Rent Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

A great classic that remains an epic masterpiece - Lawrence of Arabia review by Philip in Paradiso

The film depicts the life of Lawrence of Arabia and the role he played in helping to organise the Arab uprising against the Ottoman Turks in the Middle East during WWI. It is a great classic, generally considered to be one of the best feature films of all times. I had never seen it in full (there are 2 DVDs, in total about 220 mins, i.e. 3 1/2 hours). I found that the movie is as good as its reputation and lives up to it.

Peter O'Toole, as Lawrence, is remarkable, even if the portrayal of Lawrence in the film has been criticized by some historians, inevitably, in terms of the way his life and character are interpreted. Other actors are also very good, including Omar Sharif and Anthony Quinn as Bedouin warlords. It seems to me that the context at the time is well rendered, in a realistic way overall. We understand the interplay between Lawrence and his slightly idealistic plans for Arab independence and the harsh reality of European (British and French) colonial ambitions. The Bedouins and their tribal leaders have genuine agency, which is also interesting: they are not at all the passive 'natives' that a less subtle movie might have represented. The big picture is never neglected and this puts the life and role of Lawrence in context in an intelligent manner. There are many gripping action scenes and the film never feels overlong or dated.

So, the film works on many levels and will grab you, whether you are interested in the life of Lawrence and the politics of the Middle East at the time or not. It is a must-see.

One of The Greatest Of Films - Lawrence of Arabia review by GI

This is one of those magnificent movies that makes you realise why you fell in love with cinema. It's a masterpiece, epic, stunningly beautiful, brilliantly scripted and directed and keeps at it's heart an intimate character study of a diverse historical figure. Set during the First World war it tells the story of T.E. Lawrence, an eccentric young British army officer who is sent by his superiors to act as liaison to an Arab prince to encourage the Arabs to fight the Turks. The British, of course, have designs on Arabia but Lawrence against the odds and to the surprise of his British High Command unites the warring Arab tribes and secures unprecedented victories against the Turkish army at personal cost to his beliefs and perhaps his sanity. There are some very famous scenes to be enjoyed here and a story that is really interesting and brilliantly told. Peter O'Toole plays Lawrence to sheer perfection aided by a stellar cast including Alec Guinness, Omar Shariff, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains and Anthony Quinn. The film garnered seven Academy Awards and they are richly deserved. A magnificent, beautiful film and one every film fan must see and watch time and time again.

Classic - Lawrence of Arabia review by CP Customer

They dont make war movies like this anymore, a great education as to Britains involvement in Arabia