One of the Greatest films of all time

Rating: Null/10 (23 June 2002)

Lawrence: So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people, greedy, barbarous, and cruel, as you are.
There are few epics in film history that can stand up to the gut and glamour of one of the most astounding and grand films ever made. David Lean's `Lawrence of Arabia' is what an epic should always be. The only epic that has ever even gotten close to it is Mel Gibson's `Braveheart,' one of my favorite films, but even now as I write this I ask: is `Lawrence' better? The truth is it doesn't matter the two film are the two greatest epics ever made no doubt. Peter O'toole's Performance is that of perfection and some of the greatest cinematography ever put on film, at `Lawrence of Arabia's' three hours and forty minutes the film never dulls or falls over on itself. It isn't a simple good guy bad guy film, it isn't a simple lets kill them all film, or a film you could put heavy metal over and watch, it is a filmmaker film. It has texture, thoughtful dialogue and useful action. It doesn't just set out to thrill its viewer; it sets out to make the viewer ask questions. I love films like this that show what being human is all about and what triumphs a man can have, and what faults.

Lawrence: I killed two people. One was yesterday. He was just a boy and I led him into quicksand. The other was... well... before Aqaba. I had to execute him with my pistol and there was something about it that I didn't like.
Allenby: That's to be expected.
Lawrence: No, something else.
Allenby: Well, then let it be a lesson.
Lawrence: No... something else.
Allenby: What then?
Lawrence: I enjoyed it.
Lawrence is so confident and so powerful and young he think he can take on the world, but when he does he doesn't know who he is or what he has done. He follows only himself. He is so heroic that he doesn't know what or who he is; this film is the best film about heroism ever made. It tells the truth about being a larger then life hero, the hardships and responsibility it brings. It also show what it does to a man and what questions a man must ask himself once he sees what true horror is. I love the demeanor of Lawrence the way he enters the room, it is the way the `heroes' have entered the room in almost every epic film since. This film is why epics are made. David Lean's direction is flawless and almost the best of all time. He made film like Spielberg does now. Not to forget Fredrick Young's amazingly submersive cinematography, that includes the first ever filmed mirage. The film is so powerful and brilliant because it is a perfect collaborative film. It shows what a lot of people that want to make a movie can do. This film doesn't mess around; it is one of the greatest films ever made.

Colonel Brighton: Are you badly hurt? Lawrence: I'm not hurt at all. Didn't you know? They can only kill me with a golden bullet.