A Memorable, Expertly-Crafted Epic

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2005)

Worthwhile for any number of reasons, David Lean's filming of "Lawrence of Arabia" is a memorable, very entertaining, and expertly crafted epic. Peter O'Toole's portrayal of T.E. Lawrence works even better than you could have hoped for, and the entire cast of talented actors is given first-class material to work with. The script, settings, and the entire production are of fine quality.
O'Toole's distinctive, original style is a good match for such a complicated and unusual figure as Lawrence, who was one of the most complex historical figures of his generation. Even in the nearly four hours of running time, you could not cover the entire life of such a man, yet because of the way that O'Toole is able to capture the character so memorably, you come away from the movie with the feeling of understanding more than just the events themselves.
The rest of the cast likewise could hardly be better. Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif, and all the rest bring their characters to life believably, and they are an indispensable part of creating the world around the main character.
Lean's own ability to film this kind of large-scale story was never put to better use. When watched in widescreen, there are times when you can almost feel the sand and the desert heat, because of how carefully the scenes and settings have been rendered.
To be sure, it's a very long movie, and it defies a lot of the movie conventions that normally apply to such a large-scale production. And as a period piece, it shows us some things as they have not been for a long time (yet that still have some significance). But because of all this, it rewards careful viewing, since many of its subtleties can be even more satisfying than the exciting action sequences.