Review of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) by Harry W — 13 Oct 2012

Although i'm 50 years late in seeing this film, still..... wow. Theres no better way to put it than Steven Spielberg did: Lawrence of Arabia is a miracle.

Lawrence of Arabia is a beautifully made film with it's magnificent art direction, great costumes and cinematography so powerful that it solidifies the image in your head that the beautiful land that is Arabia is not a savage, dry, dead-hot desert, but rather a colourful and open land full of sights and wonders.

The musical score of Lawrence of Arabia is arguably the most memorable part of the film. It's loud, spectacular and sinks into your head for you to never forget. I'd definetely call it one of the greatest musical scores ever produced for a film.

Director David Lean clearly had an excellent vision for this film, and his job of holding on to the vision shows excellently here as his creation of Lawrence of Arabia comes to life with finesse and charm, and hits a successful height without ever sinking below it's rating.

The acting and character development is great, and while supported by Alec Guiness and Omar Shariff playing roles to heart, Peter O'Toole is definetely the most stunning actor of the entire film with a performance so stunning with development so intense that I would rate it equally as impressive as Gregory Peck's Oscar winning performance that year. O'Toole portrays T.E. Lawrence with true heart in the character, as the character develops, it seems as if O'Toole does as well and the stunning image we are left with is real. It's as if we and O'Toole believe that he actually is T.E. Lawrence. And why wouldn't we? He is THAT convincing. This man deserves at least two academy awards, rather than eight nominations.

Lawrence of Arabia is so powerful in its scenes such as the extensive desert shots that the whole room heats up, and the way the room freezes when Lawrence must pull the trigger. It's exploration of themes and the violent events of WWI are impossible to miss here and the result is amazing, but also simple enough so that you can keep up with the whole film without getting confused easily at any fair point in the story.

Lawrence of Arabia is a stunning, unforgettable, influential masterpiece of Epic cinema that has cemented it's reputation as a classic that will only grow better over the years. One of the greatest films I have ever scene and a miracle of humanity, Lawrence of Arabia is some of the greatest Three hours and Forty minutes of your life.