IMDb >
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsLawrence of Arabia (1962) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 90 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 12) |
          |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
30 January 1963 (Canada)
more
Tagline:
The Desert Classic. (1983 Video Release) more
Plot:
Epic rumination on a flamboyant and controversial British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during wartime service. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 7 Oscars.
Another 19 wins
&
12 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(72 articles)
Movie Reviews: “Red Cliff”
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 26 November 2009, 12:34 PM, PST)
MSNBC's List Of Cinematic Turkeys Is A Turkey Itself
(From CinemaRetro. 26 November 2009, 9:58 AM, PST)
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 26 November 2009, 12:34 PM, PST)
MSNBC's List Of Cinematic Turkeys Is A Turkey Itself
(From CinemaRetro. 26 November 2009, 9:58 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Majesty in the Desert
more (427 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Peter O'Toole | ... | T.E. Lawrence |
 | Alec Guinness | ... | Prince Feisal |
 | Anthony Quinn | ... | Auda Abu Tayi |
 | Jack Hawkins | ... | General Lord Edmund Allenby |
 | Omar Sharif | ... | Sherif Ali |
| José Ferrer | ... | Turkish Bey (as Jose Ferrer) |
| Anthony Quayle | ... | Colonel Brighton |
 | Claude Rains | ... | Mr. Dryden |
| Arthur Kennedy | ... | Jackson Bentley |
| Donald Wolfit | ... | General Murray |
| I.S. Johar | ... | Gasim |
| Gamil Ratib | ... | Majid |
| Michel Ray | ... | Farraj |
| John Dimech | ... | Daud |
| Zia Mohyeddin | ... | Tafas |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
216 min | UK:228 min (director's cut) | UK:187 min (1970 re-release) | UK:210 min (original version) | UK:222 min (premiere version) | USA:227 min (restored roadshow version)
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (RCA Sound Recording) (70 mm prints) |
Dolby SR (35 mm prints) (restored version) |
Mono (35 mm prints) (original version) |
4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) (35 mm) (original version) |
DTS 70 mm (70mm restored version)
Certification:
Hong Kong:IIA |
USA:Approved (original rating) |
USA:G (re-rating) (1971) |
Iceland:12 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Canada:A (Nova Scotia) |
Canada:G (Quebec) |
Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) |
Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) |
South Korea:12 |
Brazil:14 |
USA:PG (edited for re-rating) (1988) |
West Germany:12 (f) |
Argentina:Atp |
Australia:M (Special Edition DVD) |
Australia:PG |
Chile:TE |
Finland:K-16 |
France:U |
Ireland:PG |
Norway:15 (director's cut) |
Norway:16 |
Singapore:PG |
Spain:18 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
José Ferrer was initially very unsatisfied about the small part he was offered. He only accepted on condition that he be paid $25,000 - more than Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif combined - plus a factory made Porsche. Ironically Ferrer once said about his tiny role that he considered it to be the finest acting of his career.
more
Goofs:
Factual errors: When Lawrence is being escorted across the desert on his way to Faisal's camp, his Bedu guide offers to share his food with him. Lawrence is somewhat reluctant but is anxious to show that, unlike other Brits, he is at one with the desert people. He reaches into the guide's proffered dish and takes a morsel - but with his left hand, and he does it twice. The Bedu shows no reaction, but he should: among the desert Bedouin tribes, who eat by hand, the left is kept away from the food as it is the hand with which they clean themselves after defecating. It could be that the guide is observing another Bedouin custom, that of warm hospitality and unstinting generosity to strangers, and is too polite to mention the gaffe (he would probably be aware that many outsiders do not know of the taboo), but it is more likely that it is a genuine error. Peter O'Toole is left-handed, and though he goes to great lengths throughout the rest of the movie to do things right-handedly (Lawrence was right-handed), this was probably a momentary lapse that no one noticed, or thought to mention.
more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Vicar at St. Paul's: Well nil nisi bonum. But I find something... disproportionate in all this.
Colonel Brighton: He was a remarkable chap. By any counts, remarkable.
Vicar at St. Paul's: Did you know him well?
Colonel Brighton: I knew him.
more
Vicar at St. Paul's: Well nil nisi bonum. But I find something... disproportionate in all this.
Colonel Brighton: He was a remarkable chap. By any counts, remarkable.
Vicar at St. Paul's: Did you know him well?
Colonel Brighton: I knew him.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
more
Soundtrack:
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
more
FAQ
A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERSWhat was Robert Bolt's contribution to the script vs. Michael Wilson's contribution, and why was Wilson denied credit?
more
more (427 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Lawrence of Arabia (1962) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Michael Collins | La battaglia di Algeri | Capitaine Conan | The Lighthorsemen | Major Dundee |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb top 250 movies | IMDb Adventure section |
| IMDb UK section | Add this title to MyMovies |
The moment David Lean makes you aware you are in the hands of a master comes early on in "Lawrence of Arabia." Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) holds a lit match close to his lips and with one quick puff of air blows it out. Before the action is even completed, however, Lean has cut to a shot of a desert vista, with the sun slowly rising over the lip of the horizon. It's one of the most famous elliptical edits in cinema history, second maybe only to the bone/spaceship cut in "2001: A Space Odyssey." And it's only the first of countless memorable moments in "Lawrence of Arabia." The appeal of David Lean epics has always been his ability as a director to maintain an equilibrium between the scope of his films and the characters in them. Character development is never sacrificed to massive set pieces or knock-your-socks-off action sequences. "Lawrence of Arabia" has these elements too, but at heart it's a character study of one remarkable man. Lean seemed to understand that impressive landscapes alone are not inherently interesting; but if you place a fascinating character among those impressive landscapes, you can have movie magic.
"Lawrence" feels unlike other historical epics of its time. In most "big" films--I'm thinking of movies like "Ben-Hur," "Spartacus," "Cleopatra," all movies that premiered roughly around the same time as "Lawrence"--one gets the sense that directors framed compositions based on how much they were able to fit into their widescreen lenses. One rarely sees characters filmed from anything closer than a medium shot, and usually the background is stuffed to overflowing with garish art direction. Everything feels static and wooden. But in "Lawrence," Lean keeps his frames constantly alive by juxtaposing huge landscape shots with extreme close-ups of actor faces. In one especially brutal scene, after a battle that results in the slaughter of many people, the action cuts to a close-up of O'Toole, looking panicked and crazed, gripping a bloody knife in his hand as if he's reluctant to drop it, obviously both disturbed and titillated by the carnage he just witnessed. It's moments like that---not just an impressive battle scene but a character's reactions to the results of that scene---that set "Lawrence" apart from other standard epics.
And of course, I have to reserve space in my review for the performance of Mr. O'Toole. He is perhaps my favorite actor, not one of the most prolific, but certainly one of the most unpredictable. He has a flair for choosing eccentric characters that give him almost unlimited room in which to perform. He carries "Lawrence of Arabia" almost singlehandedly on his slim shoulders. That's not to say the supporting cast isn't great, but O'Toole towers above them all. O'Toole understands that the most influential figures in history could also be the most difficult and ruthless when they needed to be, and he gives Lawrence an incredibly complex characterization, leaving his audience in doubt as to whether he should be worshiped or feared, or perhaps both.
Lean would never direct an equal to "Lawrence of Arabia" again. His later films are certainly more than watchable, and "A Passage to India" is even quite remarkable in its own way, but we would never get another "Lawrence." Even more reason to appreciate it now.
My Grade: A+