Lawrence of Arabia Review

Lawrence of Arabia


Release Date: 1st November 1963 - Australia


Production Companies

Columbia Pictures

Horizon Pictures

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia

Genre: Adventure/War/

Drama

Rating: M

Runtime: 218 minutes

Budget: $15,000,000

Box Office Gross: $69,995,047 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

T.E. Lawrence is a complex

man labelled from everything
everything from hero to
charlatan to a sadist who

has blazed his way to glory

in the Arabian desert and

then sought anonymity as

a common soldier under an
assumed name. Beginning
with Lawrence's death

at age 46 in a motorcycle
accident in Dorset, it flashes
back to 1916, when, as a

young intelligence officer

in Cairo, he was sent on

leave to investigate an

Arab uprising against
Turkey in World War I. He
formed a guerrilla army in
the desert. For two years,
he led the Arabs in
harassing the Turks with
desert raids, train wrecks
and camel attacks. 

Finally, he led his army

north and helped a British

general to bring down the

Ottoman Empire.

Cast

Peter O'Toole - T.E. Lawrence

Alec Guinness - Prince Feisal

Anthony Quinn - Auda Abu Tayi

Jack Hawkins - General Allenby

Omar Sharif - Sheriff Ali

José Ferrer - Turkish Bey

Anthony Quayle - Colonel Brighton

Claude Rains - Mr. Dryden

Arthur Kennedy - Jackson Bentley

Donald Wolfit - General Murray
I.S. Johar - Gasim
Gamil Ratib - Majid
Michel Ray - Farraj
John Dimech - Daud
Zia Mohyeddin - Tafas

Howard Marion-Crawford - Medical Officer

Jack Gwillin - Club Secretary

Hugh Miller - R.A.M.C. Colonel

Fred Bennett - Sergeant at Cairo Headquarters

(Cameo) (Uncredited)

Robert Bolt - Officer with Pipe Gazing at

Lawrence (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Peter Burton - Sheik in Arab Council (Uncredited)

Kenneth Fortescue - Allenby's Aide (Uncredited)

Jack Hedley - Reporter at Lawrence's Funeral (Uncredited)

Ian MacNaughton - Michael George Hartley (Uncredited)

Henry Oscar - Reciter (Uncredited)

Norman Rossington - Corporal Jenkins (Uncredited)

John Ruddock - Elder Harith (Uncredited)

Robert Rietty - Majid (Voice) (Uncredited)

Fernando Sancho - Turkish Sergeant (Uncredited)

Stuart Saunders - Regimental Sergeant Major

(Uncredited)

Steve Birtles - Motor Bike Rider (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Barbara Cole - Nurse (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Roy Stevens - Truck Driver (Cameo) (Uncredited)

Crew

Producer (Uncredited)/Director - David Lean

Screenplay - Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson

Producers - Sam Spiegel, Jim Painten

(1989 Restoration) & Robert A. Harris

(1989 Reconstruction & Restoration)

Production Designer - John Box

Art Directors - John Stoll

and Anthony Masters (Uncredited)

Assistant Art Directors - Terence Marsh,

George Richardson, Tony Rimmington

and Roy Rossotti

Property Master - Eddie Fowlie

Costume Designer - Phyllis Dalton

Director of Photography - Freddie Young

Second Unit Photography - Skeets Kelly,

Peter Newbrook and Nicolas Roeg

Camera Operator - Ernest Day

Assistant Director - Roy Stevens

Editor/Editorial Consultant (1989 Restoration) -
Anne V. Coates

Sound Dubbing - John Cox

Sound Recordist - Paddy Cunningham

Sound Editor - Winston Ryder

Sound Consultant - Richard L. Anderson (1989 Restoration)

Re-Recording Mixer - Gregg Landaker (1989 Restoration)

Music - Maurice Jarre


Awards

1963 Academy Awards
Best Picture - Sam Spiegel (Won)
Best Director - David Lean (Won)
Best Cinematography, Color - Freddie Young (Won)
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration - John Box,
John Stoll and Dario Simoni (Won)
Best Sound - John Cox
Best Film Editing - Anne V. Coates (Won)
Best Music, Score - Substantially Original -
Maurice Jarre (Won)
-------------------------
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Peter O'Toole
(Nominated)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Omar Sharif
(Nominated)
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material
from Another Medium - Robert Bolt and
Michael Wilson (Nominated)

Review

This review is a tribute to my Poppy, who passed away recently and was a big fan of this epic masterpiece. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is the longest movie to win an Oscar for Best Picture. It is a historical epic based on the true story of T.E. Lawrence and is about his journey to Arabia. Thanks to director David Lean, who made a masterpiece out of greatness. The movie influenced many film directors like George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg to imitate its visual style. Many film buffs consider it one of the greatest epics, but, in my opinion, it is not one of my favourites.

The desert scenery is immensely breathtaking. The time it took to shoot these scenes was quite extraordinary. While there is not much action, given the movie's length, the battle scenes are spectacular for their age. The biggest complaint about LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is that the running time can occasionally be a little slow, with some parts of the film being rather long.

I praise the perfectly crafted acting talents of Peter O'Toole (who brilliantly portrays T.E. Lawrence), Omar Sharif and Alec Guinness, along with beautiful cinematography and even the brilliant music score by Maurice Jarre.

LAWRENCE is such an incredible, if not a splendid film. Though the pacing is occasionally slow, it remains a defining filmmaking achievement ahead of its time. This movie should get people to see it at once.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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