In terms of sheer sweep, intelligence, and star power, nothing much comes close.
Video:
Lean shot the film in Super-Panavision 70, yielding a screen size of 2.20:1, rendered through the DVD as approximately 2.02:1, reasonably close. The movie was restored to much of its natural grandeur in 1988 by Robert A. Harris, who also reconstructed many scenes that had been edited over the years. The actual picture quality, however, can range from startlingly realistic, rich and vivid, to slightly faded and surprisingly grainy. There is, additionally, an odd set of vertical light bars faintly visible in the middle of the screen from time to time. The grain one can understand and may have been part and parcel of the original restored film stock, with probably some additional grain introduced in the digital transfer. With such vast areas of screen real estate taken up by solid blocks of sky and sand, the delectability of grain is inevitable. But the streaks of light are a mystery. Fortunately, and also rather mysteriously, part two on the second disc looks altogether better.
Audio:
The sound track comes in a couple of modes--Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround. The differences in the two can be marked. I know, because Dolby Surround is the default, something I didn´t notice until some five or ten minutes into the film. When I switched over to DD 5.1, which, annoyingly, can only be done by returning to the main menu, the sonics suddenly tighten up, becoming more dynamic and more pronounced, and filling the rear speakers with more discrete noises. Maurice Jarre´s famous music, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic, old hands at pomp and ceremony, must be heard in this new DD 5.1 mix to be fully appreciated. Still and all, the sound also carries with it a degree of steeliness that can too often appear strident and nasal, and the music can often make its entrance with such a loud impact it can force your hands to your ears. When it comes to dynamic range, there are times when one can get too much of a good thing.
Extras:
The Limited Edition set is housed in the same kind of clothbound case as "The Bridge on the River Kwai," a most attractive and refined alternative to the ordinary plastic keep case. Inside, one finds a reproduction of the original 1962 souvenir booklet and two DVDs. The first disc contains part one of the film up to the intermission; the second disc contains part two and all the supplementary material. The film´s 217 minutes of running time does not include the music of the overture or entr´acte, about ten minutes worth, which is played over a blank screen as the director intended. The main bonus is a recently produced one-hour documentary, "The Making of Lawrence of Arabia," a behind-the-scenes exposition featuring interviews and reminiscences by surviving stars and crew. Next, there´s a nine-minute conversation with Steven Spielberg, in which the famous filmmaker pays tribute to the older director, with clips from the film. It´s interesting to hear Spielberg say that at the screening of the restored print, Lean sat next to him and kept up a running commentary about the film´s production. What we wouldn´t give to have that commentary as an audio supplement. Then, there are four featurettes: "Maan, Jordan: The Camels are Cast," "In Search of Lawrence," "Romance of Arabia," "Wind, Sand and Star: The Making of a Classic," each of them contemporaneous with the making of the film and lasting about two to five minutes apiece. The image quality is not the best on them, and they are promotional pieces at best. There is also some original newsreel footage of the New York premiere, a montage of advertising campaigns, a generous set of talent files, and DVD-ROM goodies that include historic photographs and an interactive map of the Middle East. Finally, fifty-six animated scene selections and three theatrical trailers round out the extras. English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese are the spoken language options, with Columbia´s usual array of subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Parting Thoughts:
No doubt, "Lawrence of Arabia" is one of the screen´s great classics, occupying the number five spot on the American Film Institute's list of top 100 films of all time. Additionally, it won seven Academy Awards, not too shabby, for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Color Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Musical Score, and Best Sound; with Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively and Robert Bolt nominated for Best Screenplay. Nope, not too shabby, indeed. Another no-brainer; it belongs in every video collection.
Lean shot the film in Super-Panavision 70, yielding a screen size of 2.20:1, rendered through the DVD as approximately 2.02:1, reasonably close. The movie was restored to much of its natural grandeur in 1988 by Robert A. Harris, who also reconstructed many scenes that had been edited over the years. The actual picture quality, however, can range from startlingly realistic, rich and vivid, to slightly faded and surprisingly grainy. There is, additionally, an odd set of vertical light bars faintly visible in the middle of the screen from time to time. The grain one can understand and may have been part and parcel of the original restored film stock, with probably some additional grain introduced in the digital transfer. With such vast areas of screen real estate taken up by solid blocks of sky and sand, the delectability of grain is inevitable. But the streaks of light are a mystery. Fortunately, and also rather mysteriously, part two on the second disc looks altogether better.
Audio:
The sound track comes in a couple of modes--Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround. The differences in the two can be marked. I know, because Dolby Surround is the default, something I didn´t notice until some five or ten minutes into the film. When I switched over to DD 5.1, which, annoyingly, can only be done by returning to the main menu, the sonics suddenly tighten up, becoming more dynamic and more pronounced, and filling the rear speakers with more discrete noises. Maurice Jarre´s famous music, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult and the London Philharmonic, old hands at pomp and ceremony, must be heard in this new DD 5.1 mix to be fully appreciated. Still and all, the sound also carries with it a degree of steeliness that can too often appear strident and nasal, and the music can often make its entrance with such a loud impact it can force your hands to your ears. When it comes to dynamic range, there are times when one can get too much of a good thing.
Extras:
The Limited Edition set is housed in the same kind of clothbound case as "The Bridge on the River Kwai," a most attractive and refined alternative to the ordinary plastic keep case. Inside, one finds a reproduction of the original 1962 souvenir booklet and two DVDs. The first disc contains part one of the film up to the intermission; the second disc contains part two and all the supplementary material. The film´s 217 minutes of running time does not include the music of the overture or entr´acte, about ten minutes worth, which is played over a blank screen as the director intended. The main bonus is a recently produced one-hour documentary, "The Making of Lawrence of Arabia," a behind-the-scenes exposition featuring interviews and reminiscences by surviving stars and crew. Next, there´s a nine-minute conversation with Steven Spielberg, in which the famous filmmaker pays tribute to the older director, with clips from the film. It´s interesting to hear Spielberg say that at the screening of the restored print, Lean sat next to him and kept up a running commentary about the film´s production. What we wouldn´t give to have that commentary as an audio supplement. Then, there are four featurettes: "Maan, Jordan: The Camels are Cast," "In Search of Lawrence," "Romance of Arabia," "Wind, Sand and Star: The Making of a Classic," each of them contemporaneous with the making of the film and lasting about two to five minutes apiece. The image quality is not the best on them, and they are promotional pieces at best. There is also some original newsreel footage of the New York premiere, a montage of advertising campaigns, a generous set of talent files, and DVD-ROM goodies that include historic photographs and an interactive map of the Middle East. Finally, fifty-six animated scene selections and three theatrical trailers round out the extras. English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese are the spoken language options, with Columbia´s usual array of subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Parting Thoughts:
No doubt, "Lawrence of Arabia" is one of the screen´s great classics, occupying the number five spot on the American Film Institute's list of top 100 films of all time. Additionally, it won seven Academy Awards, not too shabby, for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Color Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Musical Score, and Best Sound; with Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively and Robert Bolt nominated for Best Screenplay. Nope, not too shabby, indeed. Another no-brainer; it belongs in every video collection.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]6740[/release]