DVDs

Lawrence of Arabia

Region 1

Region 4

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%