Lawrence of Arabia

Rating: 4.85/5

To be perfectly honest, Lawrence of Arabia was a movie that took me a little while to fully appreciate. Prior to watching it, I knew very little about it. I of course knew of its existence and could name it based on pictures pulled from its scenes, but other than that, my knowledge of the plot was basically nonexistent.

At that point during my Oscar Best Picture Watch Through, I was no stranger to very lengthy movies, but still, I found the near four hour runtime to be quite daunting. That being said, the movie itself does a spectacular job at keeping the story going fast and almost completely making the viewer forget just how long the it is.

On the night that I watched it, I didn't really know what I thought about Lawrence of Arabia. I wasn't underwhelmed exactly, but based on the movie's revered reputation, I wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I would've liked. But, that particular feeling or opinion didn't last long. Because Lawrence of Arabia is so long, I honestly think it took my brain a few days to really process what an impressive and impactful feat the entire film was. The more I thought on it, the more I realized how much I truly enjoyed and appreciated it.

Lawrence of Arabia is almost a film relic of sorts. Even with the great epics of today's cinema, you rarely get a movie that goes beyond the three hour mark. The amount of dedication, passion, creativity, and stamina it must have taken to create this legend is absolutely staggering. And what's almost even more impressive is that, now, nearly six decades later, this movie still doesn't fail to astound.

When I first watched this, that same night, I remember thinking to myself that I likely wouldn't watch Lawrence of Arabia again. But, like mentioned before, a little time and perspective made me realize not only that I want to watch this movie again, but that I truly look forward to doing so.

1963 Best Picture Winner - Lawrence of Arabia

1963 Best Director Winner - David Lean

1963 Best Cinematography, Color Winner - Freddie Young

1963 Best Art Direction - Set Direction, Color Winners - John Box, John Small, & Dario Simoni

1963 Best Sound Winner - John Cox

1963 Best Film Editing Winner - Anne V. Coates

1963 Best Music, Score - Substantially Original Winner - Maurice Jarre