Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Sight & Sound Challenge: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Film: Lawrence of Arabia (94/250)
Critics Poll: 
Directors Poll: 
First Time/Rewatch: Rewatch

What can I say about this film? Yes, it's one of those universally recognized great and important films. Yes, the runtime is intimidating (almost 4 hours? eep!). But damn, this movie is really gorgeous-looking. Those stark and beautiful desert scenes with that sweeping iconic score by Maurice Jarre gives me goosebumps. This was my first time watching it in one go, and I was really able to appreciate Peter O'Toole's performance more this way. To see him go from brash and confident to getting that haunted look around the eyes really gives you a sense of the man he's portraying. Battles make heroes, but at what cost? But those shots of him admiring his reflection in his robes, riding the camel along the shore at dusk, lying in the sand near the quicksand where his servant went down, and that score (THAT SCORE! I'm obsessed) make this film a pleasure to revisit, no matter what the runtime.

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