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Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Director(s) David Lean
Producer(s) David Lean (uncredited), Sam Spiegel
Top Genres Action, Adventure, Biographical, Drama, Epic, Historical
Top Topics Exotic Lands
More Films Directed by David Lean More Films Produced by Sam Spiegel More Films from 1962 More Films from the 1960s Top Classic Movies of the 1960s Top Exotic Lands Films

Lawrence of Arabia Overview:

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was a Adventure - Biographical Film directed by David Lean and produced by David Lean and Sam Spiegel.

SYNOPSIS

Here is one of the great Hollywood epics of all time and O'Toole's first major screen appearance, which established him as an international star overnight. He gives a superb performance as T. E. Lawrence, a British military observer who, in rejecting British tradition and adapting Arab attire, became a figure of enduring mystique while helping to unite the warring Arab functions into a guerrilla front against the Turks. The restored video includes 35 minutes of previously missing footage. The 30th anniversary special edition features the original theatrical trailer and a 32-page companion booklet, plus a film short on the making of the film including interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. The laserdisc edition features a collection of production photos, Wind, Sand and Star, a featurette documenting production, footage from the 1962 New York premiere, and silent newsreel production footage.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Lawrence of Arabia was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1991.

Academy Awards 1962 --- Ceremony Number 35 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorPeter O'TooleNominated
Best Supporting ActorOmar SharifNominated
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: John Box, John Stoll; Set Decoration: Dario SimoniWon
Best CinematographyFred A. YoungWon
Best DirectorDavid LeanWon
Best Film EditingAnne CoatesWon
Best Music - ScoringMaurice JarreWon
Best PictureSam Spiegel, ProducerWon
Best WritingRobert Bolt, Michael WilsonNominated
See More Oscar Winners

Lawrence of Arabia BlogHub Articles:

Field Trip: "Lawrence of Arabia" on the Big Screen at AMC River East 21 September 1

By Stephen Reginald on Aug 19, 2019 From Classic Movie Man

Field Trip: "Lawrence of Arabia" on the Big Screen at AMC River East 21 September 1 Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen Date: September 1 Where: AMC River East 21, 322 East Illinois, Chicago, IL Time: 1:00 p.m. Winner of 7 Academy Awards® including Best Picture of 1962, Lawrence of Ara... Read full article

Win Tickets to see “TCM Big Screen Classics: Lawrence of Arabia” (Giveaway runs now through Aug 17)

By Annmarie Gatti on Jul 28, 2019 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Win tickets to see “Lawrence of Arabia” on the Big Screen!In Select Cinemas Nationwide Sun Sept 1 and Wed Sept 4 CMH continues with our 4th year of our partnership with Fathom Events – with the 10th of our 14 movie ticket giveaways for 2019, courtesy of Fathom Events! This is an extra ex... Read full article

Blue Eyes in the Desert: Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962)

By Virginie Pronovost on Jul 20, 2018 From The Wonderful World of Cinema

Ah, Lawrence of Arabia… An illustrious man and the subject of one of movie history’s best films. It is British movie director David Lean who created this masterpiece. With movies like Lawrence of Arabia (of course), Great Expectations,  The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago and ... Read full article

Lawrence of Arabia: Part Two – The Destruction of Myth

By minooallen on Jan 30, 2015 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Lawrence of Arabia: Part two – The Destruction of Myth Hello dear readers and thank you for coming back to my Lawrence of Arabia blog posts. Last November, as part of the British Empire Blogathon, I wrote Part One of this two-part series. If you did not get a chance to read it and feel the need to... Read full article

British Empire in Film Blogathon: Lawrence of Arabia

By minooallen on Nov 17, 2014 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

British Empire in Film Blogathon Lawrence of Arabia: Part One –The Creation of Myth A portrait of the real Lawrence of Arabia. We open on a lone motorcycle – the very symbol of freedom, the open road – and escape from the trappings of the civilized world. Enter frame right, an elegant,... Read full article

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Lawrence of Arabia Quotes:

Sherif Ali: Does it surprise you, Mr Bentley? Surely, you know the Arabs are a barbarous people. Barbarous and cruel. Who but they! Who but they!
Prince Feisal: The English have a great hunger for desolate places. I fear they hunger for Arabia.
T.E. Lawrence: Then you must deny it to them.
Prince Feisal: You are an Englishman. Are you not loyal to England?
T.E. Lawrence: To England and to other things.
Prince Feisal: To England and Arabia both? And is that possible? I think you are another of these desert-loving English.
Jackson Bentley: Never saw a man killed with a sword before.
T.E. Lawrence: [contemptuously] Why don't you take a picture?
Jackson Bentley: Wish I had.
T.E. Lawrence: Do you think I'm just anybody, Ali? Do you?
Sherif Ali: Have you no fear, English?
T.E. Lawrence: My fear is my concern.
See More Quotes from Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia Facts
Maurice Ronet was replaced by Omar Sharif in the part of Ali once filming commenced. Ronet was bought out of the film for four times the amount that Sharif was paid for his performance.
T.E. Lawrence's brother, A.E. Lawrence, who was also executor of his will, wasn't keen on the film's representation of his brother so he didn't allow the use of his sibling's autobiography title "Seven Pillars of Wisdom".
David Lean didn't see his first royalty check for the film until 1978.
King Hussein of Jordan lent an entire brigade of his Arab Legion as extras for the film, so most of the "soldiers" are played by real soldiers. Hussein frequently visited the sets and became enamored of a young British secretary, Antoinette Gardiner, who became his second wife in 1962. Their oldest son, 'Abdullah II King of Jordan', ascended to throne in 1999.
Almost all movement in the film goes from left to right. David Lean said he did this to emphasize that the film was a journey.
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