Review #286: Lawrence of Arabia.
Cast
Peter O'Toole (T. E. Lawrence), Alec Guinness (Prince Faisel), Anthony Quinn (Auda abu Tayi), Jack Hawkins (Allenby), Omar Sharif (Ali ibn el Kharish), José Ferrer (Turkish Bey), Anthony Quayle (Harry Brighton), Claude Rains (Mr. Dryden), Arthur Kennedy (Jackson Bentley), and Donald Wolfit (General Murray) Directed by David Lean.
Review
This film is based off the life of T. E. Lawrence, who is played by Peter O'Toole. (who I've reviewed...Mostly: #158 - Ratatouille. Come to think of it, this is the first time I've reviewed Alec Guinness in anything other then Star Wars Episodes IV-VI - #113-#115.) O'Toole does a good job, but what seals the deal for me is the eyes. The eyes allure me because they give a whole new level of attention that helps the film. You might be wondering why (or not) am I not complaining about the length of the film. (216 minutes, the longest running film I've reviewed here.) An epic film is a film with grand scale and grand ideas. This is one of them (plus if I criticized the length, I'd probably get a deconstructive lesson in epic films) The rest of the actors do very well, especially Guinness and Quinn. One tiny fact I will mention is that it starts out in a way similar to Citizen Kane (#200), with an opening scene that segues into the rest of the film. The scenery is used effectively, helping the film gain its epic scale even more. While its historical accuracy remains to be debated and be analyzed, it is undeniable that this film is still really, really good, accuracy and all.
Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.
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