Lawrence of Arabia, 1962.
Directed by David Lean.
Starring Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, José Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, Omar Sharif, and Peter O’Toole.
SYNOPSIS:
Lawrence of Arabia makes its standalone 4K debut in this new four-disc edition from Sony. The film is split across a pair of 4K Ultra HD platters while there’s a Blu-ray for a high-def copy of the film and another Blu-ray for the copious bonus features. A code for a digital copy is included too. Unsurprisingly, this edition is highly recommended.
If you had to choose the ultimate epic in film history (and limited it to stories contained in one movie), you couldn’t go wrong with David Lean’s 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia. Coming on the heels of his 1957 World War II drama The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence is a sweeping film that goes further back in time to World War I and takes 227 minutes to tell its sprawling story. Like Kwai, it scooped up seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Based on the real T.E. Lawrence’s book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the film opens with Lawrence’s death in 1935. Then it turns back the clock to the first World War as Lawrence, a nondescript British lieutenant played by Peter O’Toole, is tasked with understanding why the Arabs have made little progress against the Turkish Army, which was a powerhouse at the time. He’s been chosen because he’s an expert on Arabic culture and can read and write the language.
Lawrence is happy to take on the mission because he doesn’t feel like he quite fits in with British culture. After he arrives at his destination, he makes contact with Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness), who’s impressed by the young man’s tenacity and outspoken nature. Faisal allows Lawrence to give him military advice, and over an extended period of time, Lawrence manages to bring the disparate Arab tribes into a loose coalition that begins winning victories over the Turks.
In the process, a war correspondent publicizes Lawrence’s efforts, making him famous, but he begins to doubt the cause he’s become involved in, since the British Army wants to assert control in Arabia once the Turks have been dealt with. Like he did with Kwai, Lean uses the story to simply present the actions of the main characters, leaving the viewer to decide who, if anyone, was right and wrong. Like many who have served in wars, Lawrence achieves his objectives, but at what price? Lean lets you answer that question for yourself.
It’s easy to see how Lawrence of Arabia was a major influence on other filmmakers, especially the ones who broke through in the 1960s and 70s. For example, you don’t have to stretch too far to imagine how the film’s sweeping desert landscapes inspired George Lucas when he envisioned the planet Tatooine, or how Lawrence’s exploits in the Middle East informed Steven Spielberg’s approach to Indiana Jones’s adventures.
Speaking of Spielberg, he appears a couple times in the bonus features in this set, which spans four discs: two 4K platters to give Lawrence’s gorgeous 4K restoration plenty of breathing room and a pair of Blu-rays, one for a 2K copy of the film and the other with with the bulk of the bonus features. A code for a digital copy is included too. Everything is packaged in a nice Steelbook.
By the way, this is the first time the 4K version of Lawrence has been available outside of the Columbia Classics Box Set that was released in 2020. Sony has released this new edition on occasion of the film’s 60th anniversary, and my understanding is that the 4K restoration that was done a decade ago was improved for this disc. Honestly, I can’t imagine the film looking much better than it does here. Even a move to 8K won’t make a huge difference, given the typical size of most consumers’ displays.
As I mentioned above, the film occupies a pair of 4K discs. While I thought 4K would finally enable studios to move beyond using multiple discs for very long movies, I can’t fault Sony for wanting this film to get the maximum bit rate possible. It’s a minor annoyance to have to switch discs halfway through, but it’s worth it to appreciate the sumptuous detail in every shot. The fact that the movie has an intermission also means it has a natural spot to split it between discs.
Here’s the full rundown of the extras:
• Unused international prologue (1 minute): The only bonus feature on the 4K disc, this textual prologue was meant to set up the story of the film before being abandoned by Lean.
• Secrets of Arabia: A Picture-in-Graphic Track: As the movie plays on one side of the screen, a series of text pieces appear on the other side or below it. They include relevant excerpts from Lawrence’s book, a closer look at the various places he travels to, and more. While not every scene in the film has facts, there’s a control panel that lets you skip to the next one.
• Peter O’Toole Revisits Lawrence of Arabia (21 minutes): O’Toole was nominated for his acting by the Academy a record-tying seven times without a win, which certainly puts him among the greats in film history, but he doesn’t seem to be someone who gets a lot of discussion when the subject of best actors comes up. That’s a shame because he was easily on par with the likes of Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, and others who often get more attention. He was always the gentleman, and that quality is on display here as he looks back on the role that made him famous.
• Making of Lawrence of Arabia (61 minutes): This is a comprehensive documentary that covers the making of the film from a look at the life of the real T.E. Lawrence through production and beyond, including its later restoration and its place in film history. Documentaries don’t get much better than this.
• Deleted balcony scene with introduction by Anna V. Coates (7 minutes): This is a scene that was intended to be reinstated into the film, but given the lack of an adequate soundtrack of Jack Hawkins’ voice, as well as the inability to find a suitable voice replacement, the effort was abandoned. Editor Anna V. Coates tells the story in an introduction to the scene, which is presented as it currently exists.
• The Lure of the Desert: Martin Scorsese on Lawrence of Arabia (8 minutes): The acclaimed director talks about not only his love for the film but also what attracts him to the main character, who he compares to someone who could have been in a film noir.
• A Conversation with Steven Spielberg (8.75 minutes): Spielberg has never been shy about professing his love for this film, and this interview runs through his entire relationship with it, from his first screening through to his involvement in the restoration.
• Wind, Sand and Star: The Making of a Classic (1963 version; 5 minutes): This featurette was put together to promote the film’s theatrical release.
• Wind, Sand and Star: The Making of a Classic (1970 version; 4.5 minutes): A different version of the featurette that looks back on what was already regarded as a classic.
• Maan, Jordan: The Camels Are Cast (2 minutes): A look at the camels’ work on the film.
• In Search of Lawrence (5 minutes): This is a vintage featurette that discusses the difficulties of shooting a movie in a desert.
• Romance of Arabia (4.5 minutes): Another vintage featurette that takes a look at the region of the world where most of the film takes place.
• King Hussein Visits the Lawrence of Arabia Set (2 minutes): A news reel about the King’s visit to the film set. What’s a news reel? Ask your grandparents.
• In Love With the Desert (83 minutes): This documentary from 2000 is hosted by Eddie Fowlie, a good friend of Lean who served on the Lawrence crew. He takes you on a tour of the film’s shooting locations.
• Lawrence at 50: A Classic Restored (13.5 minutes): Created for the film’s 50th anniversary in 2012, this is a look at the 4K restoration that was done for what at the time was a Blu-ray release. Like a lot of classics, I assume it was restored in 4K with an eye toward eventually releasing it on that format.
• Archival interviews with Steven Spielberg, William Friedkin, and Sydney Pollack (10.25 minutes): From interviews shot in 2007 for the American Film Institute, the three directors talk about why Lawrence is great.
• New York Premiere (1 minute): Another news reel; this one is from the film’s premiere.
• Advertising Campaigns (5 minutes): Given all the re-releases, this is a film that’s had plenty of ads over the years, and this brief featurette takes a look at them.
A batch of vintage trailers and TV ads round out the bonus features, which should keep you busy for a while.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
