Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: Excellent casting in this tale of war in the middle east during world war 1. Delves into the arab psyche as well as delivering the tale of a man who dared to differ from his own race and class, and find a temporary home among the arabs. Strangely prophetic in ways, as the arabs seek a homeland amidst british duplicity. A great movie for a dark cold night.
Rating: 
Summary: Baking sand under a magnesium sun...
Review: This is a great film among great films. Lean's gift for filmmaking verges on the miraculous; and the desert is a catalyst that allows him to craft a masterpiece. Lean was absolutely in his element.
Lawrence of Arabia is a glorious and complicated film. On the one hand, it is a pilgrimage into a biblical wilderness, with magnificent wonders and landscapes to behold. On the other hand, it is a disturbing and profound psychological portrait, which certainly matches the psychology of the real Lawrence. Lawrence's brother called this film pretentious, psychological nonsense. Unfortunately I disagree with him. The bizzare, masochistic, self-annihilating demons of Lawrence's nature can be sensed in any factual account of his life. Some moments I remember: -Lawrence trying to get rid of his pistol several times - giving it to Tafas, allowing Sherif Ali to take it, throwing it away after the execution of Gasim, and, finally, using it in the massacre until he runs out of bullets. -The way the motorcycle (symbolising Lawrence's fated death in a pathetic motor accident) keeps reappearing. Once when the masked man rides up and says: Who Are You? Once, following Lawrence into Cairo, like his terrible fate. Once, being washed in the background when Lawrence comes back to Cairo for the third time. And once at the very end, when a motorcycle overtakes him, and spews dust all over the camera. -Lawrence being shown a bunch of grapes from the Promised Land, like in the Pentateuch. Unfortunately, the grapes are sour. Notice that this is also "the road to damascus". Lawrence undergoes a "conversion" on the road to damascus, the massacre revealing his true character - not superhuman, but considerably inhumane. -Lawrence's wonderful exit from the conference room - he is first seen reflected in the conference table (in a glass darkly); then he walks out through a curtain. His shadow (which has been seen twice before, once on the road to Akaba, once when he parades himself on the destroyed train) is seen floating on the curtain, like a ghost. He then rides home in a motor-car - the windshield so smeared that we car barely see his face. Lawrence of Arabia is a subtle and powerful film at the same time. Unlike many movie epics of the period, Lawrence is not empty-headed spectacle, but a thoughtful psychological portrait at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: Very long, but well worth the effort¿
Review: I received this DVD for my birthday and had never seen this film before. I'd seen it re-released in the UK the previous year but wasn't overly inclined to spend money on it, and was therefore strangely pleased to have received this as a gift. I then waited until the following Saturday to sit down and watch this in it's entirety - it's 218 minutes long split over two discs, so make the time to watch this. I hate watching films in parts, it's all or nothing with me. The first thing that struck me was the cast list. Peter O'Toole, although the lead in this film, was the last cast name to appear. This was undoubtedly due to the fact that he was a relative unknown at the time while the other stars, bar Omar Sharif, were already big stars. Of course, the release of this film changed this for both O'Toole and Sharif. It must be said that the cinematography is really what makes this film. It is simply stunning and I doubt a desert has ever looked as good and sumptuous as it does here. There are some gorgeous panoramic shots with characters appearing either at mid-point in the shot or way back in the distance. Part of the quality here owes much to the restoration of the print back in 1989 by Steven Spielberg amongst others, and some of the dialogue was actually re-recorded at the same time. Even the internal shots are full of detail that put a lot of modern films to shame. While the cinematography is undoubtedly impressive, it is enhanced by a sweeping score by Maurice Jarre. The music has an epic quality that is both stirring and atmospheric. The main themes do tend to repeat quite a lot, but what would you really expect for a film over 3 hours long? An interesting angle on the score is shown on the DVD. The first few minutes of both parts of the film are just the music with a black screen. This apparently is as Lean originally envisaged it. This did initially make me a bit impatient for the film to start, but I soon found myself immersed in the music. Peter O'Toole does a fantastic job of playing TE Lawrence, a famous enigma in British history. This is definitely not just your normal square jawed hero who is perfect, Lawrence undergoes some radical character changes that hint at the partial loss of sanity due to his experiences. The film is also clearly about his life and experiences rather than just the action adventure aspect of this period of his life. Therefore there is relatively little real action, which is left mainly to the imagination, and the film focuses most of it's attention on his actions and emotional state of mind, and the high regard felt for him by his Persian friends. Omar Sharif is well cast as the closest thing Lawrence has to a friend, and his introduction via a long distance shot of just a black blip to a half height shot (head to waist) is just fantastic - you'll never see such shots these days. Anthony Quinn and Alec Guiness are also excellent, although their make-up looks a little dated now - as does O'Toole's eye-liner which does help give him the look of a deranged man at times. There are some good extras here, but bearing in mind that this film is close to 40 years old, it is fitting that most of them (in numberrather than time) are from the original period of this films release. The modern extras are a long documentary on the making of the film and it's restoration and a "conversation" with Steven Spielberg about this films influence on him. The "old" extras consist of the original trailer (approx. 5 minutes long!), very dark footage of the New York premiere and five on location short films that include a piece on the casting of camels and locals as extras. Another impressive extra is a map that you can "walk" around and get more detail on what Lawrence achieved and look at some original photographs courtesy of the Imperial War Museum. David Lean has truly created one of the cinematic masterpieces of the 20th Century - many would like to claim this dubious honour for their favourite films, this time it is emphatically undeniable. This is not a film, this is an experience.
Rating:
Summary: lasts long but long lasting
Review: 'Lawrence of arabia was one of the greatest showmen since Barnum & Baily'
a beautiful movie. great actors in great scenary. a true story played by people who now have the british title of 'sir'. you've heard of it, now SEE it!
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece on a wide canvas
Review: This is an eminently viewable movie. I
purposely avoid watchable because it's
not something thrown on for a few minutes
before heading off to work. Arabia takes
time. It's not an accurate biography of
T.E. Lawrence (I like the book "A Prince
of Our Disorders" for that). Rather, it's
a well shot, well acted, engaging film.
Is it long? Yes. But not so long that
you can't finish it in one sitting. Enjoy
the mastery of Lean's directing. This is a
film that deserves a proper commentary but
unfortunately, you won't get it with this
version. The interviews and short films
do help one understand why the work is so
popular with great directors but they need
another version with a film critic examining
and explicting the film scence by scene. But
the work can easily stand by itself.
Notice the famous shot where Lawrence's
burning match becomes a blazing sun over the
desert. Marvel at the optical illsions
produced by the desert and magnified by
clever set designers(see the extra short
films and interviews for details).
Lawrence of Arabia doesn't have the
compelling, driving plot of Bridge on the
River Kwai but the magnificence of the
cinematography and understanding of
O'Toole's portrayl are not to be missed.
As a final note, if you already have the
video and I have been preaching to the
choir than I recommend renting the DVD
before buying it. You might decide that
the little extras are not worth your hard-earned money; a sentiment I
respect when it comes to upgrading a
collection of music or films.
Rating:
Summary: A wonder of a film
Review: Lawrence of Arabia is about the life of the Brisish legend T.E. Lawrence, author of the book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Lawrence was one of those movies that was a huge risk, the thing everyone said could not be done, and if somehow it was, it would be a box office failure. Well, Lawrence of Arabia defied the odds, and became the best movie I have ever seen. Shot mostly on location in the deserts of the Mid East, this film features fantastic artistry, breathtaking performances by greats such as Peter O'Toole (Lawrence) and Ben Hurr (Prince Feisal), and a brilliant script that not only explores Lawrence's life, but the human psyche. A must-see. Yes, it is long, but it is well worth it. You won't want it to end when it does.
Rating:
Summary: Lawrence rules
Review: This review won't help anybody. This is just the greatest movie of all times.
Rating: 
Summary: Showing its age.
Review: This movie is undeniably a classic. But did they have to play the same music over and over again?
And why 2 discs?
The story, if we could make the fiction from the truth, would be interesting. Unfortunately, I am not much of an history buff.
So, it is a good epic. Epic being the key word.
Rating:
Summary: For very large widescreen TV only
Review: I think that half of the enjoyment of this film is missed as it is shown on TV. The beautiful desert landscape where the most part of it takes place is impaired by the size of TV screen where it is turned in an ordinary film. I think it doesn't work suitably out of the cinema screen.
Rating:
Summary: A film of little words and tremendous impact
Review: The beauty of Lawrence of Arabia is how the story is told, not through melodramatic dialogue, but through the actions of a tremendous actor in an epic setting. The most telling of sequences in the film is the long and improbable journey of Lawrence and Feisal's men across the long desert to Aqaba. Just as the expedition is about to exit the desert, Lawrence defies the protests of Sherif Ali to retrieve a wayward member of his party who would otherwise be doomed in the sweltering desert sun. The single shot of Lawrence on the horizon, at first barely visible, accomplishing his unlikely feat of rescue tells us more about Lawrence than any dialogue could do. Conversely, the attack on Aqaba, the supposed climax of the first act, takes a fraction of the time. Filmed today, the screen time alloted to these to scenes would likely be reversed. There lies the beauty of Lawrence of Arabia. Lean's Lawrence of Arabia does not tell the tale of Lawrence's adventures, it tells the story of Lawrence himself. I highly recommend seeing this on as large a screen as possible. Purchase of this dvd for viewing on anything less than a 32 inch screen is going to only frustrate and disappoint. I viewed it on a 36 inch screen and was very pleased.
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