Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Monson & Yeomans Rating: 7.4/10

IMDB User Rating: 8.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Rating: 98%

Director: David Lean

All Movie Plot Summary: This sweeping, highly literate historical epic covers the Allies' mideastern campaign during World War I as seen through the eyes of the enigmatic T. E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole, in the role that made him a star). After a prologue showing us Lawrence's ultimate fate, we flash back to Cairo in 1917. A bored general staffer, Lawrence talks his way into a transfer to Arabia. Once in the desert, he befriends Sherif Ali Ben El Kharish (Omar Sharif, making one of the most spectacular entrances in movie history) and draws up plans to aid the Arabs in their rebellion against the Turks. No one is ever able to discern Lawrence's motives in this matter: Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness ) dismisses him as yet another "desert-loving Englishman," and his British superiors assume that he's either arrogant or mad. (Summary by Hal Erickson)

Ryan's Review: Hailed as one of the greatest epic stories of all time, Lawrence of Arabic left me slightly disappointed. I'm a big fan of Peter O'toole but this movie simply didn't pull me into it very well. Perhaps I was surprised by the large amount of Middle Easterners who spoke perfect English, or maybe it was simply because I found it hard to follow the storyline at times. I thought that this film was unnecessarily long due to the fact that many of the lengthy shots didn't need to be quite so lengthy and didn't really add to the overall feel of the film. I guess the pace of the film just didn't feel right to me. Aside from those problems, though, this was a very well done movie for its time. It was intelligently told and had impressive visuals throughout. I'll probably excite a lot of people by giving this film only 3/5.

Matthew's Review: I enjoyed this film. I think what I appreciate most about Lawrence of Arabia is that the main character seems real and believable. I can't say if D.H. Lawrence was portrayed accurately or not, but I surely believe it is possible. This character is presented in a way that does not try to gloss over any flaws or imperfections to present an infallible hero. He is presented as an unusual and believable person. I also believe that David Lean provides a less ethnocentric approach to his film-making than was probably common in his time. So, for his time, I am grateful for what he attempts. Perhaps my modern-day craving for authenticity gives him a hard time, and hopes for more than what could be expected from a 60's era production, but none-the-less, I wish there was more convincing Arabian character portrayals. I give this film a 4.4/5.

Monson & Yeomans Rating: 7.4/10