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Despite the fact i watch a lot of films, there are still quite a few classics I am yet to see. Some of them are quite intimidating too. Take Lawrence of Arabia for instance, a 4 hour British epic from the early ’60s? My taste in classic movies is more like 90 minute thrillers from the ’40s.
But I’m so glad I took the plunge and finally watched Lawrence of Arabia. After failing to find time for a 4 hour cinema trip upon its re-release last summer I added it to my LoveFilm queue. I popped in the blu-ray with apprehension, expecting to watch it in easily digestible chunks, and then something happened… I was completely gripped by it. I watched the whole thing straight through (with a break for ice cream at the interval, as you do) without a care for the duration and with no moments where I reached for the distraction of my smartphone (as I so often do at home).
It’s epic in every manner of the word: Utterly enthralling, beautifully photographed, acted and paced, with sublime music. Those 4 hours absolutely flew by. The way that David Lean handles everything is exemplary, and I would happily list it as one of the best directed films I’ve ever seen. So let this be a lesson, it’s often worth just going for it classics no matter your preconceptions, you never know what you may discover.
Viewed on: Blu-ray
film review london 
Just wrote my own tribute to Lawrence a few hours earlier….. http://stephenliddell.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/lawrence-of-arabia/
Thanks for your review. I have similar kinds of difficulties with classic films as you do but also found Lawrence of Arabia to be a fresh surprise and exception from the rule.
By accident, I ended up watching the latter part first, without even noticing until it ended “quite weirdly”! Then I noticed my mistake and watched the first part. It’s amazing how the film still worked very well, that tells me a lot about its quality. As you said it is an epic in every possible way and I especially loved the score.