Review of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) by Tyler C — 27 Apr 2010

As most people would say,Lawrence Of Arabia is the epic of all epics. And I would definitely join that group of people because it truly is. Directed by epic genre master David Lean and written by Robert Bolt,the film is a biographical account of the events of the life of T.E. Lawrence,a British Army lieutenant,who helped unite diverse Arab tribes to rise up and fight against the Turks during World War One. The film is split into two acts,the first one chronicling his rise to uniting tribes and liberating the Turk-controlled city of Aqaba,and the second one showcasing his continuing guerilla warfare against the Turks.

Legendary actor Peter O'Toole plays T.E. Lawrence,and his performance will go down as one of the greatest acting debuts of all-time. He completely nails down the mannerisms and physical look of Lawrence and delivers a mesmerizing performance. Other standout performances from the cast include Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali and Lean regular Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. Even though the film won multiple Oscars,I still wish that awards were given to O'Toole and Sharif because they were both phenomenal in their roles.

The biggest strengths from this movie though,are Freddie Young's cinematography and Maurice Jarre's score. The cinematography is so lush and vivid in it's imagery,that it's wide shots of the desert will sear into you for how beautiful they are. They are many legendary shots in this film but my favorite one is definitely the Sherif's entrance through a desert mirage. The score definitely amps up the dramatic moments of the film and intensifies the tone of each scene no matter what kind of emotion they're trying to convey.

What still surprises me about this film is that it's budget was only $15 million. There are many fantastic set pieces and over hundreds of extras in certain scenes so it definitely surprises you how a film that is as grand in scale as this one is,it reminds you how you don't always need a big budget for a high concept film. Director Steven Spielberg,who says that this movie will always be one of his all-time favorites,said that if someone would attempt to make an epic like this in the present day industry,it would cost over $250 million.

Lawrence Of Arabia will always remain as one of my favorite movies of all-time and in the epic genre,too. With a superbly literate script,visionary direction,lush cinematography,a sweeping score,and fantastic performances from the cast,Lawrence Of Arabia is one of those films that simply amazes you for what it has to offer. Just make sure you're wide awake when you see it,though,because the film's running time is 227 minutes (That's right. That's a LONG movie).