The cinematography alone is breathtaking

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2008)

I watched El Cid last week and Lawrence this week and you could not see two more different films: both may be about heroism but one is old-fashioned, theatrical, and exploding with action and color; the other is an extraordinary canvas of film filled with simple, devastating images that invade and linger, that takes its time and creates some of the best shots on film.
From a technical viewpoint Lawrence is extraordinary, it really does look and sound and feel like it was made now. The film looks fresh, there is none of the artificial colors of films prior to Lawrence: it is truly a masterpiece of film and one that deserves a very special place in film history.
I firmly believe that David Lean changed film: films after Lawrence are simply more lifelike more real less theatrical less acted, but are also more carefully shot, with the color and lighting far more subdued and real.
Of course, Lawrence, is also about heroism, character, and a unique individual: but it is in the combination of both the film and the story that the film's greatness lies.
Simply stunning.