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This film begins at T.E. Lawrence’s funeral in 1935 and works backward to the point of his learning to be, first, a map-maker at the beginning of WWI (1914-1918), but acquiring this skill while he was still a student at Oxford. He is now known as an archaeologist, writer, military officer, and diplomat, especially during the Sinai and Palestinian Campaign and Arab Revolt, effectively ending the Ottoman Empire.
Like many people who have seen the original 1962 release of Lawrence of Arabia (winner of 7 Academy Awards) in the theaters, I wanted to then re-watch it and other great epic films with important world history themes on DVDs - then the paramount technology (Note that Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg had helped restore a version of the original film for DVD release in 2000). After BluRays had come out, I found and purchased this 50th Anniversary newly-restored 4K version, which also included 3 other discs and other items in special packaging to mark this occasion, to whet my appetite to buy this package.
What does this special set contain?
I. 8 Things: A 4-disc set (3 film and 1 sound CD) & Other Things:
A. Sound Track CD, plus a few new songs
B. Disc 1: The newly-restored film an 8K scan/ immediate 4K film restoration, along with
“Secrets of Arabia: Picture in Graphs Track”
C. Disc 2: Backstories and extras (like Omar Sharif and Peter O’Toole finishing filming on different dates, but both racing though the desert and Atlas Mountains of Morocco, where some scenes were shot, and heading for some carousing, courtesy of Sharif in Casablanca! The two became pals for life after this entire experience! Another good one is King Hussein of Jordan, also a pilot, welcoming the planes bringing in the cast and crew to southern Jordan, where most of the desert battle scenes were filmed. This area in real life has been shot in many films, and for those of us who have visited/ lived in Jordan, it is a source of wonder and amazement.
D. Disc 3: Anniversary Gift Set Exclusive
E. A free, authentic sample of 70 mm film frames, whose packet lists its limited edition # on its front
G. An 88-page coffee table book with color photos
H. A special 50th Anniversary package, housing all of these items, making this truly a treasure trove of wonderfully-packaged items that owners are proud to show, by placing THIS entire package with items inside on a coffee table!
I. The Ultraviolet Download Code (mine was expired, but I would never watch this epic film on anything other than a large-screen HD TV)
II. The Exact Quantities of Minutes (Hours) on All Discs, excluding the CD:
A. Disc 1, BluRay film: Lawrence of Arabia - 227 minutes (3.78 hours)
B. Disc 1, “Secrets of Arabia: Picture in Graphs Track” – 130 minutes (2.16 hours)
C. Disc 2 Backstories and related information – 144 minutes (2.40 hours)
(TOTAL FILM TIME: 501 minutes (8.35 hours)
In a nutshell, what is this film about? Historically, it is about the early 20th century British Empire, with the help of their agent, T.E. Lawrence, loosely following history by uniting the disparate Bedou tribes of Saudi Arabia (Note Anthony Quinn’s stunning portrayal of Auda abu Tayi) to help end the Ottoman Empire (1299-1922), ruled by the Turks which had mercilessly and brutally ruled the ME for 623 years (and caused the Armenian Genocide/ Holocaust from 1915-1917). Specifically related to this include the following: the scene on the British HQ balcony in Cairo. In it, the bleeding Lawrence (whose back was severely lashed in Dara’a, Syria by the Turkish Bey [played brilliantly by Jose Ferrer] who took sadistic pleasure in humiliating Lawrence while torturing and possibly sodomizing him) talked to his commander, General Allenby, played by Jack Hawkins, in which Lawrence agrees to go back in country (Syria) and head Allenby’s men to the meeting in Damascus, to supervise and divvy up the goods/ commodities of the ME. Note that Lawrence had problems with slipping back and forth between the British and Arab Bedou cultures in terms of behavior and dress. The scene in Damascus showed this cognitive dissonance, with his being dressed in desert regalia while behaving like a British Officer reading from the ledger the list of things to be divided and meted out by means of a pre-approved British plan for who would get what. The people in the room, throughout this time were in a state of chaos, gave him no respect, and more chaos broke out amongst the attendees. The end result is that the British then got most of Damascus.
This activity, in turn, led to the slicing up of the entire ME region, in chessboard fashion, to change the landscape/ boundaries of certain countries to serve the ruling empires at the time (the UK and France) and then to transfer them to the countries that would later rise to have power. The was done very slowly and almost imperceptively, at a snail’s pace, by means of the following international stepping stones of important documents: The McMahon-Hussein Correspondence (1915-1916); The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916); Balfour Declaration (1917); The Treaty of Versailles (1919).
All of these pieces of paper seemed to sandwich WWI (The Great War to End All Wars), fought from July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918, with later documents and plans ready to guide what would be mapped out afterwards.
In T.E. Lawrence’s 1922 autobiography, he states that “The Arab Revolt had been made under false pretenses.”….”Had I been honorable, I would have sent my men home.” At least he was being honest even if it was in retrospect.
All of these disparate parts combined together later to create a new entity in 1948, with the birth of Israel.
Lawrence wouldn’t have known about these long-terms plans, though, – very few people would have. His story was only a small cog in a larger system that would later emerge.
Current US high school world history educational curricula doesn’t really cover much of this part of world history then, but UK (and French) curricula would. US audiences, then, would have had much of this important historical background and dialog fly right over their heads, especially for younger students who may see this as an action film instead of one that is historical. In today’s global world, though, Americans, especially those who do much reading and travel, would eventually learn what this piece of history was and the results of this that were birthed around the mid-point of the 20th Century. They would specifically learn what really happened, especially to the Palestinians –even though the Balfour Declaration says that they would be respected and protected as a result of this maneuver.
During this time period, how could 1 country be given away in order to birth another? Who let it happen and why? Who rules that country today, and who is paying for it? Have these actions led to a better world for everyone involved today?
For viewing this film, there are 3 different sections of activities that could be created and used, to create critical dialog according to the age levels of the viewers: Pre-viewing; Viewing; and Post-Viewing. Educators and others could create these activities and share them online.
Would I recommend this 50th Anniversary Set? Yes! For the 8.35 hours of film alone, this set is a bargain. For the knowledge of our world history, this set provides immeasurable resources for learning and understanding about our current world today because ‘this current world’ is a result of the activities portrayed in this film. All of these pieces are a pre-‘Chessboard’ to events that continue to shape our world today, with the victors and the losers of Empire, as Zbigniew Brzezinski later showed in his book on the same topic, The Grand Chessboard (1997).
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| Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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Blu-ray
November 13, 2012 "Please retry" | — | 2 | $16.99 | $8.76 |
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Blu-ray
November 13, 2012 "Please retry" | 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition | 4 | $179.99 | $179.99 | $52.00 |
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A Magnificent Version of a Masterpiece
Undeniably one of the greatest films ever made. But watching this Blu Ray on my TCL 4K television, I can’t believe how good it looks. This is a movie I would have wanted to have in 4K HDR but I’m so happy I didn't wait to see if it would ever be released in that format because I can’t see how it would look better. At $15 it’s an absolute steal. It’s beautifully packaged as well. I haven’t even seen all the extras and it’s an amazing bargain. If you’re a movie lover and you have a 4K TV do yourself a favor and get this magnificent version of this magnificent movie!
Top reviews from other countries
Evil Spirit
The Great Lawrence of Arabia
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2024
Evil Spirit
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2024
First the price was not such a shock as I recently secured a refund on The Mandalorian steelbook just about the same price. The Mandalorian was alright to watch but I could not imagine myself viewing that first series again. There are other comparisons apart from price. Lawrence of Arabia is 3h 46m whilst the Star Wars spin-off is total 3h 20m. I will watch tonight to see if the Intermission is included for Lawrence. Ice creams ready.
As the temperature drops on our digital thermometers Lawrence lights a match on our disposable culture. Where these days every character is either good or rancid, here we witness men under fire reacting to events. Lawrence is neither good or bad. Neither set in his way or a wandering soul. He could be the definition of the unreliable narrator except for one thing. They used to call it integrity. A broader view.
Aloneness.
Images in this review
Paul Hollis
One of the greatest movies ever made.
Reviewed in Australia on February 3, 2024