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Lawrence of Arabia (Single Disc Edition)
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DVD detailsActor: Alec Guinness, Jack Gwillim, Jack Hawkins, John Dimech, Jos? Ferrer Brand: Sony Primary Contributor: Peter O'Toole DVD: Region Code 99 Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled) Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled Picture Format: 2.20:1 Running Time: 216 minutes DVD Release Date: 2002-08-27 Audience Rating: G (General Audience) Studio: Columbia Pictures
DVD Reviews of Lawrence of Arabia (Single Disc Edition)DVD Review: Excellent DVD of a classic film. Summary: 5 StarsSince there are countless reviews of the film (which is amazing, gorgeous, and thrilling beyond compare!) this will be a review of the single disc DVD version of this fine film.
This DVD had all the features I was looking for...... complete opening, intermission, and closing music... all provided in digitally mastered 5.1 Dolby Digital and Anamorphic Widescreen. No other special features to speak of.... but it does provide subtitles in a variety of languages which I think is always a nice addition... as well as scene selection.
This DVD was beautiful to watch and listen to. If you are a fan of the film and are looking for something to hold you over until the 4k version is released (in my dreams!)..... then this will do quite nicely.
DVD Review: 4 stars out of 4 Summary: 5 StarsThe Bottom Line:
One of the few biographical movies to actually take a long, hard look at its subject rather than lionizing him or condensing his life into a formulaic 2 hour package, Lawrence of Arabia is an extremely long film but a fascinating one that deserves all the accolades it has accumulated: watch it if you haven't.
DVD Review: David Lean's Masterpiece with O''Toole's best acting Summary: 5 StarsI saw this classic many years ago when it first came out in 70 mm on a gigantic screen in San Francisco and was blown away. Since then and periodically I have revisited this classic and have come to the conclusion that had David Lean never made another movie after this--he would still be considered one of the genius of cinema. Keep in mind that this film influenced a young Steven Spielberg to enter the field of filmmaking (in fact he and Martin Scorsese had contributed to its restoration). And Peter O'Toole's debut performance is still one of the greatest ever captured on film!! But that doesn't detract from the other fine actors in the cast such as the 74 yr old Claude Rains still vibrant, a brilliant Anthony Quinn, the cynical Arthur Kennedy as a disguised Lowell Thomas reporter and in his debut, Omar Sharif who becomes Lawrence's best friend and ally. Aurally and visually arresting with much food for thought,"Lawrence Of Arabia" deserves to be in the top ten of great films that the AFI have designated along with "Godfather" and "Citizen Kane".
DVD Review: What is there left to say after 398 reviews? Summary: 5 StarsI went to my son's house for Easter and instead of sitting down to watch the latest action flick (His great joke is treating me to films that I would never watch on my own.), it was with great pleasure that I discovered that the evening's entertainment was "Lawrence of Arabia." As he set up the DVD, he said, "Don't you remember, you took us to see it when we were kids." I had forgotten.
Doing the math, I calculated that he was seven years old at the time and his sister was eight; and that the film, viewed in all its lengthy magnificence on the large screen had left a lasting impression on him.
When I got home, I pulled out my own two-disc set of the Limited Edition, noting the incredibly clear transfer that looks like HD when played on my computer. I then watched the extras. Whereas so many "the making of" documentaries nowadays are self-serving and otherwise forgettable, the Interview with David Lean, Omar Sherif, and the behind-the-scenes crew is truly enlightening, as are the comments of Steven Spielberg.
Having seen the film several times since 1963, and realizing that my young adult self did not understand the full implications of the story, which I have since come to appreciate, I can well imagine that it was David Lean's sweeping panoramas, Maurice Jarre's haunting musical score that evokes the emptiness of the desert, and the spectacle of the camels, Arabian horses, & British military bands that imprinted "Lawrence of Arabia" into my son's childhood memories.
Now, of course, I appreciate the subtleties of Peter O'Toole's nuanced performance of the troubled protagonist (and I am still cross about Hollywood's failure to recognize him in any other way than a "Lifetime Achievement Award"--Oscar's [Registered] booby prize). In perusing the several hundred reviews on this website, I have noted proper accolades for the performances of Omar Sharif, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and Claude Raines (always brilliant), but I noticed a failure to mention Anthony Quayle, whose performance as the officer who moves from stiff-upper-lipped-Empire-right-or-wrong--at first resenting Lawrence whom he clearly considers an eccentric loose cannon--to anguished disgust at the political manipulations of Allenby (Hawkins) and Dryden (Raines), and even Faisal (Guinness), who shamelessly discard Lawrence as an embarrassment after they have not only used him but also used him up to achieve their political ends. Quayle's sterling performance complements and completes this phenomenal ensemble cast.
DVD Review: Amazing video Summary: 5 StarsThe quality of the superbit version is simply amazing! This was my first purchase of a superbit version and it was well worth it. I was mesmerized watching this great film I hadn't seen in 45 years, and my only regret was that my screen was only 50" this time and simply could not do justice to one of the greatest visual epics of all time.
Description of Lawrence of Arabia (Single Disc Edition)A dramatic portrait of the famed british officers journey to the middle east. Assigned to arabia during world war i lawrence courageously unites the warring arab fractions into a strong guerilla front and leads them brilliant victories in treacherous desert battlefields where they defeat the ruling turkish empire. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 08/23/2005 Starring: Peter Otoole Omar Sharif Run time: 224 minutes Rating: Pg Director: David Lean There's no getting around a simple, basic truth: watching Lawrence of Arabia in any home-video format represents a compromise. There's no better way to appreciate this epic biographical adventure than to see it projected in 70 millimeter onto a huge theater screen. That caveat aside, David Lean's masterful "desert classic" is still enjoyable on the small screen, especially if viewed in widescreen format. (If your only option is to view a "pan & scan" version, it's best not to bother; this is a film for which the widescreen format is utterly mandatory.) Peter O'Toole gives a star-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal measure. --Jeff Shannon
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