Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Director:

David Lean

Writers (WGA):

T.E. Lawrence (writings)
Robert Bolt (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 January 1963 (Canada)

Genre:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | War

Tagline:

The Desert Classic. (1983 Video Release)

Plot:

Epic rumination on a flamboyant and controversial British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during wartime service.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Army | Turk | Arab | Arabian

Awards:

Won 7 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Peter O'Toole	...	T.E. Lawrence
Alec Guinness	...	Prince Feisal
Anthony Quinn	...	Auda Abu Tayi
Jack Hawkins	...	General Lord Edmund Allenby
Omar Sharif	...	Sherif Ali
José Ferrer	...	Turkish Bey (as Jose Ferrer)
Anthony Quayle	...	Colonel Brighton
Claude Rains	...	Mr. Dryden
Arthur Kennedy	...	Jackson Bentley
Donald Wolfit	...	General Murray
I.S. Johar	...	Gasim
Gamil Ratib	...	Majid
Michel Ray	...	Farraj
John Dimech	...	Daud
Zia Mohyeddin	...	Tafas

Runtime:

216 min | UK:228 min (director's cut) | UK:187 min (1970 re-release) | UK:210 min (original version) | UK:222 min (premiere version) | USA:227 min (restored roadshow version)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Arabic | Turkish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (RCA Sound Recording) (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints) (restored version) | Mono (35 mm prints) (original version) | 4-Track Stereo (magnetic prints) (35 mm) (original version) | DTS 70 mm (70mm restored version)

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIA | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1971) | Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:14 | USA:PG (edited for re-rating) (1988) | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M (Special Edition DVD) | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Ireland:PG | Norway:15 (director's cut) | Norway:16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Company:

Horizon Pictures (II)

Trivia:

To film Omar Sharif's entrance through a mirage, Freddie Young used a special 482mm lens from Panavision. Panavision still has this lens, and it is known among cinematographers as the "David Lean lens". It was created specifically for this shot and has not been used since.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Lawrence arrives at the Suez Canal, the ship which comes into focus is a late-'50s Blue Funnel Line ship.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Vicar at St. Paul's: Well nil nisi bonum. But I find something... disproportionate in all this.
Colonel Brighton: He was a remarkable chap. By any counts, remarkable.
Vicar at St. Paul's: Did you know him well?
Colonel Brighton: I knew him.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Major Dundee (1965)

Soundtrack:

The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo

The Very Best Scene of All Time

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, released in 1962, is one of the best motion pictures ever made. Be that as it may, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA contains one particular scene that is my favorite out of all the thousands of movies I have viewed over the past 50 years. To my mind, this scene is the most beautiful, most joyous and wonderful cinematic experience.

So I would like for you to experience this scene from LAWRENCE OF ARABIA as well, but you must do the following. Watch it on the biggest and best screen available to you, turning up the sound to movie theater volume. Additionally, the scene won't be appreciated unless you watch LAWRENCE OF ARABIA from the very beginning, including "The Overture".

The scene begins at night, just before sunrise. Lawrence and his "army" have succeeded in crossing the "sun's anvil" portion of the Nefud desert. Lawrence then notices there is a camel with no rider. It is Gassim's camel; perhaps Gassim fell asleep and fell off the camel and could not catch the camel in time to remount? Lawrence decides to turn back and rescue Gassim if that is the case.

This is where the scene begins. It ends when Lawrence, completely exhausted, looks at the ground and falls onto a mat into a deep sleep. Everything that happens in between is the most enjoyable piece of cinematic art I've ever seen and is now there for you to discover and enjoy. This is all I will reveal.