Review of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) by Andrew A — 18 Jul 2014
4/4 stars. It's my profile picture it's so good! This is the most epic epic ever made. Clocking in at a lofty and padded 4 hours, it is truly epic in both size and scope. Literally, because this film was one of the first films, if not the first popular film (72nd highest grossing film of all time) to film in 70mm film, instead of filming in 35mm and then blowing it up.
What this allowed for was some magnificent shots of the desert, complete with visible heat waves and blowing sand, images too complex to be seen on a regular television. I saw this movie in a theater, which is a must for true film lovers, according to Roger Ebert.
The detail was breathtaking. Most people's complaint about this movie is that it is too long, with too many shots of people walking through the desert. Those people's problem is that they are focusing on the characters, and not the desert behind them.
On TV it's hard to understand what's so great about people walking through the desert. On a big screen, it is brought to vivid life with immense detail. However, after seeing it in theaters then watching it again on TV, I felt like I was being cheated.
That doesn't take away from its story though, which is the main aspect of the film. That, and Peter O'Toole's performance, which was criminally overlooked by the Academy. No one else could have played the role properly.
The story is very intriguing, even more so because most of it actually happened. It even feels like the movie left some parts out of the story, even at 4 hours! The dialogue is not the greatest, and mostly exists to advance the plot forward.
However, these are just quibbles in an excellent film with nearly great acting, excellent directing, and some of the best cinematography in movie history. It is truly a film masterpiece!
This review of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was written by Andrew A on 18 Jul 2014.
Lawrence of Arabia has generally received very positive reviews.
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