Lawrence of Arabia
Directed by David Lean. UK. 1962. G. Running time: 227 min.
- Sun, Sep 13, 2:00 pm
One of the greatest adventure-biographies ever filmed, it is no wonder that Lawrence of Arabia was nominated for ten Academy Awards and carried off seven of them, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography. This is a complex and fascinating portrait of an enigmatic Englishman, T.E. Lawrence (portrayed indelibly, in his first featured role, by Peter O’Toole), who united Arab tribes to battle against the Ottoman Turks in World War I. With a stellar cast that includes Anthony Quinn, Sir Alec Guiness, Claude Rains, Jose Ferrar, and Omar Sharif and filled with striking images and battle sequences that fill the eye and the mind with Super Panavision splendor, this is one film which can’t be truly appreciated on TV and must be seen on the big screen. (NOTE: Don’t forget to bring along some water or soda; all that desert can make one a bit thirsty.) (Bill Roth)