Product Details

• Actors: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif
• Directors: David Lean
• Writers: Michael Wilson, Robert Bolt, T.E. Lawrence
• Producers: David Lean, Sam Spiegel
• Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Dolby, NTSC, Restored, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Arabic, Dutch, English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: November 13, 2012
• Run Time: 227 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (696 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B008Y1YK0I
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #2 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Military & War
  • #25 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Drama
  • #34 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Action & Adventure
• Learn more about "Lawrence of Arabia (Restored Version) [Blu-ray]" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There's no getting around a simple, basic truth: watching Lawrence of Arabia in any home-video format represents a compromise. There's no better way to appreciate this epic biographical adventure than to see it projected in 70 millimeter onto a huge theater screen. That caveat aside, David Lean's masterful "desert classic" is still enjoyable on the small screen, especially if viewed in widescreen format. (If your only option is to view a "pan & scan" version, it's best not to bother; this is a film for which the widescreen format is utterly mandatory.) Peter O'Toole gives a star-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal measure. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

David Lean's biography of the enigmatic T. E. Lawrence paints a complex portrait of the desert-loving Englishman who united Arab tribes in battle against the Ottoman Turks during World War I.

See all Editorial Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

419 of 441 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of 2012 2-disc Blu-ray edition 2001 2-disc DVD edition April 6, 2001

By keviny01

Format:DVD

** UPDATED NOV-15-2012 **

An extraordinary film has now become an extraordinary Blu-ray. David Lean's 1961 desert epic film about the enigmatic British officer T.E. Lawrence and his successes and struggles in the Arab countries during the early 20th Century remains (sadly) as relevant as ever regarding the Western world's unending struggles in the Middle East regions. The Oscar-winning classic is also a landmark event in film history, as it set a very high standard in epic film-making, acting, and, for the making of this Blu-ray, in film restoration as well. Director Lean and then-unknown actor Peter O'Toole's contribution in this film remain influential in the five decades since the film's initial release. And if it had not been for the efforts of restorers Robert A. Harris and Jim Painten, who discovered the film's original negative inside crushed and rusting film cans in Columbia's vaults in the 1980s, and proceeded to restore it to its original glory, we would not have had the pleasure of holding this Blu-ray in our hands. This 2-disc Blu-ray exclusive (no corresponding DVD is available) and a 4-disc (3 Blu-rays plus CD soundtrack) box set are the result of multi-year efforts on the part of the best professionals in the film business.

The aforementioned restoration by Harris & Painten, completed in 1989 and yielding a 227-minute director's cut, was the basis of this Blu-ray release. The running time is sometimes erroneously printed as 217 minutes, but that is actually the shortened running time of the PAL version with the typical 4% speedup. The restored version has always run 227 minutes in a 24-frame-per-second presentation. Older DVD editions may show a 217-minute run time, but be assured that this Blu-ray is not gaining an extra 10 minutes....

With a great film restoration as the basis, a digital scan in 4K resolution of the negative, and the great capacity and superior video & audio specs of a Blu-ray disc, this Blu-ray is unsurprisingly the look and sound of perfect, to borrow an old phrase. The picture is across-the-board perfect. Colors, brightness, contrast, and the amount of details are presented in demo-perfect levels, making the gorgeous deep-focus photography by Freddie Young an absolute pleasure to look at. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless English track, also based on material gained from the 1989 restoration, in which the restorers went to such great lengths as having the actors re-record missing dialogs, is the best this movie has ever sounded on home video. Dolby Digital 5.1 French and Japanese tracks are also included. Subtitle options are English, French, Japanese, Arabic, and Dutch. Those who need a Spanish audio track would need to get the region-free UK Blu-ray to get it, as the US Blu-ray does not have it.

The term "4K scan" refers to the 4096 horizontal pixels, a scanning density that is believed to be required to capture all the details of a 35mm film frame. Since "Lawrence of Arabia" was filmed in 65mm, almost twice as wide as 35mm film, it is apt to call this an "8K scan". Hence, some publications refer to this as an 8K scan, although 4K is a correct term as well if you talk about scanning density.

All 227 minutes of the film were put on a single Region-free dual-layered Blu-ray disc, hence no disc break as in older DVD editions. The overture, intermission, and the exit music are all played to a black screen, as per director David Lean's original wish.

Regarding bonus features, the movie disc also contains a "picture-in-graphics track" that is vaguely similar to a DVD-ROM feature (remember PCFriendly?) of the 2001 DVD edition, in which the movie playback is accompanied by on-screen trivias, stills, and maps. But fresh material seems to be used for this Blu-ray. The interface could be a little unwieldly, as the screen is divided into four areas with smallish navigational controls.

A second Blu-ray disc contains more bonuses, which include all featurettes (but not the trailers) found on the 2001 DVD edition. A couple of surprises here. Two vintage shorts, "In Search for Lawrence" and "Romance of Arabia", which were presented in crappy black-and-white on the 2001 DVD, are in glorious color on the Blu-ray, and in nice 1080p HD to boot. A nice brand-new extra is a new 21-minute interview, in HD, of Peter O'Toole, accompanied by film clips and stills.

All other extras on the 2001 DVD are presented unchanged on the Blu-ray, except that all have English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai subtitles. These features include an hour-long making-of documentary, a Steven Spielberg interview, a newreel of the New York premiere, a montage of publicity material, and vintage shorts "The Camels Are Cast" and "Wind, Sand and Star".

** REVIEW OF 2001 2-DISC DVD EDITION BELOW, POSTED APR-06-2001 **

Apart from the slightly soft, washed-out picture quality during the opening credits of the movie, the DVD edition of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is superb. The movie itself is spread onto 2 discs, with the disc break occurs just before Intermission. The Overture, Intermission, and the exit music are all played to a black screen, as per director David Lean's original wish. The picture quality looks as fresh and clean as, quite frankly, any film made in the 90s. In the dramatic shot where Lawrence appears on the far horizon after he rescued his Arab companion, the higher picture resolution of DVD makes it possible for us to notice his tiny figure whereas on VHS tapes or laserdisc it is so small it is almost impossible to see. Anyone who is serious about watching this film should get this DVD instead of any other version in order to appreciate the opulent cinematography and majestic atmosphere of this epic.

The disc has over 100 minutes of old and new documentaries and news footage about the making of the film, plus two well-designed DVD-ROM features (for Windows PC only): a interactive map showing the various journeys undertaken by the real T.E. Lawrence, and a "split-screen" feature that simultaneously plays the movie and shows you text of behind-of-scene information of the particular chapter of the movie that is playing. Since the DVD lacks a second audio commentary, being able to watch the film while reading facts about it is not a bad substitute.

The included "booklet" is a reproduction of the 1961 program given to theater goers, we are told. A nice touch: the disc case resembles Lawrence's diary in the movie. Read more ›

358 of 382 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The desert is a sea in which no oar is dipped. June 11, 2003

By Yossarian VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is unsurprising to me that some people find Lawrence of Arabia boring. If you have the attention span of a hummingbird, this is not a film you will enjoy. It has no car chases, no bikini-clad supermodels, and nary a kung-fu move to be seen. Instead, all it offers is tortured respect for everything it touches. Lawrence of Arabia is a film that elevated the art of cinematic storytelling to new heights, and it shows. It is the journey, not the destination, that the viewer should focus on. In order to enjoy this film, you must make a commitment to watch it. Get comfortable, have something to drink on hand (you'll know why about halfway through), turn off the phone, and put the remote under a pillow. I've seen a lot of films, and some I've liked to varying degrees, and others I've simply been satisfied that Hollywood didn't butcher the underlying work or premise too badly in pursuit of the lowest common denominator. Lawrence of Arabia is different. It is one of those truly rare films that makes you feel grateful for having seen it, for the efforts of all those involved to craft, create, and perserve over the years just so you might have the chance to see it. It is such a fine film that its merits are obvious, and negative statements about it tend to simply reflect back on the critic.

Why? Many reasons. The actors are likewise gifted with rare talent, and superbly cast. The settings and scenes are invariably breathtaking. The plot is engrossing and entertaining without ever becoming heavy-handed. Film students will while away hours discussing everything from the Christ imagery to the undercurrents of homoeroticism, but they do that with every film. I suggest you simply kick back and enjoy an excellent, time-honored epic about a stranger in a strange land.... It is a harrowing, draining journey, but one you will not regret. Read more ›

130 of 136 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazon posting INCORRECT reviews - not for this version. November 7, 2010

By 2HB

Format:DVD

Dear Amazon,

Please stop posting reviews for films that are, essentially, written for another version of the DVD's (and cd's) and not the one posted.

There are several DVD versions of Lawrence of Arabia. They all differ wildly from each other in picture and sound quality.

How do you expect us to chose which is best for us if you post the same review from the 2001 version over and over and over again?
"Best dvd version yet."

Yeah, right - in 2001 that may have been true. But Amazon, you've posted this review for every version of this DVD even though the review was for a DVD originally released in 2001!
Lawrence of Arabia has been remastered twice since then, and the subsquent versions are very, very different.

Please stop this and take some responsibility and post reviews ONLY for their specific versions - or at least specify that the review was written for another version.

89 of 97 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! A Superbit "Lawrence" with color corrected video September 10, 2003

By A Customer

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I won't review the movie. That's all been said before. And reading the other reviews will make you aware of the extraordinary restoration effort that was put into this masterpiece for its re-release in 70 mm 15 years ago. But no matter how good that release was, it didn't translate well to home video. I've had a VHS version and also own the DVD release from two years ago. That deluxe disc set had the entire three-hour plus film on one disc and was not properly color corrected. (The second disc IS chock full of newsreel footage and other extras if you enjoy that sort of thing)

Now comes the Superbit release, which spreads the movie across two discs, dramatically increasing the bit rate. For once, Superbit really comes through and great improves the DVD experience. There are no extras. But the quality of the video is amazing. Key to this was the involvement in this edition of Robert Harris, who worked with David Lean and the film's cinematographer on the 1988 restoration. Mr. Harris details on thedigitalbits.com the time spent on this new DVD release to get everything right.

The results are excellent. It's like a veil was lifted from the film to fully reveal the magnificent details of the desert landscapes. The 5.1 and DTS mixes are also top notch.

Whatever you have heard about Superbit, this is the version of the title to own and one of the major DVD releases of this or any other year. If you enjoy this film, you owe it to yourself to rent or buy this version.