WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
1. It stars Peter O'Toole
2. It's based on a true story
3. The sweeping desert shots are so breathtaking that this is deemed a movie that "must be seen on a big screen."
LET ME EXPLAIN...
I've been stuck at 98 films on this list for quite a long time (over a year, I believe), and #3 above is the main reason why. I wanted to wait and see this film on a big screen - at least bigger than our modest TV at home. And I wanted to make "High Noon" the last film I see on this list (don't ask me why because I don't really know). But alas, with my first baby due in less than 2 weeks, my wife and I decided it might be good to finish off the Top 100 before we're engrossed with caring for a newborn. All that said, I ended up finally watching "Lawrence of Arabia"...on our modest TV at home.
This was a peculiar film. The 1st half was a whole lot of wandering through the desert, and the 2nd half had the story move along quite a bit. However, I found the 1st half to be more interesting and enjoyable, with the 2nd half confusing and disappointing. There was so much in this movie that didn't make sense to me, including motives and natural progressions in the plot, that I didn't really know where the story was going, and I didn't really care. I think I must have missed a lot in the dialogue that I got lost, because I can't figure out how in the world this ranks as a Top 10 film.
What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
Breathtaking scenery, good acting, and an epic production are what I can think of, but it's not put together that great (for one thing, my wife and I both felt the opening scene should have been the final scene of the film, to improve both the story-telling as well as adding suspense to the action sequences). However, it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning 7 of them, including Best Picture, so what do I know?
Complaints:
2. The scene when Lawrence meets the Turk leader guy after being apprehended is one of the most awkward scenes I've ever seen in a movie.
3. The ending is quite a whimper. With an epic ranked at #7, I expected this to go out with a bang. Either I missed some underlying "bang" at the end, or this movie really putters out.
LET ME SUM UP...
Strange main character, difficult-to-follow storytelling, and a weak ending combine with good acting and sweeping desert shots to make this a film I'm glad I finally watched, but I didn't really enjoy it like I thought I would.
MY RATING: 5/10
TOTAL # OF FILMS WATCHED: 99
