LAWRENCE OF ARABIA in 70mm

Screening in Glorious 70mm, commemorating the Battle of Aqaba July 6, 1917

This sweeping, highly literate historical epic covers the Allies’ mid-eastern campaign during World War I as seen through the eyes of the enigmatic T. E. Lawrence. After a prologue showing us Lawrence’s ultimate fate, we flash back to Cairo in 1917. A bored general staffer, Lawrence talks his way into a transfer to Arabia. Once in the desert, he befriends Sherif Ali Ben El Kharish and draws up plans to aid the Arabs in their rebellion against the Turks. No one is ever able to discern Lawrence’s motives in this matter: Prince Feisal dismisses him as yet another “desert-loving Englishman,” and his British superiors assume that he’s either arrogant or mad. Using a combination of diplomacy and bribery, Lawrence unites the rival Arab factions of Feisal and Auda Abu Tayi. After successfully completing his mission, Lawrence becomes an unwitting pawn of the Allies, as represented by Gen. Allenby and Dryden, who decide to keep using Lawrence to secure Arab cooperation against the Imperial Powers.

Reviews:
“Sweeping, epic, majestic, awesome, sumptuous, you name the grandiose superlative and you’ll be right, with amazing performances and gorgeous visuals.” Empire Magazine

Winner of 7 Academy Awards