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Lawrence of Arabia film image; two men in desert

Lawrence of Arabia

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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

Director

David Lean

Cast

Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins. Anthony Quayle

Credits
Country of Origin

UK

Year

1962

Language

English

Focus
19+
222 min

Book Tickets

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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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