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IMDbPro

Lawrence of Arabia

  • 19621962
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 3h 38m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
290K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,457
105
Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Peter O'Toole, José Ferrer, and Jack Hawkins in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.
Play trailer4:45
8 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Adventure
  • Biography
  • Drama
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
290K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,457
105
  • Director
    • David Lean
  • Writers
    • Robert Bolt(screenplay by)
    • Michael Wilson(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Peter O'Toole
    • Alec Guinness
    • Anthony Quinn
Top credits
  • Director
    • David Lean
  • Writers
    • Robert Bolt(screenplay by)
    • Michael Wilson(screenplay by)
  • Stars
    • Peter O'Toole
    • Alec Guinness
    • Anthony Quinn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 744User reviews
    • 164Critic reviews
    • 100Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #95
    • Won 7 Oscars
      • 31 wins & 15 nominations total

    Videos8

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 4:45
    Official Trailer
    Lawrence of Arabia - Trailer
    Trailer 4:43
    Lawrence of Arabia - Trailer
    Lawrence of Arabia
    Clip 1:58
    Lawrence of Arabia
    Lawrence of Arabia
    Clip 1:32
    Lawrence of Arabia
    Lawrence of Arabia: 50th Anniversary Theatrical Re-Release
    Promo 2:03
    Lawrence of Arabia: 50th Anniversary Theatrical Re-Release
    Lawrence of Arabia
    Promo 0:32
    Lawrence of Arabia
    Lawrence of Arabia: [The 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray]
    Promo 1:32
    Lawrence of Arabia: [The 50th Anniversary Blu-Ray]
    Dennis Quaid Thinks This '60s Classic Is the Perfect Movie
    Video 1:18
    Dennis Quaid Thinks This '60s Classic Is the Perfect Movie

    Photos284

    Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Anthony Quinn, Peter O'Toole, and Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Peter O'Toole and Zia Mohyeddin in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Peter O'Toole and Zia Mohyeddin in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Anthony Quinn, Peter O'Toole, and Omar Sharif in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
    Auda's Guards
    A caravan

    Top cast

    Edit
    Peter O'Toole
    Peter O'Toole
    • Lawrence
    Alec Guinness
    Alec Guinness
    • Prince Faisal
    Anthony Quinn
    Anthony Quinn
    • Auda Abu Tayi
    Jack Hawkins
    Jack Hawkins
    • General Allenby
    Omar Sharif
    Omar Sharif
    • Sherif Ali
    José Ferrer
    José Ferrer
    • Turkish Bey
    • (as Jose Ferrer)
    Anthony Quayle
    Anthony Quayle
    • Colonel Brighton
    Claude Rains
    Claude Rains
    • Mr. Dryden
    Arthur Kennedy
    Arthur Kennedy
    • Jackson Bentley
    Donald Wolfit
    Donald Wolfit
    • General Murray
    I.S. Johar
    I.S. Johar
    • Gasim
    Gamil Ratib
    Gamil Ratib
    • Majid
    Michel Ray
    Michel Ray
    • Farraj
    John Dimech
    John Dimech
    • Daud
    Zia Mohyeddin
    Zia Mohyeddin
    • Tafas
    Howard Marion-Crawford
    Howard Marion-Crawford
    • Medical Officer
    • (as Howard Marion Crawford)
    Jack Gwillim
    Jack Gwillim
    • Club Secretary
    Hugh Miller
    • R.A.M.C. Colonel
    • Director
      • David Lean
    • Writers
      • Robert Bolt(screenplay by)
      • Michael Wilson(screenplay by) (originally uncredited: credit restored in 1978 by WGA)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      On his first location scouting trip in Jordan, director Sir David Lean discovered the remains of the Turkish locomotives and railroad tracks T.E. Lawrence had destroyed during the Arab Revolution. After forty years in the sun, they hadn't even rusted.
    • Goofs
      When Lawrence issues the promissory note to Auda he writes right-to-left. Many have interpreted this as the film being processed backwards when in fact he is writing Arabic which is right-to-left. And when he signs his name at the bottom, he does so left-to-right.
    • Quotes

      [Lawrence has just extinguished a match between his thumb and forefinger. William Potter surreptitiously attempts the same]

      William Potter: Ooh! It damn well 'urts!

      T.E. Lawrence: Certainly it hurts.

      Officer: What's the trick then?

      T.E. Lawrence: The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits read: Introducing Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence. However, that "Introducing" credit is false as O'Toole had already played roles in Kidnapped (1959), The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960) and The Savage Innocents (1960).
    • Alternate versions
      There are technically four versions of the film: the original 222 minute print, then cut to 202 minutes after its 1962 premiere, the 187 minute 1970 theatrical re-cut and the 228 minute including the overture, entr'acte music and play-out music in the 1988 restoration. Full details as follows: Originally released at 222 minutes for the UK premiere in December 1962. Shortly after premiere which took place in London in December 1962, David Lean, reportedly under the orders of producer Sam Spiegel, cut 20 minutes from the film to 202 minutes. Cuts included the shot of goggles on the tree, Brighton's "remarkable man" line to the priest, early shots of the drafting room scene, the whole officer's mess sequence where he's called a clown and upsets water on someone, and some dialogue between the General and Dryden. The 1970 theatrical re-release cut the film further to 187 minutes. The film was restored in 1988 at 228 minutes. This version, supervised by David Lean, was advertised as a Director's Cut and has been the version made available to home video formats since.
    • Connections
      Featured in Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963)
    • Soundtracks
      The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
      (1892) (uncredited)

      Music and Lyrics by Fred Gilbert

      Sung a cappella by Peter O'Toole

    User reviews744

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Still my personal favourite
    I first saw this film on its release, aged 13, and it forms an important part of my transition towards adulthood. I am pleased to see that it consistently rates 20something in the IMDb listings, even from others (whom I envy, for I can't see it with fresh eyes) who are seeing it for the first time. Pleasing too is that some of those are also teenagers, for whom a forty-three year old film must itself seem part of the past. As for the minority who are bored by intentionally slow pacing (and for whom punctuation, paragraphing and grammar are a lost art), I suggest they learn a little about the history of film-making (from which it may become apparent that much of today's fast editing techniques were invented in the 1920s: try Eisenstein's October, for example).

    From the universally admired cinematography of Freddie Young, the long shot of Omar Sharif's floating mirage entry, the pre-CGI battles and pan-up scene changes, to O'Toole's florid but career-defining performance and the (then) novel time-shift narrative, this film set standards not matched even by Lean himself, and, as many reviewers have commented, financially and practically unlikely to be attempted today. I too have rarely seen such clarity of image outside of Imax, and in my view the script by Robert Bolt (and I now have learnt, an uncredited Michael Wilson) is the finest in cinema. Maurice Jarre's music and some of the acting style now seem a little excessive, but repeated viewing (around 35 times in my case) does not diminish the impact and quality, and the restoration and now DVD release still, after all these years, approaches the effect of that first 1962 viewing.

    It is rare that repeated watching of a film (as opposed to a live performance) does this, and the reasons go beyond the photography, performances and editing. In my opinion, it is because the characterisation and storytelling encourage an appreciation of the ambiguity and inconsistency behind our motives and behaviour, and, in a wartime scenario, in the contrast between political expedience and personal morality. For a 13-year old, this opened a window into the adult world, and it explains why the story has resonance far beyond its setting. The film doesn't require an understanding of middle-east politics (though it does have some very current relevance), but it does require an ability to look, listen and understand. The fact that so many people rate it so highly says everything about its wider impact. When The Matrix and even Lord of the Rings have slipped out of the ratings (and the adolescents who inhabit these pages have grown up), I believe this film will still be in the 20s or 30s, perhaps enabling young people to once again see the world through adult eyes.

    Like Ali, I fear Lawrence. I fear the power of art to change us, to challenge our preconceptions. Every time I see this film I learn a little more, discover something new. When I was 13 I didn't understand much, but this film helped me to see that I wanted more, knew more, than my peers. I can't rate it more highly than that.
    helpful•419
    78
    • iain_connell
    • Jan 26, 2005

    FAQ2

    • What was Robert Bolt's contribution to the script vs. Michael Wilson's contribution, and why was Wilson denied credit?
    • What are the differences between the Old Versions and the Restored Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 11, 1962 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Arabic
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
      • Lorens od Arabije
    • Filming locations
      • Wadi Rum, Jordan
    • Production company
      • Horizon Pictures (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $45,306,425
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $20,846
      • Sep 22, 2002
    • Gross worldwide
      • $45,716,692
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos

    Related news

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