loading...
Lawrence Of Arabia
1962
David Lean's masterpiece--perhaps the greatest of screen epics--stars Peter O'Toole in one of the most electrifying debuts in film history. The film is less an ordinary adventure than an experience that leaves an overwhelming sense of the struggle between two powerful forces: the Arabian deserts, immense, intractable, ever-.. Read more
| Starring | Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins |
|---|---|
| Director | David Lean |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
loading...
Lawrence Of Arabia
David Lean's masterpiece--perhaps the greatest of screen epics--stars Peter O'Toole in one of the most electrifying debuts in film history. The film is less an ordinary adventure than an experience that leaves an overwhelming sense of the struggle between two powerful forces: the Arabian deserts, immense, intractable, ever-shifting, punishing; and T.E. Lawrence, humble as a monk, flamboyant as a rock star, protean, polymathic, heroic, enigmatic, mad. While working on the staff of British Intelligence in Cairo in 1916, Lawrence's fluency in Arabic earns him a post on a mission sent to establish contact with Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness), leader of the Arab revolt and ally of the British against the German-sponsored Turks in WWI. Impressed by Lawrence's knowledge of their culture, the prince allows the young officer to join his staff, and Lawrence quickly earns the Arabs' respect after he executes acts of extraordinary heroism. As the Englishman's genius for guerrilla warfare becomes evident, he assumes the role of de facto leader of the Arab revolt, uniting the heretofore warring tribes into a devastatingly effective weapon. But the chaos of war also unleashes the repressed officer's powerful need for self-abasement and mortification of the flesh. A visionary work that unfolds one indelible image after another, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA fuses the conflict of man against man, man against nature, and man against himself into a sublime poem of force. The film features a literate script by Robert Bolt and an outstanding cast, which also includes Claude Rains, Jack Hawkins, Arthur Kennedy, Anthony Quinn, Jose Ferrer, and Omar Sharif in his unforgettable desert-crossing debut.
| Starring | Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness, Jose Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, Arthur Kennedy, Henry Oscar, Claude Rains, Norman Rossington, Donald Wolfit, Fernando Sancho, I.S. Johar, Hugh Miller, Gamil Ratib, Michel |
|---|---|
| Director | David Lean |
| Studio | SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 3 hrs 47 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 must-see movies |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Drama |
| Language | English |
| Subtitles | Dutch, English, Hindi |
| Released | DVD: 08 Sep 2003 Production year: 1962 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews (2)
View all -
This is director David Lean's magisterial portrayal of one of Britain's most enigmatic yet charismatic heroes, TE Lawrence, whose precise role in the Arab revolt against the Turks during the First World War still perplexes military historians. Peter O'Toole's flamboyant performance hints at every aspect of Lawrence's complex character (including his masochistic tendency), while Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson's script develops into a withering satire on the ball-and-socket mentality of Lawrence's superiors, who play the Great Game of Empire by the book. Taking 15 months to shoot in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Spain and England, Lean developed an obsession with the desert mirroring Lawrence's own. There are some awesomely beautiful images, notably the mirage that introduced the world to a new star, Omar Sharif. Winner of seven Oscars and restored to its original version in 1989, this is movie-making on the grandest scale.
-
Sprawling epic which manages after four hours to give no insight whatever into the complexities of character of this mysterious historic figure, but is often spectacularly beautiful and exciting along the way.
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
33 out of 36 people found this review helpful
Is this supposed to be one of the greatest screen epics of all time?
Seriously?
Probably more like one of the greatest, longest, most tedious bores of all time!
I decided to catch up on my classics and chose this film to watch: and how I regretted that decision! The film extends to 2 discs and I sat through both hoping that somewhere along the line the story would pick up but alas, it never happened. The characters are OTT, I think perhaps they thought they were acting on stage because the acting was contrived and over the top 'wooden' as one reviewer so rightly described it. I know the acting in oldies is supposed to be a bit more OTT than what we're used to nowadays, but I still watch 'Gone with the Wind' and get caught up in it, despite the theatrical acting. I guess if the story is so good no one is going to be bothered pointing out the hideousness of the acting. But this film the story and acting were sorely lacking, so I struggled to get to the end. One good thing about the film, is the scenery. But if all this classic boils down to is beautiful scenery, then whoever considers this' perhaps the greatest screen epic of all time' should be taking a holiday and not giving their opinion about films! -
Most recent members' review
View all -
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
No sound
The DVD arrived with a defect it had no sound!
-
News and features
View all
Lawrence of Arabia takes epic gong
- 22 Apr 2004
Cinema classic "Lawrence of Arabia" has been named as the best epic film in a new Total Film top 50. David Lean's 1962 film beat off stiff competition from the likes of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings to claim top spot in a Total Film magazine list. As well as winning multiple Oscars, the film also propelled actors Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif into the limelight. O'Toole was nominated for his first Oscar for his performance, before going on to be in contention for six more gongs to... Read more
-
Image gallery
View allShowing 1 to 2 of 2
-
-
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
Exceptional Films (193)
80.4% from 23 members
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
-
-
-
Lawrence Of Arabia
David Lean's masterpiece--perhaps the greatest of screen epics--stars Peter O'Toole in one of the most electrifying debuts in film history. The film is less an ordinary adventure than an experience that leaves an overwhelming sense of the struggle between two powerful forces: the Arabian deserts, ...
-