A Shimmering historical painting about the heart

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2001)

I first saw this film when I was 10 years old. It scared me to death, Tom Courtenay's change of heart, the horrendous mob scenes, the aging of Omar Shariff... But, I thought it was a great film, and I loved it. At ten.
I saw it yesterday, I'm 31 now, and I loved it. I loved the corny view of history, the pat symbolism of Omar always looking at the light, up to the sun and the glowing face of Lara(who is always illuminated). The fact the landscapes do dwarf all the humanity on the screen until the love story begins in its entirety. And then there is the luminous Julie Christie as Lara..
Look, I know Pauline Kael hated it, and I know Lawrence of Arabia is a better film, but this film's got heart, soul and poetry. Plus, a really surreal part for Alec "O Bi Wan Kenobi" (for all the 20 somethings out there)Guinness.