Lawrence of Arabia (1 Viewer)

[Joe D]

LOA is a tremendous sight to look upon, but what always gets my is the dialogue, it's frigging brilliant. I love the way the characters interact with each other, and how they speak. Perfect to me.

 

[Scott_R]

I just saw LOA for the first time ever, 2 days ago. What a masterpiece of a film. I sat back in awe watching the beautiful shots of the desert and landscape. I didn't want it to end. This is a movie you just have to relax, watch and take it all in. I found myself trying to look at every inch of each shot, trying to see all the details. It's definetly in my top 5 favorite movies now.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Some great comments have been made above as to what makes Lawrence of Arabia a great movie! I can't add much to what has been said other than a couple things:
To me, LOA is as close to a "perfect" movie that I have ever seen. The mere fact that LOA was ever made shows that David Lean had true vision. Vision in many respects. He was going to make a movie that had no women in it, no love story, and no STARS! A movie that would be almost four hours long and would not have a great deal of "action" in it. But Lean had a vision of what the great story (legend) of LOA would look like on the big screen.
Images of a black dot in the distance that slowly grows bigger as it travels across the shimmering desert and eventually into a recognizable form of a human on a camel. Or the huge ship that seems to appear in the middle of the desert (the canal). Or the famous match into the sun scene. I could go on for days!
Watching LOA is more of an "experience" than just "watching" a movie. It is an experience that is difficult to put into words. For me, it is almost a religous experience!
And, as others have mentioned, the dialogue is near perfect. Not overly complex. Yet, it is very intelligent and often witty. It often sounds like poetry! Example:
Lawrence, being an exhibitionist, shows off a trick to Corporal Potter, where he extinguishes a match with his fingertips. Potter then tries to repeat Lawrence's performance:
Potter: Oh, it damn well hurts!
Lawrence: Certainly it hurts.
Potter: Well, what's the trick, then?
Lawrence: The trick, William Potter, is not minding
that it hurts.
LOA does get better with repeated viewings as well. When I first saw it as a teenager, I really respected it. I liked it, and I liked it a lot. But after several more viewings, it became much more apparent to me how great this film really is!
Personally, I could not think of a better way to spend 216 minutes than to "experience" the greatness of what is Lawrence of Arabia!
Truly the greatest movie ever made! (ok, I understand that this is a matter of OPINION!)
It is number 5 on AFI's top 100 movies of all time list. They were off by four positions!

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Personally, I could not think of a better way to spend 216 minutes than to "experience" the greatness of what is Lawrence of Arabia!

I don't know, a stop at the Playboy mansion would be a better "spent" 216 minutes.

 

[JeremySt]

George Kaplan, with your like/ dislike list , you have made it painfully obvious what kind of movies you like. You like the films where the driving narrative force is the action and cinematography (2001, Citizen Kane)... films who's story almost takes a back seat to the visual flair. Im not saying that the films you like lack anything, --- they are all great. But the films you find boring develop their narrative through the characters, and the subtleties; the screenplay. Just my 2 cents

 

[george kaplan]

You like the films where the driving narrative force is the action and cinematography (2001, Citizen Kane)... films who's story almost takes a back seat to the visual flair...the films you find boring develop their narrative through the characters, and the subtleties; the screenplay.

I actually find it interesting to have my tastes dissected, but I'm not sure I can agree with this particular analysis.
First let's consider movies that develop their narrative through characters and screenplay. I'd say the following that I love have that:
The Apartment
Adam's Rib
Rear Window
Vertigo
The Third Man
The Thin Man
Double Indemnity
Out of the Past
etc.
And then you say I like movies where visual flair overrides story. But I don't like the following that I think can be described that way:
Lawrence of Arabia (which started this whole thread)
I think it would be more accurate to say that I love movies with great screenplays and character development, but not ones that are overly melodramatic or soap operaish.

 

[Lars Vermundsberget]

George Kaplan - I just copied and pasted your list of (both!) likes and dislikes. I guess there are a lot of titles there that would be interesting for me to check out. Thanks.

I think LoA is one of the greatest, but I tend to agree with you that Gone With The Wind is slightly overrated... Soap-opera-ish...

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>And then you say I like movies where visual flair overrides story. But I don't like the following that I think can be described that way:

Lawrence of Arabia (which started this whole thread)

I think it would be more accurate to say that I love movies with great screenplays

 

[george kaplan]

Let's just say we have different ideas of what constitutes a great screenplay. For me (and let me emphasize: for ME), LOA is boring, and I attribute that largely to a screenplay that fails to hold my attention. That doesn't necessarily mean it isn't a great screenplay, but it sure ain't my cup of tea. I am far more impressed by the screenplay of The Apartment, which is unfortunately comparing apples & oranges, but I am more impressed by it.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Lawrence of Arabia is the greatest English-produced epic, IMO.

The acting is splendid, the cinematography is excellent, and the sheer scale of everything is great.

It's my most watched DVD in my collection and I have to admit that it's hard to stop watching it. I started watching LoA at 11 PM one night and watched it all the way through because I didn't want to end the film before it was over (despite being kind of tired by 2:30 AM!).

Along with The Godfather and Citizen Kane, these three films are the DEFINATIVE look at everything there is to know about cinema. (Of course, I could include a dozen others, but 3 is enough.)

LoA takes some getting used to, though. Andrew, I hope you were not watching the pan & scan version or the pan & scan "short" version. If you were, go and see the letterboxed, restored version! This is the poster child for proper widescreen presentation!

 

[Dome Vongvises]

LoA takes some getting used to, though. Andrew, I hope you were not watching the pan & scan version or the pan & scan "short" version. If you were, go and see the letterboxed, restored version! This is the poster child for proper widescreen presentation!

A pan 'n' scan version exists? First I've heard of it.

 

[Patrick McCart]

I was flipping channels around and there it was...on HBO 3: LoA (although the reconstructed version) in pixelated 1.33:1

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Lawrence of Arabia is the greatest English-produced epic, IMO.
The acting is splendid, the cinematography is excellent, and the sheer scale of
everything is great.
It's my most watched DVD in my collection and I have to admit that it's hard to
stop watching it. I started watching LoA at 11 PM one night and watched it all
the way through because I didn't want to end the film before it was over
(despite being kind of tired by 2:30 AM!)

I completely agree! Its funny, I had a very similar experience to yours, Patrick, watching LOA just two weeks ago. Started watching LOA around 10 pm and didnt finish until almost 2 am!! When I was done, I thought to myself, damn, thats a hell of a good movie to keep me up until 2! Actually, I think it was at that point that I finally realized that LOA is, in fact, my favorite movie (just barely surpassing Taxi Driver). It was shortly after that experience that I added my new signature to my HTF posts!!!!

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

A pan 'n' scan version exists? First I've heard of it.

Prior to the restoration, of course, all home video releases of LoA were P&S. Subsequently, most have been letterboxed. Concurrent to its release on DVD, Columbia released the first pan & scan VHS tape of the restored Lawrence that I have seen. That does not mean it wasn't available before, I just haven't seen one.

Regards,

 

[Andrew_Sch]

First of all, I would never disrespect a revered film like LOA by watching it in pan and scam. Second, I saw Rear Window last night, and to me, Jimmy Stewart looking out his window at a rather drab-looking soundstage set for two hours was more exciting and captivating than LOA. I guess I just goes to show that there's no accounting for taste.

 

[Mike Walker]

Well I bought the DVD of this movie last year sight unseen. I was honestly blown away. A buddy and I watched the movie on Easter Sunday and we both said the same things.

"My god what a concept, a plot, character development!"

and...

"Wow, good camera angles, held for more than 5 seconds!"

I was 23 at the time, my friend was 25. We both have grown up on MTV, Star Wars, big effects movies and stuff like that. But we are honestly so tired of the shlock that Hollywood keeps on producing. Like George Lucas said awhile back "A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing."

Lawrence is one of those rare movies (well at least to me) that you can be totally captivated by. I have actually sat down going "Ah I will just watch one chapter..." and I end up watching the whole movie.

But everyone's taste is different.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Oops! Completely the wrong thread. Apologies to all and I will repost it where it belongs.
Regards,