I can honestly say that it’s nearly impossible to watch Lawrence of Arabia(#7) in one sitting. I know this is considered the best epic ever and I know it’s shot beautifully, but it’s just too damn long. While some parts are absolutely fantastic, I bet the director could have taken out at least a half an hour of long desert panning shots and the movie would be just as good.
Lawrence of Arabia tells the true story of T.E. Lawrence’s travels and exploits in Arabia. Although they took out some of the masochistic and homosexual undertones, the movie, as I understand it, fairly accurately portrays the life of T.E. Lawrence. Peter O’Toole is absolutely fantastic in his first starring role as Lawrence. It’s also hard to forget Omar Sharif as Sherif ali ibn el Karish and Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. Interestingly enough, this is the longest movie to have absolutely no women in speaking roles. The only times women are ever shown are in the camps looking on at the men as they talk about the war and such.
In terms of beauty, this film can’t be beat. Its got some of the most spectacular desert shots that I’ve ever seen in any film. The wide angle of the shots articulates just how vast the desert really is in that corner of the world. Interesting fact: a majority of the shots pan from left to right to signify the journey that is taking place. Also, whenever there’s a crisis, the camera goes from right to left. It’s really quite cool how that’s done.
In the end though, the movie is just way too long. As much as I loved the movie, it definitely could have been way way shorter. Although I think it deserves a place on the list, I am hesitant to think that it’s a film that most modern audiences would enjoy. When Brendan and I watched it, we were falling asleep at some points because we were so bored with the long panning desert shots.
