Magnificent!

Rating: 10/10 (9 May 2008)

Imagine my surprise at seeing 393 comments for LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, but due to watching this film for the first time in my 32-year life, I feel I should add my own comment.
Echoing everyone else, this film is a magnificent masterpiece in many ways: screenplay, cinematography, on-location scouting, sound, acting, devotion to T.E. Lawrence' life.
I have not read Lawrence' tale that sparked this film, and while I feel the film expertly told his life albeit from a skewed perspective, I don't think I need to read the book to understand the man.
There is plot and there is narrative, and both are wonderfully told without any doubt to their purpose. From the silence of the eastern sun rising over the desert does to the battle scenes' clamor, this film is a clever look at the intricacies of the human element.