Search - Lawrence of Arabia (Restored Version) [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Gloria B. (glowbird) from SPOKANE, WA
Reviewed on 10/8/2018...

Lawrence of Arabia would get my vote for great cinematography, its epic reach, musical score, and fine acting from Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, and Anthony Quinn, among others. I saw this in the theater when it was released (1962), and sat through the nearly 4-hour film complete with intermission, and from there I have gravitated toward the lengthy epics. What a film! based on British army officer, T.E. Lawrence, with a knowledge of the Bedouin tribes, who is sent to Arabia where he "unites rival Arab desert tribes and led them to war against the mighty Turkish Empire." This film has influenced Spielberg, Scorsese, Lucas, among others.

Trivia (thanks to IMDb): The first time Peter O'Toole tried riding a camel, blood oozed from his jeans. "This is a very delicate Irish arse", he warned his instructor. He finally mastered his camel-riding technique by adding a layer of sponge rubber under the saddle to ease his bruised backside...a practical innovation quickly adopted by the actual Bedouin tribesmen acting as extras during the desert location filming. O'Toole was nicknamed "ab al-'Isfanjah" ("father of the sponge") by the Bedouin.

And on a single most memorable scene: To film Omar Sharif's entrance through a mirage, Freddie Young used a special 482mm lens from Panavision. Panavision still has this lens, and it is known among cinematographers as the "David Lean lens". It was created specifically for this shot and has not been used since.

2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Rob K. from HALF MOON BAY, CA
Reviewed on 4/24/2015...

Wow .. the restored version Blu-Ray is just magnificent. Some specials on the disk are from the original version and what a contrast. Congratulations to all the people who worked on this restoration. Oh, and the movie is still as fantastic as ever.