Lawrence of Arabia released 50 years ago today

Lawrence of Arabia Released: December 16, 1962 Studio: Columbia Genre: epic Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 44.82 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 543.89 Worldwide: 545.00

Directing: David Lean Screenwriting: Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson Starring: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif, Claude Rains, Jose Ferrer, Jack Hawkins Review: This “sweeping, breath-taking, cinematic” FS “blockbuster biography of enigmatic adventurer T.E. Lawrence is that rarity, an epic film that is also literate.” LM “One of the greatest films of all time,” FS it is “staggering in its scope, execution and impact” BFI and “remains a moving and memorable film-going experience.” BFI The story, which is based on Lawrence’s book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, “follows the true-life exploits of…T. E. Lawrence…and his transformation from an enigmatic eccentric to a hero.” FS During World War I, “the complex, English military leader” VD “comes to believe he can give Arabia back to the Arabs.” A07 He “courageously unites the warring Arab fractions into a guerrilla front” FS “to fight alongside the British against the Turks in the 1914-17 campaign.” BFI Lawrence is “played with charismatic brilliance by 30 year-old Peter O’Toole.” BFI In his Oscar-nominated performance in his first leading role in his first major film, he became “an instant star.” LM The movie also “introduced Sharif to an international audience.” A07 In a film “full of scenes and performances to treasure…perhaps the best remembered is the arrival at the isolated well of Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) and the long shot of his ride across the shimmering sand.” BFI The “sumptuous desert imagery” T98 was as much a star as the actors. The movie is “stunning in its scope with absolutely awesome” VD and “rich cinematography of the immense” FS and “shifting desert so superbly photographed in glorious 70mm by Freddie Young.” BFI Sources: BFI British Film Institute (1999) “The BFI 100: A Selection of the Favourite British Films of the 20th Century” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” T98 Time Out (1998). “Readers’ Top 100 Films” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Box Office: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 7, including Best Picture, Best Director, Cinematography, Score, Editing, and Art Direction Nominations: 10 – including Best Actor (O’Toole), Best Supporting Actor (Sharif), Best Adapted Screenplay Other Lists/Honors: Critics’ Picks: Roger Ebert Leslie Halliwell/John Walker Leonard Maltin First posted 7/31/2019; last updated 6/2/2023.

50 years ago: The Bridge on the River Kwai, winner of 7 Oscars, released

The Bridge on the River Kwai Released: December 14, 1957 Studio: Columbia Genre: war epic Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 27.20 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 533.72 Worldwide: ?

Directing: David Lean Screenwriting: Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson Starring: Alec Guinness, William Holden, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins Review: Screenwriters Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson were blacklisted in Hollywood for “alleged communist associations” MSN so they wrote “this epic World War II action film,” MSN an “outstanding, psychologically complex adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s 1952 novel,” FS in secret. Boulle – who spoke no English – was originally credited as the sole screenwriter. In 1984, Foreman and Wilson were awarded screenwriting Oscars posthumously. MSN The story is about American and English soldiers in a Japanese prison camp who are ordered by camp commander Colonel Saito (Hayakawa) to build a bridge in the Asian jungle of Burma which will transport Japanese troops. “A tremendously antagonistic battle of wills ensues” FS between Saito and Nicholson (Guinness), “the rigid British officer who refuses to bow to torture.” A07 The latter colonel develops “a twisted sense of pride” FS in overseeing the construction of the bridge. His obsession with using “this exercise to show the Japanese as inferior humans and soldiers” VD blinds him to the reality that he is aiding the enemy. Holden is an American who escapes from the camp, only to be tasked with leading a mission back to destroy “the bridge.” A07 The film does “just as well showing the psychological battle of wills as the more epic scenes of military conflict.” BFI Sources: A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” BFI British Film Institute. (1999) “The BFI 100: A Selection of the Favourite British Films of the 20th Century” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud T95 Time Out (1995). “Centenary Top One Hundred Films” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Box Office: Oscars: Wins: 7 – including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Guinness), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Film Editing Nominations: 8 – including Best Supporting Actor (Hayakawa) Notable Awards: Other Lists/Honors: First posted 5/30/2023.