Runtime:
222 minutes (at least I believe this was the length of the version I
saw)
Directed
by: David Lean
Starring:
Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
From:
Columbia
Last
night I finally got to see this film the way it should be seen... on
the big screen. I wish I could have seen it in its original 70mm
format but as that's unlikely, I instead went with Fathom Events and
their one day only presentation of it all across the country. Besides
the actual movie, they showed two trailers, had a few minutes of
Martin Scorsese talking about the movie, showed some newsreel footage
from back in the day, then there was a brief introduction from the
still alive Omar Sharif, all 80 years old of him. There was also a 15
minute intermission. Thus, that is why I am not 100% sure how long it
actually was. I know that it started at 7 and I did not leave the
auditorium for good until 11:15. A real long night, but so worth it. It's now the longest movie I've ever seen in a theatre.
I
don't really need to give a plot recount of T.E. Lawrence's exploits
(or at least how he explained them then how things were modified for
film); in fact, a great way to read a more scholarly take on the
movie is to read this Filmsite Movie Review which goes into real
detail about everything and has a nice intro which explains the film
in a manner far greater than I could.
Instead,
I'll mention that the movie is still an all-time classic. The story
is so epic, the lead character so complex and interesting, you get to
see his rise and then downfall for a variety of reasons... if you
haven't seen it you really should. It is especially great to see it
on the big screen; the vast desert landscapes really stand out in a
big format, and it's just a beautiful film to look at. What else can
I say about such a masterpiece? I am not quite sure. I can say it's
coming out on Blu-Ray next month, which is the reason why they had
this special showing. The print looks great.
I'll
be back Sunday night.
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