This adventure drama picture has been hailed as “the best UK film of all time” – and it gets a perfect score on IMDB. Lawrence of Arabia was released in 1962 and it was based on the life of T.E. Lawrence and his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, published in 1926.
The biographical film tells the story of of T.E. Lawrence, an English officer that went on to unite and leas the diverse and warring Arab tribes during the First World War. The film’s synopsis reads: “Due to his knowledge of the native Bedouin tribes, British Lieutenant T.E.Lawrence is sent to Arabia to find Prince Faisal and serve as a liaison between the Arabs and the British in their fight against the Turks. With the aid of native Sherif Ali, Lawrence rebels against the orders of his superior officer and strikes out on a daring camel journey across the harsh desert to attack a well-guarded Turkish port.”
Lawrence of Arabia was directed by David Lean and starred Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, José Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy and Omar Sharif.
The 1962 epic won 7 Academy Awards including Best Art Direction – Color, Set Decoration, Best Cinematography – Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music Score – Substantially Original, Best Sound, Best Director and Best Picture.
The film has topped IMDB’s The 50 Best British Movies of All Time ranking and it has achieved a 100% Meta score.
Many have described the picture as the best film ever made, with one IMDB user describing it as a “magestic masterpiece beyond all other”.
Rotten Tomatoes critics rate the film at 93% and state: “The epic of all epics, Lawrence of Arabia cements director David Lean’s status in the filmmaking pantheon with nearly four hours of grand scope, brilliant performances, and beautiful cinematography.”
Upon its release, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times described the film as “vast, awe-inspiring, beautiful with ever-changing hues, exhausting and barren of humanity”.