm really not sure I could add anything original to what has already been said about David Lean's masterpiece epic. The story is pretty simple as for nearly three hours we follow T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) who rises to the top as a hero but quickly things take a turn for worse.
LAWREANCE OF ARABIA is certainly one of the most memorable epics that has ever been made and I think it's one of those films that just beg for a large screen and in particular a theater screen. Watching it at its 50th Anniversary re-release, one really has to be amazed at the pure grand scale of it all. Did it have to run for nearly three hours? Probably…
Perfect filmmaking and has an epic feel that no one, absolutely no one will accomplish again...
This might be one of the most challenging films I’ve ever seen. Not because of its length as I was never bored and constantly in awe of the picture’s overwhelming beauty, but because of the challenging morals and internal conflicts within T.E. Lawrence himself. I feel that this film has so much to say as a character study that my feeble mind can’t grasp the enormity of its thematic scope. I’m certain that my rating will go up eventually after I’ve rewatched it a couple more times and have a better understanding of the subject matter but until then 4 stars is all I can give, and that’s nothing to sneer at.
My favourite movie, I think. Two remarkable films telling different stories about the same man; neither is complete without its mirrored twin. The filmmaking is spectacular. Peter O'Toole is spectacular. The script is spectacular. Nearly a perfect movie.
This is going to be one of those films I have trouble writing about. It’s grand scope and extraordinary visuals are something that anyone can find difficult to describe. Truly a classic.
My over-riding feeling on this is disappointment. I had huge expectations and have been putting off watching it for many years. It is impossible not to be awed by the scope of the film, a cast of thousands with amazing vistas - just a beautiful film to look at and marvel at the technicality. On an emotional level I didnt really engage with it and found the runtime to be too much in the end. Unfortunately there were a few sections where I wanted to check my watch and see how much longer I had to go. So I’m torn in my admiration and enjoyment versus the runtime. I just wish I had loved it.
Waited as long as I could to see this on a big screen, but alas it hasn't happened and I wanted to finally see it. Such a remarkable film, in scope and focus on character at the same time. Everything from the music to Lawrence's arc are fantastically done. Good enough that if I ever get the chance to see it in theaters I would still jump at that chance.
It's pretty great, but part II is nothing compared to I. Maybe that's why 3 hour+ epics never quite live up to the hype for me--I just can't help but think there's an even better movie hiding in there somewhere.
I wish I had known the first 5 minutes was a black screen cause I was trying to fix the TV for 30 minutes. When I began I knew it would be amazing just from the score alone. The extreme wideshots are a beauty to look at and I envy everyone who got to experience this film in theaters.
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