Stills from Lawrence of Arabia (click for larger image)

Beyond Lawrence of Arabia

David Lean Collection

Audio CD Soundtrack

Gandhi

Why? Many reasons. The actors are likewise gifted with rare talent, and superbly cast. The settings and scenes are invariably breathtaking. The plot is engrossing and entertaining without ever becoming heavy-handed. Film students will while away hours discussing everything from the Christ imagery to the undercurrents of homoeroticism, but they do that with every film. I suggest you simply kick back and enjoy an excellent, time-honored epic about a stranger in a strange land. It is a harrowing, draining journey, but one you will not regret.


DVD the best looking version yet   April 6, 2001
 128 out of 134 found this review helpful

Apart from the slightly soft, washed-out picture quality during the opening credits of the movie, the DVD edition of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is superb. The movie itself is spread onto 2 discs, with the disc break occurs just before Intermission. The Overture, Intermission, and the exit music are all played to a black screen, as per director David Lean's original wish. The picture quality looks as fresh and clean as, quite frankly, any film made in the 90s. In the dramatic shot where Lawrence appears on the far horizon after he rescued his Arab companion, the higher picture resolution of DVD makes it possible for us to notice his tiny figure whereas on VHS tapes or laserdisc it is so small it is almost impossible to see. Anyone who is serious about watching this film should get this DVD instead of any other version in order to appreciate the opulent cinematography and majestic atmosphere of this epic.

The disc has over 100 minutes of old and new documentaries and news footage about the making of the film, plus two well-designed DVD-ROM features (for Windows PC only): a interactive map showing the various journeys undertaken by the real T.E. Lawrence, and a "split-screen" feature that simultaneously plays the movie and shows you text of behind-of-scene information of the particular chapter of the movie that is playing. Since the DVD lacks a second audio commentary, being able to watch the film while reading facts about it is not a bad substitute.

The included "booklet" is a reproduction of the 1961 program given to theater goers, we are told. A nice touch: the disc case resembles Lawrence's diary in the movie.


Talk About Character Development !!!!! What A Classic Should Be!!!!!   March 26, 2008
 76 out of 93 found this review helpful

For me this epic film is tied with "A Bridge On The River Kwai" as the best movie ever made. This film had everything & more. The peerless acting of Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif, Jack Hawkins, & Anthony Quinn were perfectly cast for their respective roles. Fine cinematography, direction, action, suspense, special effects, & musical score made this a mammoth production that took two years to complete.


Set in world war one in the turbulent middle east, T.E.Lawrence attempts to unite the Arabs to overthrow their Ottoman Turkish rulers. He starts as a mapmaker for British intelligence in Cairo. From the very first frames you can feel the extraordinary WILL of this man. He burns himself with matches saying to his comrade "the trick is not to mind that it hurts." He is sent to spy on King Feisal{Alec Guinness}, but he soon finds that he identifies more with the arabs than with his fellow Brit's. His brutal journey to the king under the scorching desert Sun alone is worth four stars. He develops an unexpected & intruiging relationship with an arab chieftain Sherif Ali{Omar Sharif}, that moves the film ever forward. Without orders he crosses the desert to lead a motley group of fifty men joining Auda Abu Tayi{Anthony Quinn}, to attack the Turks at Aqaba. With the victory comes his fame as US reporter Jackson Bentley{Arthur Kennedy}, brings the story to the media's attention. He moves from one gruelling adventure to another showing an indomitable will that encourages his men to fight above what they thought their own abilities were. Lawrence Of Arabia is an epic that celebrates the empty silence of the arabian desert. the vast clips across the glowing desert show a tiny rider approaching, mesmerizing sunsets, battles, & camp details make this a masterpiece. Peter O'Toole gave the greatest performance ever in this film. I'm not saying that Gregory Peck did not deserve the Oscar for "To Kill A Mockingbird," just that O'Toole deserved it a little more. The former still has never won the Oscar, which for me is an unpardonable sin!


Finally! A Superbit "Lawrence" with color corrected video   September 10, 2003
 38 out of 39 found this review helpful

I won't review the movie. That's all been said before. And reading the other reviews will make you aware of the extraordinary restoration effort that was put into this masterpiece for its re-release in 70 mm 15 years ago. But no matter how good that release was, it didn't translate well to home video. I've had a VHS version and also own the DVD release from two years ago. That deluxe disc set had the entire three-hour plus film on one disc and was not properly color corrected. (The second disc IS chock full of newsreel footage and other extras if you enjoy that sort of thing)

Now comes the Superbit release, which spreads the movie across two discs, dramatically increasing the bit rate. For once, Superbit really comes through and great improves the DVD experience. There are no extras. But the quality of the video is amazing. Key to this was the involvement in this edition of Robert Harris, who worked with David Lean and the film's cinematographer on the 1988 restoration. Mr. Harris details on thedigitalbits.com the time spent on this new DVD release to get everything right.

The results are excellent. It's like a veil was lifted from the film to fully reveal the magnificent details of the desert landscapes. The 5.1 and DTS mixes are also top notch.

Whatever you have heard about Superbit, this is the version of the title to own and one of the major DVD releases of this or any other year. If you enjoy this film, you owe it to yourself to rent or buy this version.


Film making at its finest. Don't miss it!   October 5, 2002
 36 out of 39 found this review helpful

This 1962 film is based on the true story of the unconventional British Lieutenant, who, during WW1, united Arab tribes to fight on the British side against the Turks. How Lawrence did that was the result of his weird combination of charisma and craziness. And how director, David Lean, brought this epic to the screen is a result of pure genius. Filmed on location in Jordan, the desert comes alive for the viewer. It's mile after mile after mile of drifting sand. But it also has places where there are lots of little rocks. And then there are the few and far-between oases and wells. There's danger here too, both because of the bitter tribal rivalries as well as natural dangers such as quicksand. The camel is the accepted mode of transportation. And thirst is something that the Bedouins learned to live with. It's a harsh life. The film is full of adventure. And not just because of the characters or the action. There's the adventure of the desert itself, and how a small speck on the horizon comes out of a mirage and becomes a human being. This all comes alive by a vision, one that had never been done on screen before. It was an ambitious undertaking. And a huge success.

The acting was outstanding. And so were all the special effects, although the cast of thousands who were real live people. It's a refreshing difference to computer-generated scenes we've become accustomed to. And a type of filming that we will not likely see again. For that alone, the film stands as a testament to human ingenuity. A couple of details bothered me, such as the makeup on Peter O'Toole whose fair skin was supposed to look sunburned, but somehow looked as if he had thick clay on his face. But this was minor. I also thought the film was too long and missed a traditional arc of plot which I've come to expect. I found myself drowsing off during the last half hour as it all seemed repetitive and superfluous to what had come before.

I watched all the DVD special features the next morning. And they were wonderful. It was then I realized that the print I had watched had been restored in 1989, with 35 minutes added to the epic. Some of the sound had been lost at that time and I found it fascinating as to how they brought back the actors to dub in their own voices again. I love learning about all the background and hearing the actors talk about the experience. Don't miss this wonderful DVD. Just make sure that you give yourself enough time to watch the film in its entirety. And add on another couple of hours to see the special features. You'll come away with an experience of your own that goes beyond merely watching a film. Clearly, it rates one of my highest recommendations.