Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence blows out a burning match... and there you have it. Brilliant editing to match that of Kubrick's 2001 is followed by easily the best thing I've ever seen. In fifty years, no film has surpassed Lawrence of Arabia. And none will. The direction, the cinematography, the music, the actors, the whole atmosphere that splashes from this gem to all sides of the world, the scenes with the crossing of the An Nafud desert, the rescue of Gasim, the destruction of the train, the ship "sailing" through the desert... This is how biographies are made, this is how epics are made, and this is how gems are made.__P.S. Today, on July 4, 2012, I finally got to see Lawrence on the big screen. Thank you, Carlsbad Festival. (09/18/2007)

Four hours of breathtaking shots of the desert are more than I can currently bear. It's pointless to beat around the bush, David Lean directs very deliberately and drawn-out, not to mention the editor. Beautiful images accompanied by solid music are not everything. For some an icon, for others a hard-to-pass borefest. And let's face it, I'm in the latter group. (07/17/2004)

A great film as crystal clear and breathtaking as the Arabian deserts are endless and dry. The runtime may seem excessive, and the last half hour devoted mostly to political speeches puts the viewer's patience to a test, but hand on heart, it couldn't have been made better. The truly excellent direction of Lean, unique setting, perfect cinematography and the music!...You just have to experience it. Plus Peter O'Toole in the role of his life, into which he imprinted such a measure of his personality and talent that it gave me chills at the end. The DVD format and the Czech dubbing probably took a lot of the shine off it, but on the big screen and with a proper sound system it must be awesome. 95% (03/31/2013)

I don't know what I expected from this movie, but I guess I didn't get it. I wasn't blown away by it, nor was I impressed; it just surprised me that it's much more focused on the human aspect than on the epicness of the film itself, although that's also present, of course. Peter O'Toole is excellent, and Claude Rains pleased me, but it just didn't knock my socks off. A big film like Ben-Hur got to me much more. (04/18/2015)

Sir David Lean gave a new dimension to the term "epic". His Lawrence of Arabia is a monumental opus that remains a timeless work of gigantic proportions to this day. The film contains everything from magnificent battle scenes to political and philosophical depth. The character of T.E. Lawrence is meticulously developed down to the smallest detail, and is brilliantly supported by a plethora of amazing supporting characters. Despite its nearly 4-hour runtime, it never bored me for a moment - the story is engaging, and, though it's hard to believe, it contains no filler. As I was leaving the theater, I overheard three older ladies saying that it was quite good, but it could use some editing - I definitely disagree with that. I wouldn't take a single minute out of the definitive version of the film, everything has its clearly defined place and the film is perfect as it is. From beginning to end, it's a clear vision that was executed absolutely perfectly and flawlessly. It's a shame that they don't make films like this anymore. (06/29/2018)