Review of Lawrence of Arabia

Why people ended up putting Lawrence of Arabia as number five on the American Film Institute list of 100 greatest films I will never understand. I figured it should have gone somewhere down in the low seventies. David Lean attempted to do too much with this story and it shows with how much I get confused by it whenever I watch it. I saw it at a small "art house" last fall for the first time ever and was really looking forward to it. However, when I arrived I found out that the screen was three sizes too small to show a film of this magnitude on and that the seats were enough to give anyone serious leg cramps! As a result my enjoyment and appreciation of the film itself was severely diminished. Just recently, I watched it again on DVD and was STILL confused by it. Although, the panoramic vistas and clear digital picture were enchanting enough to enjoy the film somewhat.

Lawrence of Arabia was nominated for ten Academy Awards winning seven of them (Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Set Decoration, Best Score, and Best Sound). It lost in the categories of Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor.

My rating: 2 stars