Lawrence of Arabia

Cast View all

	Peter O'Toole	Lawrence
	Alec Guinness	Prince Faisal
	Anthony Quinn	Auda Abu Tayi
	Jack Hawkins	General Edmund Allenby
	Omar Sharif	Sherif Ali
	José Ferrer	Turkish Bey
	Anthony Quayle	Colonel Brighton
	Claude Rains	Mr. Dryden
	Arthur Kennedy	Jackson Bentley
	Donald Wolfit	General Archibald Murray
	I.S. Johar	Gasim
	Gamil Ratib	Majid
	Michel Ray	Farraj
	John Dimech	Daud
	Zia Mohyeddin	Tafas
	Howard Marion-Crawford	Medical Officer
	Jack Gwillim	Club Secretary
	Hugh Miller	R.A.M.C. Colonel
	John Barry	MP in Map Room
	Bruce Beeby	Captain at Officer's Club
	Fred Bennett	Sergeant at Cairo Headquarters
	John Bennett	Arab Sheik
	Steve Birtles	Motor Bike Rider
	Robert Bolt	Officer with Pipe Gazing at Lawrence
	Peter Burton	Sheik in Arab Council

Crew View all

Director	David Lean
Writer	Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson
Producer	David Lean, Sam Spiegel
Musician	Maurice Jarre
Photography	Freddie Young

Personal

Notes

Story Synopsis:
No, there’s nothing wrong with your new Lawrence Of Arabia DVD. The black screen you’re staring at is the Overture portion of the film. If it bothers you, just imagine being in the audience when the film first was released. The theatre is filling up with people, they’re settling into their seats, adjusting their handbags and jackets, and anticipating an exciting few hours lost in the sand-swept deserts of the Middle East. Better? Keep in mind, also, that, due to its length, the film is divided onto two discs, but in the theatre, there was also an Intermission; which is where the movie breaks on these discs, and there is a black screen and music there, too...and at the Finale as we gather our belongings and quietly exit for the lobby. The film is a magnificent cinematic masterpiece from director David Lean. Peter O’Toole stars as Lawrence of Arabia, the legendary Englishman who united the Arab tribes against the Turks during the World War I, 1917-1918 Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards®, and won seven: Best Picture (Beating out To Kill a Mockingbird, Mutiny On The Bounty, The Music Man, and The Longest Day-what a year!), Director, Cinematography (Color), Art Direction (Color), Score (Substantially Original), Film Editing, and Sound. If you check the AMPAS site, however, it appears to list Set Decoration as a separate category...giving the movie eight awards. (Laurie Sevano)

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 2.25:1 DVD picture will undoubtedly delight fans of this classic David Lean epic Colors exhibit excellent balance and a level of natural openness that was not apparent on previous video versions. An amazing amount of detail is apparent on the DVD. Colors are rich, with natural fleshtones, deep blacks and excellent definition. While bothersome edge enhancement is apparent, the picture is solid and virtually free from distracting pixelization. Source element artifacts are infrequently noticed. Overall, image quality is superb, rarely showing signs of the film’s age. (Suzanne Hodges)

Soundtrack:
The original multichannel magnetic soundtrack has been very well-restored for this definitive DVD release, with background hiss and archival-related artifacts remarkably low. The primary multidimensional element is certainly Maurice Jarre’s legendary music score, which is has a sweeping, enveloping presence that totally surrounds you with prominent surround envelopment. The only limitation with the music, other than the dated recording, is the occasional distortion encountered during peak moments. In the absence of the music, the audio is usually of a quiescent nature, generally originating from the screen channels, but also comes alive, such as in Chapter 11, with the vintage stereophonic rendering of a battle sequence. Voices are presented with remarkable clarity, though the dated recording limits their natural tonality, as would be expected. Additionally, the dialogue’s inherent correlation with the visuals isn’t particularly convincing, and even some instances of ambience associated with the dialogue seem "manufactured." A further attribute of the dialogue is that it isn’t firmly anchored in the center channel, and has a bit of spread to the left and right. But these are all characteristics that are part of a classic soundtrack production, without access to the technologies available today. The soundtrack re-purposing includes the incorporation of low-frequency enhancement and the .1 LFE, typically with the music but also with some effects. This is certainly a sonic restoration and remastering effort that is worthy of commendation and brings back to the audience much of the original glory of the original 70mm magnetic stereo sound. (Perry Sun)

DVD/Previously Reviewed LD Comparative Review:

The anamorphically enhanced 2.25:1 DVD picture will undoubtedly delight fans of this classic David Lean epic, compared to the previously reviewed LaserDiscs reviewed in Issues 1, 4 and 9. Colors are refined with excellent balance and a level of natural openness that was not apparent on previous video versions. An amazing amount of detail is apparent on the DVD, while the LaserDisc appears slightly hazy and plugged-up. Colors are rich, with excellent clarity and definition. While appearing brownish on the LaserDisc, fleshtones are more natural on the DVD. Blacks are deep and solid. While bothersome edge enhancement is apparent, the picture is solid and virtually free from distracting pixelization. Source element artifacts are infrequently noticed. Overall, image quality is superb, rarely showing signs of the film’s age.

The original multichannel magnetic soundtrack has been very well-restored for this definitive DVD release, with background hiss and archival-related artifacts remarkably low. The primary multidimensional element is certainly Maurice Jarre’s legendary music score, which is has a sweeping, enveloping presence that totally surrounds you with prominent surround envelopment. The only limitation with the music, other than the dated recording, is the occasional distortion encountered during peak moments. In the absence of the music, the audio is usually of a quiescent nature, generally originating from the screen channels, but also comes alive, such as in Chapter 11, with the vintage stereophonic rendering of a battle sequence. Voices are presented with remarkable clarity, though the dated recording limits their natural tonality, as would be expected. Additionally, the dialogue’s inherent correlation with the visuals isn’t particularly convincing, and even some instances of ambience associated with the dialogue seem "manufactured." A further attribute of the dialogue is that it isn’t firmly anchored in the center channel, and has a bit of spread to the left and right. But these are all characteristics that are part of a classic soundtrack production, without access to the technologies available today. The soundtrack re-purposing includes the incorporation of low-frequency enhancement and the .1 LFE, typically with the music but also with some effects. This is certainly a sonic restoration and remastering effort that is worthy of commendation and brings back to the audience much of the original glory of the original 70mm magnetic stereo sound.

This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Collector Edition

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