One of the best films ever!

Rating: 10/10 (13 March 2004)

I was put off of watching this movie for a long time, due to its' length; but having seen all 3 Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back, well, 3 1/2 hours is a cakewalk. (And this movie even has an intermission!)
This movie kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The swelling score, the cinematography, the sound, the action sequences...everything was spot-on. The first half of the movie was most enjoyable to me. I felt like I was riding alongside Lawrence in the Nefud Desert, and I was absolutely afraid for his life (even though I knew he doesn't die in the desert). Peter O'Toole blew me away with his portrayal of a misfit who found a home in such a dangerous and beautiful place. His eyes were hypnotic, his body language was so bizarre, and spoke volumes. You could see why the sheiks and princes of Arabia liked him, and why Lawrence was so different from his English countrymen. All of the supporting actors were great, especially Alec Guiness and Omar Sharif.
The scope of this movie is HUGE. When I think of how long ago this movie was made, I can only think that everything in "Lawrence of Arabia" was REAL. All of the extras are real people, all of the animals are real, the trains were really blown up, etc. What a massive undertaking it must have been, and how sad movies nowadays will never be allowed to do that again. Why hire costly extras or destroy expensive sets when a computer can do it for much cheaper? (The only plus side of this being that real animals don't get hurt) Even in the "Lord of the Rings" epics, my favorite movies, there are times you can tell a blue screen is being used, and for a brief second I'm pulled out of the movie.
Firstly let me say that everyone should see this movie. It was long, yes, but absolutely no scene felt unnecessary. None. Everything in this film was crucial to painting a portrait of T.E. Lawrence.
Lastly, I was very thankful I have a widescreen high definition TV. I couldn't imagine watching this on a small screen. You would be missing so much. Even my set felt too small sometimes. I can only hope that this movie will be released in theaters again some day so I can see it in a format worthy of its beauty.