Product Details

• Actors: Peter O'Toole, Omar Shariff, Alec Guinness, Jose Ferrer, Anthony Quinn
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Georgian, Chinese, Thai
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.20:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 9, 2003
• Run Time: 216 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (433 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000AGQ6Z
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,965 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Lawrence of Arabia (Superbit Collection)" visit the Internet Movie Database (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

DVD features

Lawrence of Arabia raises the bar on Superbit DVDs by not only using the much-publicized higher bit rate, but also offering a brand-new transfer by restoration expert Robert Harris, who worked on the film's restoration for theatrical release in the late 1980s. The original two-DVD set was very well done, but the Superbit has a clear advantage in its sharper picture, richer colors, and correction of some minor flaws. The audio track has more punch as well, though it's still limited by its source material. On the downside, the higher bit rate means the film had to be more evenly divided between its two discs, so the first disc ends abruptly in the middle of the Sinai Desert rather than 27 minutes later at the intermission, which is where the original set had its break. You also lose a variety of interesting supplements. Still, with its sprawling desert vistas and Peter O'Toole's blue eyes, Lawrence of Arabia is nothing if not a magnificent visual spectacle, so it makes sense to see it in the best-looking format possible. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

211 of 220 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DVD the best looking version yet, April 6, 2001

By 

keviny01 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lawrence of Arabia (DVD)

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.

253 of 268 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 (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lawrence of Arabia (DVD)

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.

51 of 52 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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lawrence of Arabia (Superbit Collection) (DVD)

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.