Lawrence of Arabia

Why? Many reasons. The actors are likewise gifted with rare talent, and superbly cast. The settings and scenes are invariably breathtaking. The plot is engrossing and entertaining without ever becoming heavy-handed. Film students will while away hours discussing everything from the Christ imagery to the undercurrents of homoeroticism, but they do that with every film. I suggest you simply kick back and enjoy an excellent, time-honored epic about a stranger in a strange land. It is a harrowing, draining journey, but one you will not regret.


DVD the best looking version yet   April 6, 2001
keviny01
125 out of 131 found this review helpful

Apart from the slightly soft, washed-out picture quality during the opening credits of the movie, the DVD edition of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is superb. The movie itself is spread onto 2 discs, with the disc break occurs just before Intermission. The Overture, Intermission, and the exit music are all played to a black screen, as per director David Lean's original wish. The picture quality looks as fresh and clean as, quite frankly, any film made in the 90s. In the dramatic shot where Lawrence appears on the far horizon after he rescued his Arab companion, the higher picture resolution of DVD makes it possible for us to notice his tiny figure whereas on VHS tapes or laserdisc it is so small it is almost impossible to see. Anyone who is serious about watching this film should get this DVD instead of any other version in order to appreciate the opulent cinematography and majestic atmosphere of this epic.

The disc has over 100 minutes of old and new documentaries and news footage about the making of the film, plus two well-designed DVD-ROM features (for Windows PC only): a interactive map showing the various journeys undertaken by the real T.E. Lawrence, and a "split-screen" feature that simultaneously plays the movie and shows you text of behind-of-scene information of the particular chapter of the movie that is playing. Since the DVD lacks a second audio commentary, being able to watch the film while reading facts about it is not a bad substitute.

The included "booklet" is a reproduction of the 1961 program given to theater goers, we are told. A nice touch: the disc case resembles Lawrence's diary in the movie.


Talk About Character Development !!!!! What A Classic Should Be!!!!!   March 26, 2008
Steve Guardala (Long Island, NY.)
65 out of 82 found this review helpful

For me this epic film is tied with "A Bridge On The River Kwai" as the best movie ever made. This film had everything & more. The peerless acting of Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif, Jack Hawkins, & Anthony Quinn were perfectly cast for their respective roles. Fine cinematography, direction, action, suspense, special effects, & musical score made this a mammoth production that took two years to complete.


Set in world war one in the turbulent middle east, T.E.Lawrence attempts to unite the Arabs to overthrow their Ottoman Turkish rulers. He starts as a mapmaker for British intelligence in Cairo. From the very first frames you can feel the extraordinary WILL of this man. He burns himself with matches saying to his comrade "the trick is not to mind that it hurts." He is sent to spy on King Feisal{Alec Guinness}, but he soon finds that he identifies more with the arabs than with his fellow Brit's. His brutal journey to the king under the scorching desert Sun alone is worth four stars. He develops an unexpected & intruiging relationship with an arab chieftain Sherif Ali{Omar Sharif}, that moves the film ever forward. Without orders he crosses the desert to lead a motley group of fifty men joining Auda Abu Tayi{Anthony Quinn}, to attack the Turks at Aqaba. With the victory comes his fame as US reporter Jackson Bentley{Arthur Kennedy}, brings the story to the media's attention. He moves from one gruelling adventure to another showing an indomitable will that encourages his men to fight above what they thought their own abilities were. Lawrence Of Arabia is an epic that celebrates the empty silence of the arabian desert. the vast clips across the glowing desert show a tiny rider approaching, mesmerizing sunsets, battles, & camp details make this a masterpiece. Peter O'Toole gave the greatest performance ever in this film. I'm not saying that Gregory Peck did not deserve the Oscar for "To Kill A Mockingbird," just that O'Toole deserved it a little more. The former still has never won the Oscar, which for me is an unpardonable sin!


Finally! A Superbit "Lawrence" with color corrected video   September 10, 2003
38 out of 39 found this review helpful

I won't review the movie. That's all been said before. And reading the other reviews will make you aware of the extraordinary restoration effort that was put into this masterpiece for its re-release in 70 mm 15 years ago. But no matter how good that release was, it didn't translate well to home video. I've had a VHS version and also own the DVD release from two years ago. That deluxe disc set had the entire three-hour plus film on one disc and was not properly color corrected. (The second disc IS chock full of newsreel footage and other extras if you enjoy that sort of thing)

Now comes the Superbit release, which spreads the movie across two discs, dramatically increasing the bit rate. For once, Superbit really comes through and great improves the DVD experience. There are no extras. But the quality of the video is amazing. Key to this was the involvement in this edition of Robert Harris, who worked with David Lean and the film's cinematographer on the 1988 restoration. Mr. Harris details on thedigitalbits.com the time spent on this new DVD release to get everything right.

The results are excellent. It's like a veil was lifted from the film to fully reveal the magnificent details of the desert landscapes. The 5.1 and DTS mixes are also top notch.

Whatever you have heard about Superbit, this is the version of the title to own and one of the major DVD releases of this or any other year. If you enjoy this film, you owe it to yourself to rent or buy this version.


One Of The Ten Most Magnificent Films Of All Time!   July 30, 2000
Barron Laycock (Temple, New Hampshire United States)
35 out of 40 found this review helpful

No one was a more masterful film maker than was David Lean, the British director who brought us such unforgettable classics as "Bridge Over the River Kwai", "Doctor Zhivago" ""Ryan's Daughter", and of course, "Lawrence of Arabia"(see my reviews of all these films). The cinematography is always spectacular and breath-taking, and one has to agree with the comments of a previous reviewer that here the desert plays a well-scripted supporting role in the unfolding drama that was T. E. Lawrence's experience during the First World War in Arabia. Lean always focused his films on the ways in which individuals and their personal characteristics clash and meld with the larger social, cultural, and historical surround in which they are located, and so each film is a particularly captivating study of the specific dynamics of each such situation. Each of these films is also a well-choreographed and photographed excursion into the topography, climate, and landscape of the geographic location in which the drama unfolds. The eyes and ears are always delighted by what Lean displays.

Here young and bookish Lawrence is faced with the unenviable and unlikely prospect of trying to unite the multitude of Arab Bedouin tribes in support of the Allies in the regional warfare associated with WWI. The film captures this unlikely and somewhat quixotic personal odyssey most memorably, and a very young Peter O'Toole is masterful in his edgy portrayal of the enigmatic Lawrence as a time-trapped romantic caught by whimsy and circumstance in the most mind-boggling adventure of a lifetime, an adventure that broke all the rules of convention and upper-class British expectations.

He meets his match with other characters played by Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, and Sir Alec Guinness. And in capturing the comically mismatched skills, expectations, and romanticism that Lawrence launched into the larger picture of what was going on, by viewing his personal odyssey in the context of the much larger cultural framework of Arab ambitions, jealousies, and cultural differences, we are magically transported into the strange and marvelous world of the desert and all the romance and mystery of that region. Viewing each of David Lean's splendid and classic films is a treat and a privilege; no one was as prolific, as consistent, and as engaging a storyteller as he. Lawrence of Arabia is one of his finest films, and as such represents a wonderful standard of excellence in storytelling and film experiences. Sit down and relax, for you are in a master's hands. Enjoy!