Lawrence of Arabia

The famous little brother of all the big movies of old Hollywood. Few films can match this one in terms of production costs (perhaps only the flagship "sandal" films of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Wyler's Ben-Hur, Bondarchuk's epic War and Peace, or Lean's Doctor Zhivago). The director's chair was occupied by David Lean, the greatest master of expensive monster productions. Steven Spielberg referred to it as "The Miracle of Film", which I think is accurate, notwithstanding the not-so-impressive last act, which is more political. Thank God for the careful digital restoration. The widescreen screening at my favourite cinema Hvězda during LFS, with a carefully polished image, was one ecstatic experience. No film has such impressive desert scenery, the production design is unprecedented (the logistics and security of the whole event must have been unbelievable), and the beautiful music by Jarré! Peter O'Toole endowed Lawrence with stubbornness, hard-heartedness, even fanaticism, which makes the character so vital, plastic and therefore interesting. And a film without a single female character it’s not something you see every day :o) (22/07/2012)

Sir David Lean gave a new dimension to the term "epic". His Lawrence of Arabia is a monumental opus that remains a timeless work of gigantic proportions to this day. The film contains everything from magnificent battle scenes to political and philosophical depth. The character of T.E. Lawrence is meticulously developed down to the smallest detail, and is brilliantly supported by a plethora of amazing supporting characters. Despite its nearly 4-hour runtime, it never bored me for a moment - the story is engaging, and, though it's hard to believe, it contains no filler. As I was leaving the theater, I overheard three older ladies saying that it was quite good, but it could use some editing - I definitely disagree with that. I wouldn't take a single minute out of the definitive version of the film, everything has its clearly defined place and the film is perfect as it is. From beginning to end, it's a clear vision that was executed absolutely perfectly and flawlessly. It's a shame that they don't make films like this anymore. (30/06/2018)

I don't know what I expected from this movie, but I guess I didn't get it. I wasn't blown away by it, nor was I impressed; it just surprised me that it's much more focused on the human aspect than on the epicness of the film itself, although that's also present, of course. Peter O'Toole is excellent, and Claude Rains pleased me, but it just didn't knock my socks off. A big film like Ben-Hur got to me much more. (18/04/2015)

Lawrence blows out a burning match... and there you have it. Brilliant editing to match that of Kubrick's 2001 is followed by easily the best thing I've ever seen. In fifty years, no film has surpassed Lawrence of Arabia. And none will. The direction, the cinematography, the music, the actors, the whole atmosphere that splashes from this gem to all sides of the world, the scenes with the crossing of the An Nafud desert, the rescue of Gasim, the destruction of the train, the ship "sailing" through the desert... This is how biographies are made, this is how epics are made, and this is how gems are made.__P.S. Today, on July 4, 2012, I finally got to see Lawrence on the big screen. Thank you, Carlsbad Festival. (18/09/2007)

Four hours of breathtaking shots of the desert are more than I can currently bear. It's pointless to beat around the bush, David Lean directs very deliberately and drawn-out, not to mention the editor. Beautiful images accompanied by solid music are not everything. For some an icon, for others a hard-to-pass borefest. And let's face it, I'm in the latter group. (18/07/2004)