Lawrence Of Arabia (1962):

Starring:

Peter O'Toole - T.E. Lawrence

Sir Alec Guinness - Prince Feisal

Anthony Quinn - Auda Abu Tayi

Jack Hawkins - General Allenby

Omar Sharif - Sherif Ali

Jose Ferrer - Turkish Bey

Anthony Quayle - Colonel Brighton

Claude Rains - Mr. Dryden

Arthur Kennedy - Jackson Bentley

Donald Wolfit - General Murray

Director:

David Jean (Bridge On The River Kwai; A Passage To India)

Synopsis:

Sweeping epic about the real life adventures of T.E. Lawrence, a British major who unified Arab tribes and led them in the fight for independence from the Ottoman Turks in the 1920s.

Review:

Yes that's right I committed to the entire film in one sitting. Back in the days when their apparently weren't enough actual Arab actors so they just had British old men wearing fake noses. So before watching this movie I knew little to none about the story of T.E. Lawrence. I knew he was a British general who went to the middle east. Apparently it was much more than that. Not at all surprised that this film won 7 Academy Awards but also wasn't surprised to learn that the only thing I knew about it was Family Guy mocking it being shown in original extra wide screen. Because every single wide shot in this movie is shot from 300 feet away & pans across vast amounts of desert back drop. Maybe in 1962 when not as many people had travelled the world & information, video & photos weren't as easily accessible as they are today it was fine to have a 5 minute panorama of the vast Turkish deserts, but in today's modern world, with our attention spans only measurable in minutes... No wonder this movie's run time is 227 minutes. The acting of course is what you would expect from Peter O'Toole, Sir Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn & Omar Sharif. The only thing holding down this film slightly was it's incredible length, which I was able to surpass by fast forwarding all of the scenery shots.

Budget: $15,000,000

Box Office: $70,000,000

Profit: $55,000,000

Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Flixster: 91%

 94%

Lead Acting: 15/15

Supporting Cast: 15/15

Plot: 10/10

Compared To The Genre: 10/10

Cinematography: 18/20

Intrigue: 17/20

Extra: 9/10