Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
98 %
Reviews Counted: 54 Fresh: 53 Rotten:1 Average Rating: 8.8/10
Consensus:
The epic of all epics, Lawrence of Arabia cements director David Lean's status in the filmmaking pantheon with nearly four hours of grand scope, brilliant performances, and beautiful cinematography.
Runtime: 3 hrs 47 mins
Synopsis: David Lean's masterpiece, perhaps the greatest of screen epics, stars Peter O'Toole in one of the most electrifying debuts in film history. The film is less an ordinary adventure than an experience that leaves an overwhelming sense memory of the struggle between two powerful forces: the... [More]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif
Director: David Lean
Story: T.E. Lawrence
Producer: Robert A. Harris, Sam Spiegel, David Lean
Screenwriter: Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson
Composer: Maurice Jarre
Story: T.E. Lawrence
Producer: Robert A. Harris, Sam Spiegel, David Lean
Screenwriter: Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson
Composer: Maurice Jarre
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Reviews
Comment
Sweeping, epic, majestic, awesome, sumptuous, you name the grandiose superlative and you'll be right, with amazing performances and gorgeous visuals, although very, very long.
02/19/08
Top Critic
It's probably heresy to suggest it's overlong, but if Lean's epic outstays its welcome, there are more than enough magical moments to explain why it enjoys its lofty reputation.
02/19/08
[It] remains one of the most intelligent, handsome, and influential of all war epics.
12/13/06
Top Critic
Lean's epic biography of the enigmatic and complex British hero is always visually mesmerizing even if it omits crucial aspects of Lawrence's life (such as his homosexuality), boasting a radical, even subversive performance of the young Peter O'Toole.
07/23/06
The passage of time has only proved how difficult it is to run ideas, history, characterisation and landscape in harness on this sort of scale.
06/24/06
The only way to properly see Lean's overstuffed epic is on the big screen, the better to appreciate the glorious desert vistas, Maurice Jarre's soaring score and the glowing performance by then-unknown Peter O'Toole as a messianic T.E. Lawrence.
04/06/06
Approach it from whatever angle you like, performances, script, cinematography, score; David Lean's sweeping biography of T.E. Lawrence is unarguably magnificent.
11/29/04
Top Critic
Top Critic
For all the stunning shots of windswept dunes and battle sequences featuring a cast of hundreds, this is the study of a man in deep conflict.
01/18/04
The English-language cinema's exemplary historical drama, gorgeous, complex, passionate, vivid and engrossing a full four decades after its premiere.
06/20/03
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