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Directed by: David Lean Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guiness, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn David Lean's masterpiece tells the story of T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who leads an Arab rebellion against the Turkish army of World War I. But Lawrence is not a war movie of sorts; it is as much about Lawrence's inner battles as the war he made against the Turks. It is a beautiful and deeply moving film that packages everything we like about epics without being pretentious or heavy handed in the slightest. Lawrence of Arabia is a movie without a flaw, although some people might not be able to handle it's 216 minute (!) runtime. On a personal note, I have watched the film easily over 25 times, and I am always happy to watch it again. I think it truly deserves the 5.5/5 rating I am giving it with no ratings inflation involved. No other film made is so compositionally perfect and so deeply affecting. It is the monument of filmmaking. RATING: 5.5 PROS: Great acting, gorgeous cinematography, absorbing and well structured story, moving, epic CONS: Very long, but that's just more of a good thing ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lawrence_of_arabia/
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Dec 31, 2004 04:59
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 21:48 |
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I'm probably going to be the only one to say this. But I didn't enjoy this movie at all. The running time was a bit daunting, but if the story had been paced more consistantly I think it would have been a lot easier to sit through for me. The score is great, the cinematography is beautiful, the acting for the most part is good...One of the big things that annoyed me was that Lawrence was painted on-screen as a walking livejournal entry, with little to no explanation for his wild mood swings which seemed to happen at complete random points in the movie. The story seemed to jump around a lot, and thus confusing me. They would say they are about to invade a city...you never see anything on screen indicating that they conquered said city, and then 10 minutes later they are at a meeting where the conquering of said city is brought up briefly. There were quite a few parts of the movie where I was wondering "Hey, when did that happen?????" Poor pacing and sloppy storytelling make this one of the most overrated films in history to me. 2/5
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Jan 6, 2005 16:31
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This was based on a real dude and real events. He probably has to be one of the weirder, more intriguing people in history. Watching the movie gave me a sense of where all the continuing problems in the Middle East came from. I was lucky to see this on the old Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. I ginormous curved...er, bubble thing of a screen and a restored print. Seeing this movie with a bunch of film snobs on a 8 million foot screen and a killer sound system really helps it a lot. You just don't get the sense of scale on a television. This movie created Peter O'Toole (no stranger to weirness himself), brought us Omar Sharif, and heightened Tony Quinn, who people seem to sadly have forgotten despite his 50 children. I think it's a pretty fascinating tale. I mean when I watched The Last Samurai, I was thinking how hokey and lame it was to have this handsome white guy leading this army. But that's what Lawrence did, and it was factual! http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/lawrencete.htm This movie just has so many elements that other movies copied later. When you watch it today, THIS movie might seem derivative, but you have to put things in perspective and realize this one came first. Exciting, well-acted, faily accurate historically, ground-breaking. AFI ranked it #5 in their top 100 movies of all time. 5
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Jan 6, 2005 18:01
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This is my favorite movie of all time and I've seen thousands of films. Hands down, this one is the best. I don't really know what to say about it except that I loved every aspect of it. Obviously, the cinematography and acting are superb and the story is engaging. I recommend it to everyone. 5.5
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Jan 13, 2005 05:56
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A ripping good yarn, full of action and drama and pathos. Great characters, great conflicts, great dialogue, and shot after luscious shot of gorgeous desert vistas. And it really clips along for a nearly 4-hour film. Rating: 4
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Feb 3, 2005 22:43
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Great movie, scenery, acting. Omar Shariff was a pimp, and Peter O'Toole was great as well. I always get a kick out of the scene when Lawrence and General Allenby I believe it is march down the stairs at the headquarters in Cairo and every soldier does such a crisp salute as they pass by. And to hellocruelworld, I think you just needed to pay attention a little harder, or perhaps watch the movie more than once. Everything makes sense to me.
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Feb 12, 2005 07:21
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5.0 Lawrence of Arabia is one of my favorite movies and I think it's one of the greatest. Besides being a beautiful film (This film is the reason why 70mm rules), the acting is nothing short of spectacular. "I carry twenty-three great wounds, all got in battle. Seventy-five men have I killed with my own hands in battle. I scatter, I burn my enemies' tents. I take away their flocks and herds. The Turks pay me a golden treasure, yet I am poor! Because *I* am a river to my people!"
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Feb 12, 2005 07:46
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Easily my favorite film ever. The cinematography, achieved with nothing more than stunning locations and fantastic camera-work, is not only epic but backed up by a magnificent musical score to make this film absolutely breathtaking. The depiction of the deterioration of Lawrence's mental state is very moving and a fitting testament to the acting throughout the film, and I don't hold the fact that it is not completely historically accurate against it. Being a depiction of major events occouring in major parts of the middle east during WWI certainly contribute to making it interesting, and in my opinion the long duration is justified by the fascinating web of factions and their interactions in that area of the world at that time. 5.5
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Mar 5, 2008 13:05
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Og Oggilby posted:
Just reading this quote gives me goosebumps. If someone put a gun to my head and told me to name a definitive favourite film (hey it could happen) this would be my choice, and it would be an honest answer. Breathtaking cinematography, beautiful transitions, amazing acting; the likes of which I with sadness doubt we will see again, and most importantly; a great story. But despite of that, if people asked me what it was about, I honestly wouldnt know what to say. It doesnt hold your hand, or forces your perception of the characters in any way, it sort of just leaves it all hanging there at the end, allowing you to take it all in by yourself. It perfects 2 of my most important criteria for a really good movie; It holds up EXTREMELY well to repeated viewings, AND; It has stood the test of time, and I believe it will continue to do so for a very very long time. edit; 5.5
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Sep 24, 2008 02:37
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This is one of the few "Great Classics" I have watched in it's entirety, and it's still one of the most memorable movies I've seen. The cinamatography is outstanding, and the visual design of everything from costumes to sets to the desert is stunning. The acting is spot on, and the movie inspired me to read Lawrence's own account of the Arab revolt (as well as visit Lawrence's tomb in St. Paul Cathedral). I was surprised at how faithful the movie was to Lawrence's description. Story is utterly gripping, which to me is always impressive of biographic works where you already know how it all ends. The action scenes, in particular the Battle of Akaba, are among my favorite. The realness and scale of the battle shames any CGI-produced battle scene. Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif are the performances I remembered most, although as a Star Wars far seeing Alec Guiness in desert robes 20(?) years before he played Obi-Wan was weird (in a good way). 5.5
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Jun 12, 2012 22:56
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