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If only the Bush White
House had watched this movie before invading Iraq... Scott Supak
There's no getting around a simple, basic
truth: watching Lawrence of
Arabia in any home-video format represents a compromise. There's no better way to
appreciate this epic biographical adventure than to see it projected in 70 millimeter onto
a huge theater screen. That caveat aside, David Lean's masterful "desert
classic" is still enjoyable on the small screen, especially if viewed in widescreen
format. (If your only option is to view a "pan & scan" version, it's best
not to bother; this is a film for which the widescreen format is utterly mandatory.) Peter
O'Toole gives a star-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer
who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean
orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really
about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the
desert. Lean traces this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other
movie has captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally
important is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his
identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that
Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical and
emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly drawn to
another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal measure. --Jeff
Shannon, Amazon
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration,
Color
John Box
Dario Simoni
John Stoll |
Best Cinematography, Color
Freddie Young |
Best Director
David Lean |
Best Film Editing
Anne V. Coates |
Best Music, Score - Substantially
Original
Maurice Jarre |
Best Picture
Sam Spiegel |
Best Sound
John Cox (I) (Shepperton SSD) |
Cast:
| Peter O'Toole |
.... |
T.E. Lawrence |
| Alec Guinness |
.... |
Prince Feisal |
| Anthony Quinn |
.... |
Auda abu Tayi |
| Jack Hawkins |
.... |
General Allenby |
| Omar Sharif |
.... |
Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish |
| José Ferrer |
.... |
Bey of Deraa |
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