|
DVDs
Lawrence of Arabia
 By
Richard Moore
As
a young lad of about eight, my gran took me to see a rescreening
of the multi-Oscar-winning movie Lawrence of Arabia. She
had travelled all over the lands in question and was keen to introduce
her oldest grandson to the beauty of the desert.
It
was a long session - almost four hours - but far from fidgeting
and squirming, this chappie just sat there absolutely gobsmacked.
The
memory of the movie stuck with me for years and when it finally
made it to video, about two decades later, it was snapped up with
glee. Now, another decade on, its arrival on DVD has blown me away.
If
ever there was a movie invented for the word spectacular then Lawrence
of Arabia is it. It follows the desert adventures of a true-life
British misfit, T.E. Lawrence, who helps unite Arab tribes into
rebelling against their Turkish rulers during World War I.
Much
of the movie is used to introduce you to the heat and difficulties
of the desert, building up the characters and the sneaky political
manouevrings, but when the action scenes come - boy, do they arrive.
Whether
it be the blowing up of an enemy train, the "impossible" capture
of Aqaba or the massacre of Turkish soldiers at Tafas, you will
be amazed at David Lean's eye for creating battles.
The
sharpness and quality of DVD really adds power to Lean's magnificent
landscapes, which regularly dwarf the human elements and reduce
them down to ant-like figures on a glaring, heated canvas.
At
times, the razor-sharp imagery has you entranced and, after a sandstorm,
you may find yourself trying to count the grains of sand dusting
Peter O'Toole's face.
As
you would expect from a Lean production, everything is just about
perfect. The images, the casting, the scenes, the script ... in
fact, the whole box and dice.
It's
hard to imagine that Lawrence marked the screen debuts of
O'Toole and Omar Sharif (his first major Western role), but both
are excellent.
O'Toole
moves between effete misfit and almost-psychotic killer with ease,
while Sharif is marvellously urbane as the loyal and honourable
Prince Ali.
Across
the board, the all-male line-up is wonderful with each charcater
infused with personality and individuality.
With
a near-perfect audio and video transfer, this DVD sparkles and turns
your television room into a feel-the-heat, feel-the-sweat experience
of adventure in the Middle East's deserts.
Glorious
and stunning.
Conclusion:
Movie:
95%
DVD
Extras: 80%
|
