Lawrence of Arabia-Call Him Larry **

Rating: 4/10 (28 May 2011)

I was terribly disappointed with this utter sand and dust desert film. That it won the Academy Award for best picture of 1962 is most shocking. The other 4 nominees had to be far better.
As a historian, I knew they were referring to the World War 1 conflict. The name of the war is never mentioned throughout the film. The only way you knew that this wasn't World War 11 was that Turkey was Germany's ally. In the Second World War Turkey was neutral.
The best performance here was given by Anthony Quinn. At least, we knew where he stood. Peter O'Toole looked half-crazed throughout and Omar Sharif was ready to study politics for nearly 4 hours of this epic joke of a film. What really happened to Lawrence when he was tortured by the Turk. (Jose Ferrer in a one scene-stealer)
Arthur Kennedy is the reporter in the film looking for the scoop. He was the reporter 2 years before in the far better "Elmer Gantry." An elderly Claude Rains plays a diplomat who really shows little emotion here. He literally speaks his lines like the old days of being under contract and having to do a film.
Director David Lean used Alec Guinness ("The Bridge on the River Kwai,") once more his 2nd Oscar winning film.