Google Ads
Login | Sign Up

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

See More Lawrence of Arabia Articles

Lawrence of Arabia Quotes:

Sherif Ali: What is your name?
T.E. Lawrence: My name is for my friends. None of my friends is a murderer!
Prince Feisal: With Major Lawrence, mercy is a passion. With me, it is merely good manners. You may judge which motive is the more reliable.
Jackson Bentley: What attracts you personally to the desert?
T.E. Lawrence: It's clean.
Auda abu Tayi: [his last words, to Ali] Being an Arab will be thornier than you suppose, Harith!
Sherif Ali: I do not understand this. Your father's name is Chapman...
T.E. Lawrence: Ali, he didn't marry my mother.
Sherif Ali: I see.
T.E. Lawrence: I'm sorry.
Sherif Ali: It seems to me that you are free to choose your own name, then.
See More Quotes from Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia Facts
The character of Jackson Bentley is based on the real-life journalist and travel expert Lowell Thomas, whose writings first brought Lawrence to public attention.
In an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Peter O'Toole confessed quite proudly that, out of fear of falling off during a big camel riding scene, he and Omar Sharif decided to get absolutely hammered and then tied themselves down on the camels before shooting. By his own admission, he was so drunk he had no idea where he was or what he was doing for the entire scene (attack on Akaba).
Alec Guinness shaved his head for his role.
When first telecast (by ABC-TV), the film was shown in two parts on two successive nights because of its four-hour length. Even so, it was edited so that Lawrence's rape by the Turks was even less explicit (and less comprehensible) than in the original film.
Jack Hawkins was originally set to take on the part of Colonel Harry Brighton. When he was shifted over to play Allenby, Anthony Quayle got the part of Brighton.
See More Facts about Lawrence of Arabia >>