Customer Reviews

Lawrence of Arabia (Superbit Collection)

5 star:		(354)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

For me this epic film is tied with "A Bridge On The River Kwai" as the best movie ever made. This film had everything & more. The peerless acting of Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif, Jack Hawkins, & Anthony Quinn were perfectly cast for their respective roles. Fine cinematography, direction, action, suspense, special effects, & musical score made this a mammoth production that took two years to complete.


Set in world war one in the turbulent middle east, T.E.Lawrence attempts to unite the Arabs to overthrow their Ottoman Turkish rulers. He starts as a mapmaker for British intelligence in Cairo. From the very first frames you can feel the extraordinary WILL of this man. He burns himself with matches saying to his comrade "the trick is not to mind that it hurts." He is sent to spy on King Feisal{Alec Guinness}, but he soon finds that he identifies more with the arabs than with his fellow Brit's. His brutal journey to the king under the scorching desert Sun alone is worth four stars. He develops an unexpected & intruiging relationship with an arab chieftain Sherif Ali{Omar Sharif}, that moves the film ever forward. Without orders he crosses the desert to lead a motley group of fifty men joining Auda Abu Tayi{Anthony Quinn}, to attack the Turks at Aqaba. With the victory comes his fame as US reporter Jackson Bentley{Arthur Kennedy}, brings the story to the media's attention. He moves from one gruelling adventure to another showing an indomitable will that encourages his men to fight above what they thought their own abilities were. Lawrence Of Arabia is an epic that celebrates the empty silence of the arabian desert. the vast clips across the glowing desert show a tiny rider approaching, mesmerizing sunsets, battles, & camp details make this a masterpiece. Peter O'Toole gave the greatest performance ever in this film. I'm not saying that Gregory Peck did not deserve the Oscar for "To Kill A Mockingbird," just that O'Toole deserved it a little more. The former still has never won the Oscar, which for me is an unpardonable sin!

There are actually 4 versions of this movie on DVD:

1. Bare bones single disc version (don't bother; I agree with reviewer)
2. 2-disc limited edition (which has lots of extras but the film quality is not the best of the versions out there) - 2001 release
3. 2-disc superbit edition (which doesn't have the extras but the film quality is superior to the limited edition) - 2003 release (out of print but can get on amazon marketplace or ebay)
4. 2-disc collector's edition (which has the extras and the superbit version of the film which is an excellent version also) - 2008 release

Hope that helps.
PS - I would only recommend #3 or #4 as the film quality is better on these version than #1 or #2.

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.

There are two DVD versions of LoA. The Limited Edition contains extra documentaries and "making of" features. However, the Superbit Collection release (now out of print, but readily available) offers no extras but higher picture quality.

I have owned both versions. The extra features on the limited edition are nice, but you'll probably only watch them once. The film is the thing, and the Superbit edition really does offer an improved picture quality. If you are watching DVDs on a small TV, it won't make a real difference. If you are watching on a high definition computer monitor or projection TV, I would recommend the Superbit version. If you want to see the documentary features of the Limited Edition, rent it from Blockbuster or Netflix.

It appears that all the reviews for LoA are being placed in the listings of both the Limited Edition and the Superbit Collection. I am adding this info so that hopefully people can choose wisely in their purchase. Even the Superbit version has some flaws in mastering, but it is cleaner and clearer, so bear this in mind.

As for the artistic and entertainment quality of the film itself, suffice it to say that I believe it is in a tie with the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the best movie ever made. But whereas the Lord of the Rings had to rely on digital trickery for its vast battle scenes, Lawrence shows real people, hundreds if not thousands, in a story that is both a sweeping epic and a personal journey. (Much like Lord of the Rings.)

Whichever version you buy, buy and study this wonderful film -- more relevant than ever now, with our intense involvement in the Middle East.

As the editor and publisher of Davidlean.com I can say with a high degree of confidence that Lawrence of Arabia remains one of Lean's most treasured films--and with good reason. It is a film that can be analyzed and appreciated on all artistic fronts: an exceptional screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson; ground breaking and stunning cinematography by Freddy Young; flawless editing by Anne V. Coates; and one of the great scores from any film by Maurice Jarre. The film's placement as one of the greatest films ever made is not hyperbole, it is truly an original film that will never be equaled.

Unfortunately I cannot recommend the deluxe edition released on DVD despite its wealth of additional features. The transfer in this DVD is terribly flawed. The Main Titles are smeared and the color is off in many of the scenes. Additionally, Columbia decided to fiddle with the audio tracks by re-editing or remixing a few important scenes. These include the infamous scene of Lawrence walking atop the railroad cars, and the scene right before the intermission as Lawrence is walking back towards the officers to be congratulated. Both contain misplaced audio cues that, had David Lean still been alive, would have endured a thorough verbal lashing from him. They are ill timed and poorly done. (The correct audio cues can be found on the Portuguese audio track.) Given the film's history of tampering, it is appalling that the studio continues to "mess" with the film's contents rather than release the film as Lean desired. Hopefully the next (third) release of the film as a SuperBit edition will correct these errors (I have been assured by someone close to this production that they will be).

The old expression that the book is always better than the movie is oh! so true! The less you know about T. E. Lawrence, the more enjoyable this movie is. Unfortunately, I have recently been reading both about Lawrence (both biographies about him as well as his own masterpiece, SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM). There is always controversy regarding the extent to which the accuracy of the presentation of a historical figure should impact one's assessment of a work of art. Unfortunately, I did find myself enjoying this film vastly less on a reviewing of it after actually knowing something about the subject matter.

Even after having looked somewhat into Lawrence's life, there are many things to laud in the movie. It is unquestionably one of the most beautiful films ever made, with inconceivably gorgeous cinematography, one of the great musical scores in movie history, and one magnificently epic vista after another. In no movie is the desert as beautiful and as alluring as in this one (just as Lawrence's own SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM is the great paean to the desert, excepting only Charles Doughty's great classic TRAVELS IN DESERTA ARABIA, which Lawrence took as his literary model). And while there are some unfortunate casting decisions (at this point in history, one is always disappointed to see non-Arabs playing major Arab roles), Peter O'Toole dominates the screen in every shot in which he appears, with the most piercing blue eyes one can remember. He is perhaps a tad too good-looking. One is reminded of Noel Coward's quip to O'Toole, "If you'd been any prettier, it would have been Florence of Arabia."

But if you have read about Lawrence or read Lawrence's own book, certain things will disappoint on a reviewing. First, one is disappointed by the presentation of Lawrence himself. Although Peter O'Toole is unbelievably charismatic as Lawrence, he is on physical grounds terribly unqualified for the role. One of the central factors in Lawrence's life was his height: he was so short he had enormous difficulty getting into the military, only managing it after several high level friends pulled strings for him. Great care was taken to disguise Lawrence's height, but the guess is that he was between 5'3 and 5'6, and probably towards the shorter figure. O'Toole is a long, lean 6'3. Despite some rough physical resemblance, O'Toole's height seriously hurts his ability to portray Lawrence accurately.

I was also somewhat disappointed, upon reviewing, that the gigantic complexity of Lawrence's personality was not better reflected onscreen. This is probably inevitable. Lawrence was easily one of the most complex personalities of the 20th century. Even after having read a pair of biographies, I feel that I know next to nothing about him. His feelings about the Arabs, his attitudes towards the conflict he was involved in, his goals for himself in the Arab peninsula after the conflict, his masochistic asexuality (he deplored being physically touched by any human being, male or female, yet took delight in his ability to absorb enormous physical brutality, sometimes asking people to beat him with their fists in later life), and, perhaps most of all, his strange relationship to his own fame. After the Arab conflict, he retreated first into the RAF and then into the Army as anonymous private under a fictitious name (in the army becoming Private T. E. Shaw, the "Shaw" homage to his friend Charlotte Shaw, wife of George Bernard).

The movie also contains many historical inaccuracies, but this is more forgivable in that Lawrence's own book contains perhaps even more inaccuracies. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it contains many embellishments and exaggerations.

Still, this is a great movie. If you don't know much about Lawrence, see the movie before learning more about him. You'll love the movie a great deal more if you do.

The line I always remembered best, from David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia", is said neither by nor to the eponymous Lawrence played by Peter O'Toole. No, it's Anthony Quinn to Anthony Quayle, only two of the remarkable cast assembled for this desert epic tale. Who else is in this film? Besides O'Toole, Quinn, and Quayle, try Omar Sharif, Jose Ferrer, Claude Rains, Jack Hawkins, Alec Guinness, and Arthur Kennedy. How can you miss with a cast like that? Dead on perfect, every actor.

The audience is left by and large to decide for themselves whether Lawrence was a mystic, a fanatic, a rogue, a meglomaniac, or anything else that comes to mind. We see his start, from an obscure British army officer merely delivering a message to Prince Faisal to a commander of an arab army sweeping the Turkish Empire back as World War I rages in the Middle East as well. Here's a movie that really is a feast for the eyes, as nearly every few minutes there's an incredible shot of desert caravans or looting armies or a triumphant Lawrence ego-tripping out as he parades atop a derailed train. "Lawrence of Arabia" made the careers of both O'Toole and Sharif, and deservedly so. If you haven't yet seen this granddaddy of all epics, hoist yourself onto a camel and hunt it down.