Some films demand the big screen and this WWI epic from David Lean is certainly one of them (no matter that Netflix boss Ted Sarandos recently claimed his son enjoyed watching it on his phone).
Buoyed by the success of Bridge Over the River Kwai, Lean persuaded producer Sam Spiegel to bankroll this four hour 70mm desert epic about the eccentric English cartographer who united the Arab tribes to fight the Turks during the First World War – and cast the virtually unknown but thrillingly charismatic Peter O’Toole in the lead. The result is a triumph for actor and director, a film of tremendous sweep and stunning vistas that never loses sight of the complexities and contradictions that agitated Lawrence, and which would seed a century of political turmoil across the region.
A miracle… The first film I saw that made me want to be a moviemaker.
Steven Spielberg
Media Partner
David Lean
Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins. Anthony Quayle
UK
1962
English
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits
Screenwriter
Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson
Cinematography
Freddie Young
Editor
Anne V. Coates
Production Design
John Box
Art Director
John Stoll
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