Reviews (19)

One of my all-time favorites!
A breathtakingly beautiful film from the "Magic 3" - David Lean, Director, Freddie Young, Cinematographer, and Maurice Jarre, Music -- who also gave us Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago. An ordinary enough story, but played beautifully by first rate actors, it moves right along and I became very involved in the fate of its characters. I wanted Sarah Miles to have her passionate love, but then again, I didn't want her good husband (Mitchum) to lose her, I wanted the British officer (Jones) not to be tortured and haunted, and I didn't want anyone hurting the lovable village idiot. (John Mills deserved the Oscar he got for this role!) The relationship between John Mills' and Sarah Miles' characters broke my heart. And I hated, hated with a capital H some of the others (I won't say who and spoil it for anyone). This is all to say that I was pretty much transfixed and transported by this movie from start to finish. And if there's any scene in any movie from the beginning of time that's more erotic than the one in her father's pub when Sarah Miles' character first meets the British lieutenant, I hope someone warns me; I don't think I could withstand it. I love my video of the movie, but I wish I could see it again on the big screen for the impact of the magnificent cinematography of the Irish coast. And of the pub.

A Haunting Masterpiece by Lean
I first saw this film when it came out, it haunted me for days. The score9 by Maurice Jarre) and the photography(Freddie Young won a most desevred Oscar for) is breathtaking and Sarah Miles is so beautiful she takes your breath away. Set in Ireland during World War I and the British occupation of Ireland. Rosy Ryan( Sarah Miles) sets her cap for the local school master played by the great Robert Mitchum. They marry and her life is not what she expects until a British Officer enters it while she is tending bar. The chap is played by Christopher Jones who was the Colin Farrell of his day. The scene in the pub when they meet is one of the most tender loving scenes ever filmed. The affair that follows brings heartache to all. The villagers in this small Irish town gives lynch mobs a bad name. The pleasure they exact from teasing the village idiot(played by John Mills and may I add with beauty and heart) and later taking their revenge on an innocent person they believed to be the traitor. I don't want to give away the ending ot the story but I just purchased it and watched it for the first time in thirty years and was reminded what a storyteller David Lean was. Candace Serviss

When oh when!
Each month I scan the "new" issues to see if the studio has issued this first rate movie onto DVD but to no avail! when one sees the amount of rubbishy films now being re-issued, it really makes me angry, I guess the reason being the fact that Ryans Daughter was panned in the States, but hay Yanks, how about we Brits? the film was well received over here and is still regulary screened on TV. Freddy Jone's photography should be reason enough but add Sarah Miles, Bob Mitchum, John Mills, where is the problem?

Take it From a First-Time Viewer: Pass This One By
The progress of David Lean's visual style is one of honest, thrilling emotion subsumed over the years by unnecessary, rote effect--an artistic hardening-of-the-arteries not entirely unlike the bloat of Wordsworth's later work.

Of his pictures which history will remember well, Lean delivered at least one masterpiece ("Oliver Twist," 1948), which dared to risk anachronism when it evoked the prison camps of WWII in its workhouse boys' scabby, balding heads--not to mention Alec Guinness's frightening Fagin ("What right have you to butcher me!?").

He made two other first-rate pictures: "Great Expectations" (1946), a rare triumph of literary abbreviation, & "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957), the most melancholy meditation on suffering I've ever seen--like a paragraph from Dostoyevsky or Solzhenitsyn played deftly out to feature length.

"Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) signalled, I think, the beginning of an elephantiasis in Lean's ambition--though it's been observed that "Lawrence's" minimalist compositions and love of "empty" screen-space may have primed audiences for later, more abstract adventures such as "2001: A Space Odyssey," and even "Apocalypse Now."

Lean's respectful eye for and fascination with natural landscapes, especially as they dwarf people, and the psychologic import of that domination of scale, was often on ostentatious and useful display in his early and middle years. Later, this titanic style of framing became expected of Lean--not least, repeated viewings attest, by the man himself. It's as if he became trapped by his repute for monumentality, which was rarely less appropriate than here.

"Ryan's Daughter," based on a parlor-scale melodrama by Robert Bolt, never has the chance to escape Lean's Olympian regard and withers on film like a bug caught in the projector gate. Never mind the performances, which are generally credible, nor the cinematography, which (in the only home video available, a wretched panned-&-scanned dub with horrible color balance) is typically assured work from Freddie Young.

"Ryan's Daughter" is a failure from a man with a fading vision, and uninstructive ... unless the lesson is to tailor style to substance at all costs.

my two cents
This SOOOOO needs to be on DVD!!!!! This beautiful little gem is one of those great movies that just keeps haunting my memory even after all these years....and considering all the crap hollywood churns and what they deem worthy to go on DVD this would be a welcome bit of fresh air to see this again and add to my library. ... Read more

Description

New 2001 digital transfer from refurbished elements
Introduction by Omar Sharif
Trailer
2 vintage documentaries:
Behind the Camera
David Lean's Film of "Doctor Zhivago"
... Read more

Reviews (132)

Doctor Zhivago with Omar Sharif
Doctor Zhivago is David Lean 's measured and beautiful adaptation of Boris Pasternak 1958-acclaimed novel. Made in 1965 and winner of five Academy Awards, starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, Doctor Zhivago is a cinematic masterpiece, a visually stunning and expressively powerful love story set in the foreground of life in Russia during the latter days of Czarist Russia and the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

The film features gorgeous landscape and romantic scenes set to Maurice Jarre's haunting music. Lean uses Panavision cinematography to boast his landscapes that are often remote and cold is contrasted with the emotional fires burning within Zhivago and Lara -- a romanticized version of an illicit relationship without moral dilemmas or conflicts. The romance is amid the opulence of Russia before the war and the violent social upheaval that followed. Like many Russians, Zhivago's life is swept away with the radical currents of the Revolution.

A stunning Russian love epic of grand proportions.
This is the film that set off a fashion trend at my high school when it was released in a 30th Anniversary edition. This film is a grand scale drama about a Russian poet/doctor who dearly loves his sensitive wife yet wants this other woman named Lara. The backdrop is Russia during the Revolution around 1916, or something like that. Zhivago and his family are swept up in these fleeting events that put him in self-conflict between his wife and adulterous lover. His final choices concerning her and his family forever alter his remaining years. Based on the Nobel-Prize winning novel, it won 5 Academy Awards in 1965--Best Screenplay Adaptation, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Music Score, which introduced the hit tune "Lara's Theme" a.k.a. "Somewhere My Love." It was also a Best Picture nominee. Omar Sharif won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Zhivago. Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin also star. Christie won the Oscar that same year for Best Actress in the film "Darling", which I also reviewed. Not rated upon its release, but the anniversary edition denotes a PG-13 rating for mature themes and situations. This is one of my favorite films ever and is one of the films listed on AFI's Top 100 Films of All Time. The acting is great, costumes exquisitely detailed, gorgeous photography, lavish sets, and a famous score all add up to one of the greatest films of this century.

Doctor Zhivago Was An Adulterous Slime!!
Folks, get the romantic stars out of your eyes. Doctor Zhivago was cheating on his pregnant wife with (...) Lara, who started out in the world by having an affair with a MARRIED MAN! She seems to like the married ones. Commitment phobic?

Yes, it had a soaring score and gorgeous landscapes, but the morals of these characters made me sick. For Zhivago to leave his pregnant wife with an old man in the middle of nowhere in a Russian winter was reprehensible. I found it poetic justice when Zhivago's raging hormones led him back to the town where Lara was and he was caught by the army and inducted as military surgeon. He deserved the misery he put upon himself! That's the plot in a nutshell!

great film
This dvd format of "Doctor Zivago," is excellent a great documentary and much extra special and footage and a trailer. This is well worth getting and excelent film, one of the best ever. Great packaging and wonderful acting. A must see movie.

An epic that lasts...
David Lean, creator of the also epically great Lawrence of Arabia, has taken Boris Pasternak's novel and created a very good film with it. Having not read the book, I cannot comment and will not on whether it matches the book, but I can say the movie itself is very near excellent. This movie is really almost a historical film in disguise, since it highlights the lives of many, but especially Yuri and Lara, the main characters, and their attempts to live during and after the early nineteen hundreds Russian revolution. Like the movie To Live did for China, Dr. Zhivago helps one understand the daily sufferings before and after the revolution. These sufferings, or sufferers, are laced with almost hope as they live and love one another and try to thrive. This movie, although long, should interest almost anyone. It will also touch the mind and remind themselves of other culture's and their historical changes. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

There's no getting around a simple, basic truth: watching Lawrence of Arabia in any home-video format represents a compromise. There's no better way to appreciate this epic biographical adventure than to see it projected in 70 millimeter onto a huge theater screen. That caveat aside, David Lean's masterful "desert classic" is still enjoyable on the small screen, especially if viewed in widescreen format. (If your only option is to view a "pan & scan" version, it's best not to bother; this is a film for which the widescreen format is utterly mandatory.) Peter O'Toole gives a star-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal measure. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (278)

DVD the best looking version yet
Apart from the slightly soft, washed-out picture quality during the opening credits of the movie, the DVD edition of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is superb. The movie itself is spread onto 2 discs, with the disc break occurs just before Intermission. The Overture, Intermission, and the exit music are all played to a black screen, as per director David Lean's original wish. The picture quality looks as fresh and clean as, quite frankly, any film made in the 90s. In the dramatic shot where Lawrence appears on the far horizon after he rescued his Arab companion, the higher picture resolution of DVD makes it possible for us to notice his tiny figure whereas on VHS tapes or laserdisc it is so small it is almost impossible to see. Anyone who is serious about watching this film should get this DVD instead of any other version in order to appreciate the opulent cinematography and majestic atmosphere of this epic.

The disc has over 100 minutes of old and new documentaries and news footage about the making of the film, plus two well-designed DVD-ROM features (for Windows PC only): a interactive map showing the various journeys undertaken by the real T.E. Lawrence, and a "split-screen" feature that simultaneously plays the movie and shows you text of behind-of-scene information of the particular chapter of the movie that is playing. Since the DVD lacks a second audio commentary, being able to watch the film while reading facts about it is not a bad substitute.

The included "booklet" is a reproduction of the 1961 program given to theater goers, we are told. A nice touch: the disc case resembles Lawrence's diary in the movie.

Arabian Winner
Lawrence Of Arabia is one of the biggest and grandest films ever made. Director David Lean crafted a stunning epic that tells the tale of World War I British soldier T.E. Lawrence. Lawrence joined the various desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks and the desert battle scenes are breathtaking. Peter O'Toole is amazing as Lawrence in what would be a star-making turn for him. Omar Shariff, Anthony Quinn and Alec Guinness provide strong support, but this is Mr. Lean's film through and through. His direction provides sweeping shots of the desert vistas and gives the film its big look, but he also allows the story to flow and we really get inside the complicated head of Lawrence and see his psychological foibles. The film is beautifully transferred to DVD and it brings justice to the film that had previously suffered on video transfers. The movie was a major success as it swept through the 1962 Oscars winning Best Picture and Best Director, but Mr. O'Toole lost out on what would be the first of his of his seven unsuccessful Best Actor nominations.

Conservatives support slavery? This movie makes the case
Hi. My name is Steven Thulen. You might know me from such reviews as "Bowling For Columbine" and "My Life." I am here today to talk to you about "Lawrence of Arabia." While this may shock and astonish you, I will offer a long-winded review without actually discussing this film.

I am that good.

First, a history lesson. In the year 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He landed in Haiti and raped the native there, then enslaved them. Later, many Africans were captured and made slaves by white people. White people continued to terrorize other races throughout the latter half of the 19th Century.

Finally, World War I took place. During that war, many people died, including white people. Some people who were too cowardly to serve in the world fled to California, where they became subpar sports writers. Later, World War II took place. In that war, white people dropped atomic bombs on Asians.

Peter O'Toole was probably gay and acted really well in this movie.

STEVEN THULEN
AUTHOR OF "JIMMY KEY: BASEBALL'S BATMAN"
(...)

The Greatest Historical Epic Ever
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is, without a doubt, the greatest historical epic ever filmed and the crowning achievement of David Lean's career. It's also the film that makes best use of the majestic desert landscape with shots of extraordinary rock formations, dunes, shimmering "mirages," and caravans making their way across seemingly endless sands.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA tells the story of T.E. Lawrence and his adventures in the Middle East during World War I as he led the Arab revolt against the Turks. It is loosely based on Lawrence's book, THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM.

Even though there are battle scenes in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, this film is, first and foremost, a character study of Lawrence who was, by anyone's account, a fascinating figure. Even the battle scenes serve to enhance the character of Lawrence rather than detailing the horrors of war and we see Lawrence's dark, embittered side as well as his heroic one.

Although Peter O'Toole wasn't David Lean's first choice to play Lawrence (both Marlon Brando and Albert Finney were offered the part), I can't imagine anyone else in the title role.

Omar Sharif is impressive as Sherif Ali Ibn El Kharish. Prior to this film, he was a virtual unknown, but LAWRENCE OF ARABIA launched Sharif on a long career that made him instantly recognizable the world over.

Even though O'Toole and Sharif weren't well-known when they starred in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, the film's supporting case is certainly stellar: Alec Guiness, Anthony Quinn, Jose Ferrer and Claude Raines.

Although I think LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is best viewed on a large theatrical screen, this doesn't mean anyone should pass up the DVD. It's just too good for that, especially the Director's Cut (but do make sure you get the widescreen edition; this film demands it).

Don't watch LAWRENCE OF ARABIA expecting to get a history lesson. Watch it to learn more about the fascinating man who was T.E.Lawrence. If you do, I can't see any way you'll be disappointed.

Read the book, then watch again in awe.
I have seen this masterpiece many many times, but only after reading T.E. Lawrence's book "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" this year do I now begin to understand. This movie is a product of two of the century's greatest minds, one an author and soldier, the other a film maker. The power of Lawrence's descriptions of the desert matches the great cinematography. No film could fully project the power of the inner thoughts of this most introspective man; for that you absolutely need the book to fill in the gaps. Many of the scenes take on a much deeper meaning once you have read the book in detail. The Columbia Tri-Star two-DVD edition is faultless, something I will always treasure. I find it hard to believe that someday a better movie could possibly be made, but we can hope against hope. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

The mood and intent of the novel comes through
An Academy Award winner for Best Art and Set Direction and Best Cinematography in a black and white film, this 1947 version of the classic Dickens novel was adapted for the screen by British director David Lean. I can understand why it won those awards. Without the availability of modern technical effects, he was able to create a perfect atmosphere and sense of foreboding, keeping the mood and dark macabre feeling of the novel throughout. He also kept some key scenes intact, the young Pip's meeting with the convict, the mad Miss Havisham, and the ghoulish atmosphere in the law offices of Mr. Jaggers, whose walls are decorated with the death masks of clients he had lost to the gallows.

In most respects, this film stayed true to the novel. But it is impossible to condense Dickens into a spare two-hour film. Perhaps it was because I had just finished the novel the day before, but I couldn't help but notice how some characters were missing, many scenes were eliminated, the ending was changed and the plot seemed an oversimplification of the one I had just lived with in the book for the past month.

Without exception, all of the actors were excellent, but I wondered a bit at the casting. John Mills played the young pip who was supposed to be 20. In reality, he was 38 years old at the time and, in those days before plastic surgery, even had some crows feet around his eyes. Alex Guinness, who was cast as Herbert Pocket who befriends the adult Pip, was actually 32 and both of these gentlemen just didn't have the freshness of youth that was so apparent in the Dickens novel.

Age didn't seem to matter though in the casting of the convict. Finlay Currie, with his craggy face and threatening bearing was 68, but he played the role as if it was created just for him. Jean Simmons played the young Estella, her performance overshadowing that of Valerie Hopson who was cast as the older Estella. Marita Hunt played Miss Havisham, exactly as I had pictured her in my mind's eye. And Francis L. Sullivan's gave a perfect portrayal of the lawyer Jaggers.

Perhaps if I had let several decades pass between my reading of the book and my viewing of the film, the edges would have softened on my memory and I would have not been as critical. The film was really good and a great way to experience Dickens through this director's interpretation of his work. It certainly is a wonderful story and I've noticed from a bit of research on the Net that there are nine movie versions, three TV programs and four TV series. I plan to keep on the lookout for other videos which might exist of these offerings as I am now fascinated by the story and by the variety of interpretations. I do recommend this 1947 version, especially if you haven't read the book. It is totally in keeping with the intentions of the original.

Haunting accuracy
This black-and-white version from the Forties is still to me the definitive cinematic interpretation of Dickens. David Lean and co. weave a visual and emotional phantasm that is true to the novel, yet compact and, well, lean. The images of the film shimmer in one's memory and allow the page upon rereading to fill even fuller. The love and respect for the writer is everywhere, unlike the recent remake that goes so idiotically out of control. I also recommend Lean's "Oliver Twist", and the more recent "Little Dorrit", which is interminably long, but worth it.

A timeless gem!
A peniless orphan is carried under the education shelter of Herbert Pocket . You'll watch step by step the gradual becoming of Guiness .
The underlying lines testify the contrast between the upper class frivolity of London the rustic singleness of Pip'childhood.
It's hard to consider another adaptation of any other Dickens novel so succesful like this one . This film is the screen debut of Sir Alec Guiness that legend actor , and the great jump of David Lean as director .
If you just only think about these two powerful issues : the debut of Guiness and the direction of the greatest english film maker of the last century . What are you risking ? The possibilities of fail are less than zero. One of the most unforgettable movies ever made.

A very good film.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film had been said to be a very accurate adaptation of Charles Dickens' Novel. Having not read it, I cannot give an opinion on this.

The acting is very good and the movie is very well photographed. Alec Guinnes (best known for Obi Wan in Star Wars) is also in this film. This film is well written and the scenery for Mrs. Havisham's house is also very nice.

There is only a theactrical trailer for a special feature but it still is a good release.

great movie-lousy dvd quality
i was so disappointed!!!one of the best movies of all time, but the transfer to dvd sucks!!!you can't even turn off the subtitles for the hearing impaired!!like i said : WONDERFUL MOVIE, BUT THE DVD OPTIONS ARE AWFUL, NOT WORTH TO BE PLACED IN THE CRITERION COLLECTION!!!I WOULD NEVER BUY IT FOR THAT OUTRAGEOUS PRICE AGAIN!!! ... Read more

Reviews (66)

The Longest Story Ever Told
Having seen this movie twice now on TCM (in widescreen, no less), I still found my attention wandering away from the characters and towards the magnificent scenery. George Stevens last film was considered the biggest box office flop in Hollywood history until "Heaven's Gate" came out in 1980.

And no wonder, while Max Von Sydow is fine as Jesus of Nazareth, the supporting cast and cameo appearences run the gamut from inspired (Ed Wynn as an blind old man) to the insane (John Wayne as a thoughtful Roman centurian).

At times, this film seems more like a stylized retelling, rather than a faithful account. Take for example the scene of Jesus riding into Jeruselam on a donkey. Notice how nearly everyone is wearing spotless white garments. I guess the laundromat was just off camera.

But the major problem is the elephant-walk pacing of the film. It simply takes way too long to tell it's story, despite how great it is.

However, if there is a standout, it's the incredable scenery shot in perfect color hues and tones. What's even more inspired is that the film was shot on location in the American southwest. The mountains in the backgroud actually augment the "more than human" atmosphere that is the life of Jesus.

So, while it takes forever to get there, we at least get to take the scenic route.

Jesus Christ Never Existed.
'The Greatest Story Ever Told' is a famous film some people have seen or at least heard about. Most people fail to realize all of that doesn't matter because Jesus Christ never existed!! Jesus Christ is a mythological figure the church has exploited for hundreds of years and now the film industry has for almost a hundred years. There is absolutely no archeological or historical evidence that Jesus Christ existed. Even if he did exist, it would be highly unlikely he would have received that kind of punishment.
It is a shame that con artists like these filmmakers are using this mythological figure to make millions of dollars. People have to start swaying away from the manipulations of the church and the filmmaking industry and start looking at the hard facts. Jesus Christ and his crucifixion never happened.

a majestic, beautifully filmed epic
This film is often compared with the 1961 "King of Kings", and "Jesus of Nazareth", but this one is by far my favorite of the three, because of the exquisite beauty of it, and Max von Sydow's powerful portrayal of Jesus; his performance has a strength and boldness that is lacking in the other two, and therefore for me much more believable. Sydow was only known to fans of Ingmar Bergman's films at the time, having starred in the Swedish director's "The Seventh Seal" among others, and was a surprise choice to play Jesus, and a good one. He does a marvelous job, and I especially like the scene after Lazarus has died...it is brilliant, and very moving.

George Stevens' vision of the story has a stark majesty, and is taken at a leisurely pace; it is also quite verbal, with some of the major events in the gospels not pictured, but spoken of instead.
Filmed in Arizona and Utah, the cinematography by Loyal Griggs, who took over from William Mellor when Mellor passed away during filming, is glorious. There are scenes that have the composition and balance a fine painting, with extraordinary detail, often framed by doorways or windows, and it's a film I never tire of just looking at. Graphic artists should make a point to see this film, as there is much that can be learned from it. Alfred Newman also wrote a lovely score (with a little help from G. F. Handel) which adds to the aesthetic appeal of this film.

In the huge star-studded cast, some performances are truly memorable, like Claude Rains as a bitter and devious Herod, and Jose Ferrer excellent as his son Herod Antipas; Charlton Heston's ferocious, wild-man John the Baptist is impassioned and perhaps more like the actual Baptist than some of the tamer portrayals.

With its huge budget (over 20 million in 1965 dollars) it was a critical and commercial failure when it was released, but it has had a long life, and is being watched today while some successful films of the mid-'60s quite forgotten, and will continue to be appreciated by everyone who likes Bible epics. It was however, nominated for 4 Academy Awards: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Color Cinematography, Costume Design, and Original Score, losing out in all those categories to "Doctor Zhivago". There is "artistic license" taken with the story, but overall, it is a reverential, fairly accurate telling.
Total running time is 196 minutes.

huh?
Okay-- this is the movie on 1 disc ... no extras ... that's it. Why did they bother? You can still buy the 2-disc edition and get all the extras. Very confusing marketing move. I'd also like to see the complete 260 minute version.

the films not great but this is a beautifully acted christ
this film has an absolutely beautiful, poignant performance from max von sydow as christ.more than robert powell, defoe or clavell von sydow gives us a poetic, highly nuanced performance as a human, sensatively emapthetic christ. von sydow does more with facial expressions, his eyes and gestures than defoe did with his writhing or clavell did with his masochism.
powell came close but the quintessental acting role of christ belongs to von sydow.
the film itself has an abundance of flaws, most notably all the star cameos, but watch it for sydow ... Read more

Amazon.com

This adaptation of E.M. Forster's mysterious tale of British racism in colonial India turned out to be master director David Lean's final film. Subtle and grand at the same time, Lean's adaptation is faithful to the book, rendering its blend of the mystical and the all-too human with exquisite precision. Judy Davis plays a young British woman traveling in India with her fiancé's mother. While visiting a tourist attraction, she has a frightening moment in a cave--one that she eventually spins from an instant of mental meltdown into a tale of a physical attack that ruins several lives. Lean captures Forster's sense of awe at the kind of ageless wisdom and inexplicable phenomena to be encountered in India, as well as the British tendency to dismiss it all as savage, rather than simply different. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Last Passage
Director David Lean created some of the most visually stunning and brilliant films in movie history. The final film of his illustrious career was 1984's A Passage To India. The film is again a marvel to look at as Mr. Lean captures the Indian landscape with all its mystical splendor. Judy Davis is alluring as a young woman who travels to India with her perspective mother-in-law to visit her fiancé who is a magistrate there. On a cave exploring trip, she involved in a mix-up with Victor Banerjee's Dr. Aziz that leads to a court case and the revealing of the racial divide between the natives of India and the British who rule the country. Peggy Ashcroft won an Oscar as the all-knowing Mrs. Moore and long time Lean collaborator Maurice Jarre won an Oscar for his score. Alec Guinness appears in one of the most bizarre roles of his career as an Indian professor (complete with an Indian accent and dispensing of mystical preachings). A Passage To India is a strong closing film in the career of a respected and revered filmmaker.

ANOTHER CLASSIC IN THE LEAN (AND FORSTER) CANON.
In his brilliant exploration of the question he ultimately posed in HOWARDS END (who shall inherit England?), E. M. Forster gifted us with A PASSAGE TO INDIA. The novel, and the movie, provide deceptively simple characters to carry Forster's views along...the arrogance of a British-dominated culture meddling where it once again does not belong; the impossible melding of certain classes and/or temperaments; and the ultimate sacrifice or tragedy that must occur in order for the madness to cease. Into the mix Forster adds (as he did with Ruth Wilcox in HOWARDS END) the mysterious female entity (the enigmatic Mrs Moore) who seems to be in touch with all elements, earthly and spiritual. Director David Lean could not have done better in casting Dame Peggy Ashcroft as this luminous woman; she becomes the movie's triumphant center, its moral conscience and all-seeing eyes, and at the same time leaves us with one of the most memorable performances in recent cinema. Excellent support also comes from the brilliant Judy Davis (in a nearly impossible part to play, Davis succeeds almost frighteningly well) as the hysterical Miss Quested, dashing Victor Banerjee as the harried Dr Aziz, and James Fox as the character caught between two clashing worlds (much the same way Margaret Schlegel was in HOWARDS END).

David Lean has created so many memorable films and setpieces it seems almost redundant to objectify them, but let it be said the sequence here with the visit to the ominous Marabar Caves is one of his best--beautifully choreographed, perfectly timed, and with just enough mystery to inspire as much discussion as the novel. How often does that happen?

It may not be a rousing action epic, but it will leave the discerning viewer with much to think about and should inspire several viewings to take in all the levels of meaning. A most rewarding film experience.

Worst garbage ever filmed
For starters I remember when I first was this film when it aired on cable tv in the mid 1980's- I remember devoting serious concentration to this film only to be floored halfway through the film when I discovered the entire film is about a rape that happened to someone somewhere sometime ago.
Now get this straight- I have a B.A. in literature and was forced to read an EM Forster novel once, and it was the worst most boring piece of pretentious British trash ever invented, the absolute worst novel on the planet- this author is TEN times worse than Henry James. You want to waste your time? Then buy this trash and watch it, youll be sorry, I promise you. One reviewer below is also dead on- EM Forster is just a really bad author.

A Passage to India
This is the last film David Lean directed. (David Lean is of "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Bridge on the River Kwai" fame.) Based on the classic novel by E.M. Forster, this movie tells of a story of British racism in India during the early 1900's. A young woman, Adela Quested, travels to India to visit her fiance. Traveling with her is her fiance's elderly mother, Mrs. Moore. Mrs. Moore is utterly astonished at how the British treat the Indians, and even shows shame at her own son's ill treatment towards them. Her son is the magistrate. Mrs. Moore and Miss Quested befriend an Indian doctor, Aziz Ahmed. Aziz is overwhelmed at how friendly Mrs. Moore and Miss Quested are towards him and in his excitement he plans a day trip to the mysterious Marabar caves with them, to help show them around India. While there, inside the mystifying caves, something happens to Miss Quested and Aziz is accused of raping her. What follows is a court battle as well as a battle for the inner personal truth. Synopsis aside, I was horrified at how the British treated the Indians. I had never really thought of it until watching this movie. For shedding some historical light, even if it is historical-fiction, I give this movie two thumbs up, as well as give it four stars for completely weaving me into the story. In the beginning, I was slightly wary that it might turn out to be a boring historical-fiction film, but quite the contrary. I was glued to the "tube" in my anticipation to find the fate of the characters in this movie. The movie was completed in 1985 and it took over 30 years to see it completed. In the beginning, Forster did not want to sell the screen rights to the play for fear the movie would be seen as either pro-British or pro-Indian. I will admit that while watching it I despised the British's treatment of the Indians so perhaps it wasn't as objective as Forster had hoped, but what is there to be objective about in unfairness?

A LEAN DAVID
I am an Indian. I adore the way Forster wrote about India, and the way in which directorial stalwarts like Merchant-Ivory captured that vision on 8mm. For anyone who's followed David Lean's movies in the chronological order, The Passage to India is almost a criminal gyp, for it does not have a strong (or any) storyline to brag about, nor does it capture the glorious vistas of natures as Lawrence of Arabia or Dr Zhivago had managed.

Somehow, a true sense of India, either as a place or as a people, fails to come alive. While non-Indian viewers may enjoy the mild research that may have gone into the set and the props, it is really nothing special for anyone who knows what India must have looked like. For all the genius that David Lean was, he too fell for the standard shrinkwrapped clichés about India that any western director indulges in. For insatnce, the music that one hears at the market is frequently south Indian (Madras Presidency at that time), but in reality this would NEVER have been heard within 1000 miles of Bombay.

The (mis)casting of non-Indians for most of the Indian characters -- a fact that other reviewers have noted too -- is not simply a sore point, it is practically gross. Case in point: an atrocious Alec Guinness trying to pass off as a Brahmin Professor, while Victor Banenerjee struts about absurdly over-eager in the key role of Dr. Aziz. Why this was necessary is beyond me.

Then, the plot, or lack thereof. Really, very little happens during the course of the movie. The narrative is super-turtle, lacking the zing with which Merchant-Ivory have brought other books of Forster to life. The story to me was not about Adela's sexual conflicts; it was about an appreciation for the raw energies of India and how it transforms our very souls. I don't feel Lean's screenplay gives us the chance to discover Forster's India.

The film picks up a click towards the ending, which is full of the subtleties one expects of a writer of Forster's cadre, though there remains an absence of crucial detail about what should be the key event of the story. Peggy Ashcroft is great, but one can't help but wonder whether an Indian director could have made more from the same material.

Overall, the movie is borderline idiotic, watchable once perhaps (if your history professor forces it down your throat) otherwise there's a lot better to learn about India from: "Shakespeare Wallah", "Bombay Talkie", "Heat and Dust" etc etc. ... Read more

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David Lean focused all his talent as an epic-maker on Boris Pasternak's sweeping novel about a doctor-poet in revolutionary Russia. The results may sometimes veer toward soap opera, especially with the screen frequently filled with adoring close-ups of Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, but Lean's gift for cramming the screen with spectacle is not to be denied. The streets of Moscow, the snowy steppes of Russia, the house in the country taken over by ice; these are re-created with Lean's unerring sense of grandness. The movie is so lush and so long that it becomes an irresistible wallow, even when logic suffers--like Gone with the Wind before it and Titanic after. Sharif, who achieved stardom in Lean's previous film, Lawrence of Arabia, mostly looks noble, but the supporting cast is spiky: Rod Steiger as a fat-cat monster, Tom Courtenay as a self-righteous revolutionary, and Klaus Kinski and Alec Guinness in smaller roles. Geraldine Chaplin, in her adult debut, plays the doctor's compliant wife. Robert Bolt's screenplay won one of the film's five Oscars, with another going to perhaps the most immediately recognizable element of the movie: Maurice Jarre's romantic music, with its hugely popular "Lara's Theme" weaving in and out of a swooning score. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (132)

Doctor Zhivago with Omar Sharif
Doctor Zhivago is David Lean 's measured and beautiful adaptation of Boris Pasternak 1958-acclaimed novel. Made in 1965 and winner of five Academy Awards, starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie, Doctor Zhivago is a cinematic masterpiece, a visually stunning and expressively powerful love story set in the foreground of life in Russia during the latter days of Czarist Russia and the turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

The film features gorgeous landscape and romantic scenes set to Maurice Jarre's haunting music. Lean uses Panavision cinematography to boast his landscapes that are often remote and cold is contrasted with the emotional fires burning within Zhivago and Lara -- a romanticized version of an illicit relationship without moral dilemmas or conflicts. The romance is amid the opulence of Russia before the war and the violent social upheaval that followed. Like many Russians, Zhivago's life is swept away with the radical currents of the Revolution.

A stunning Russian love epic of grand proportions.
This is the film that set off a fashion trend at my high school when it was released in a 30th Anniversary edition. This film is a grand scale drama about a Russian poet/doctor who dearly loves his sensitive wife yet wants this other woman named Lara. The backdrop is Russia during the Revolution around 1916, or something like that. Zhivago and his family are swept up in these fleeting events that put him in self-conflict between his wife and adulterous lover. His final choices concerning her and his family forever alter his remaining years. Based on the Nobel-Prize winning novel, it won 5 Academy Awards in 1965--Best Screenplay Adaptation, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Music Score, which introduced the hit tune "Lara's Theme" a.k.a. "Somewhere My Love." It was also a Best Picture nominee. Omar Sharif won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Zhivago. Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin also star. Christie won the Oscar that same year for Best Actress in the film "Darling", which I also reviewed. Not rated upon its release, but the anniversary edition denotes a PG-13 rating for mature themes and situations. This is one of my favorite films ever and is one of the films listed on AFI's Top 100 Films of All Time. The acting is great, costumes exquisitely detailed, gorgeous photography, lavish sets, and a famous score all add up to one of the greatest films of this century.

Doctor Zhivago Was An Adulterous Slime!!
Folks, get the romantic stars out of your eyes. Doctor Zhivago was cheating on his pregnant wife with (...) Lara, who started out in the world by having an affair with a MARRIED MAN! She seems to like the married ones. Commitment phobic?

Yes, it had a soaring score and gorgeous landscapes, but the morals of these characters made me sick. For Zhivago to leave his pregnant wife with an old man in the middle of nowhere in a Russian winter was reprehensible. I found it poetic justice when Zhivago's raging hormones led him back to the town where Lara was and he was caught by the army and inducted as military surgeon. He deserved the misery he put upon himself! That's the plot in a nutshell!

great film
This dvd format of "Doctor Zivago," is excellent a great documentary and much extra special and footage and a trailer. This is well worth getting and excelent film, one of the best ever. Great packaging and wonderful acting. A must see movie.

An epic that lasts...
David Lean, creator of the also epically great Lawrence of Arabia, has taken Boris Pasternak's novel and created a very good film with it. Having not read the book, I cannot comment and will not on whether it matches the book, but I can say the movie itself is very near excellent. This movie is really almost a historical film in disguise, since it highlights the lives of many, but especially Yuri and Lara, the main characters, and their attempts to live during and after the early nineteen hundreds Russian revolution. Like the movie To Live did for China, Dr. Zhivago helps one understand the daily sufferings before and after the revolution. These sufferings, or sufferers, are laced with almost hope as they live and love one another and try to thrive. This movie, although long, should interest almost anyone. It will also touch the mind and remind themselves of other culture's and their historical changes. ... Read more

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Director David Lean's masterful 1957 realization of Pierre Boulle's novel remains a benchmark for war films, and a deeply absorbing movie by any standard--like most of Lean's canon, The Bridge on the River Kwai achieves a richness in theme, narrative, and characterization that transcends genre.

The story centers on a Japanese prison camp isolated deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, where the remorseless Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) has been charged with building a vitally important railway bridge. His clash of wills with a British prisoner, the charismatic Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), escalates into a duel of honor, Nicholson defying his captor's demands to win concessions for his troops. How the two officers reach a compromise, and Nicholson becomes obsessed with building that bridge, provides the story's thematic spine; the parallel movement of a team of commandos dispatched to stop the project, led by a British major (Jack Hawkins) and guided by an American escapee (William Holden), supplies the story's suspense and forward momentum.

Shot on location in Sri Lanka, Kwai moves with a careful, even deliberate pace that survivors of latter-day, high-concept blockbusters might find lulling--Lean doesn't pander to attention deficit disorders with an explosion every 15 minutes. Instead, he guides us toward the intersection of the two plots, accruing remarkable character details through extraordinary performances. Hayakawa's cruel camp commander is gradually revealed as a victim of his own sense of honor, Holden's callow opportunist proves heroic without softening his nihilistic edge, and Guinness (who won a Best Actor Oscar, one of the production's seven wins) disappears as only he can into Nicholson's brittle, duty-driven, delusional psychosis. His final glimpse of self-knowledge remains an astonishing moment--story, character, and image coalescing with explosive impact.

Like Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai has been beautifully restored and released in a highly recommended widescreen version that preserves its original aspect ratio. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (101)

A timeless classic
This film is a giant in a very crowded genre of WWII movies released in the 1940's and 50's. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won seven including Best Picture, Best Actor (Alec Guinness) and Best Director (David Lean). The story is atypical of the WWII genre. Instead of showing the glory of battle, it presents the psychological and physical torment of life in a POW camp. It focuses on the human story, a story of principles, will and courage in the face of adversity.

Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) is the commander of a group of prisoners of war interned in a Japanese camp in Southeast Asia during WWII. He is told by the camp commander, Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) that the prisoners will build a bridge across the river Kwai to complete the Japanese railroad that will supply their troops. Saito orders that officers will work beside enlisted men, to which Nicholson objects because it is a violation of the rules of war agreed to at the Geneva Convention. This leads to a standoff, a test of wills that is ultimately won by the irrationally stubborn Brit after many days in solitary confinement.

The result is that Nicholson agrees to build the bridge on his own terms, using his own engineers. This seems to be insane, since building the bridge would aid the enemy. However, Nicholson's has a high-minded goal that transcends the war. He wants to build a bridge that will endure as a testament to the superiority of the British civilization, especially since it will be built under such extreme circumstances. He also feels that building a bridge of which they can be proud will boost the moral of the men while living under such oppressive conditions.

The psychological aspect of the film is fascinating. Saito's personal sense of honor does not allow him to use the brutality necessary to coerce the prisoners into building the bridge properly. Ironically, once he succumbs to defeat in the battle of wills against Nicholson, he gets everything he wants. By losing, he actually wins.

David Lean's direction is outstanding, portraying the harshness of the prison camp without sacrificing the subtlety of the psychological aspect of the film. Lean gives us enough character development to bind us to all the competing characters, making us sympathetic even to Saito, the camp commander.

The acting in this film is superb. Alec Guinness is magnificent as the idealistic and staunchly principled Colonel. This was probably his best role in a stellar career. William Holden is also terrific as the sardonic and cowardly sailor that fate continued to throw into situations that required him to become a reluctant hero. Sessue Hayakawa delivers a masterful performance, as the hapless commander who succumbs to Nicholson's iron will.

The ending evokes conflicting emotions, as it is simultaneously ironic, triumphant and devastating. At the end, the viewer is not sure whom to pull for since there is no neat way to resolve the collision of converging forces. This makes the film even more interesting.

This film is a timeless classic. I rated it a 10/10. I'm looking forward to seeing it on the newly released DVD.

3 Fanatics + 2 Stories + 1 Ending = WWII Pacific POW epic
Rated #11 on AFI's (American Film Institutes) 1998 top 100 movies of the last 100 years. This 1957 DVD Limited Edition (7 Oscar Winner including the BIG 3; Best Picture, Director - David Lean and Actor - Alec Guinness) World War II Japanese Prisoner Of War camp Classic remains one of the best psycological war movies made. (1953's "Stalag 17" a WWII German POW camp is the other. Ironically William Holden won a Best Actor Oscar).

The story is about 3 main fanatical characters; First is Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) the Japanese prison camp commander. Second is Colonel Nicolson (Alec Guinness) the English commander of the POW's (introduced by the now famous whistling tune, "Colonel Bogey's March"). Third is an English (demolition expert) Commando Major (Jack Hawkins) guided by an escape POW (William Holden) a reluctant, coerced sailor who's kismet is chosen for him. These 3 Soldiers and 1 Sailor have impossible missions to accomplish with all their fates focused at one common place at one specific time.

The 2 Stories are; One build "The Bridge on the River Kwai" in a very compressed time line. The Second is to destroy this same bridge. The stories have many twists and turns while the finale is surprisingly abrupt after a long complex journey.

This 1957 wide screen classic is beautifully restored and plays very well even without all the special digital effects of today. The realism is so vivid. Seen phyically on the POW's and soldiers bodies and faces. The Dolby 5.1 puts you in the thick of the jungle with an eerie feeling. A frighteningly close environment, dense, with very little visibility but the sound is 360 degrees. Only these sounds to cue your imagination and senses.

As always with a DVD 2 pack there is an abundance of background information about the movie. A nice collectors package.

Madness! Madness!!!
This famous movie is now 50 years old but still remains one of the great classics in film. It it a story about honor, about an English regiment that surrenders to the Japanese in WW II Burma. To not lose the English honor the colonel decides to show the Japanese colonel to help build the best bridge possible, thereby also humiliating the colonel who, if not finished on time, would kill himself.
The English colonel remains naive, first he keeps sticking to the Geneva Convention but the Japanese don't give in.In the end he helps them with the bridge, of which he is very proud. But it is also aiding the enemy. His conflicts come to an amazing end.

One of the best war movies
David Lean's "Bridge On the River Kwai" earned him his first Oscar in directing. Shot in Ceylon in 1957, it shows the other side of the WWII that is seldom seen, the Japanese side. Most of the movies about the WWII are about the Germans and the Holocaust. This one is about the battle of wits between two people, a Britisher, Col. Nicholson and a Japanese, Col. Saito. Though the movie was overshadowed by "Lawrence of Arabia", it has a special place among movies.

The movie has passion, realism, wits and acting from a number of actors: Alec Guiness, William Holden and Jack Hawkins which is exemplary. Alec Guiness justifiably wins the oscar for acting in this epic. The music along with the whistling tune of "Colonel Bogey March" was beautifully played by the Royal Philharmonic.

When the Batallion is ordered to surrender by their headquarters from Singapore to the Japanese at Camp 16, Col. Saito insists that all the prisoners of war help in building the bridge that is part of the railway that connects Bangkok to Rangoon. Col. Nicholson is adamant that he will follow the Geneva convention and that his officers will not do manual labour. His medical chief wonders who is mad in this diatribe.

William Holden is the real human in this movie as Commander Shears of the US Navy who manages to escape from the camp. He is interested only in his well being. He bribes guards to get himself on the sick list as often as possible and is sarcastic about the war and Saito (with good reason). When Saito says, "Be happy in your work", he says it first. Before escape, when he asks Col. Nicholson if there should be an escape committee, he replies that they were ordered to surrender.

Col. Nicholson, "Without law, there is no civilization".

Comm. Shear, "But that is the point, here there is no civilization."

Col. Nicholson, "Then we have a chance to introduce it. I suggest that we drop the subject of escape."

Later when Lt. Jennings wishes to escape and talks to Comm. Shears, he says, "Listen kiddo, when your Colonel suggests something, it is a command."

As in all David Lean movies, the screenplay is outstanding and poignant. Col. Nicholson helps build the bridge and is very proud of it without realizing that he is helping the enemy in the effect. This is not a movie of obvious good guys-bad guys. It takes Comm. Shears to go back and attempt to blow up the bridge for Col. Nicholson to come to his senses and realize the magnitude of the error that he has committed. This shows all the good and bad that war can have without sugar coating the truth.

While this movie is not suitable for young people, and people with short attention spans, it is an outstanding movie for people who wish to have a movie with great story, character acting, screenplay and thoughtful direction. It is a movie that can withstand the test of time and is free of major errors; in short, it is a masterpiece. The DVD is well produced and is worth collecting. Of course, this movie is best when viewed on screen, but we have to do with the next best.

classic and deserving of its 7 Oscars
Set in SE Asia and shot in Sri Lanka, this movie centers on the inhabitants of a Japanese POW camp in World War II. Captured British soliders are commanded to build a bridge over the river Kwai, as an integral part of the opposing side's railway. The cruel commando of the camp, Saito, seems exceptionally cruel but, as the movie progresses, it seems he is doing this out of his own sense of honor.

In fact, nothing in the movie is so straightforward as "good guy/bad guy". The movie delves into each character's personality. Alec Guinness won the Oscar for Best Actor as Nicholson, the British POW who defies Saito to win better treatment for his captured troops so they might survive.

Bill Holden plays an American POW who escapes and impersonates an officer at a base as he bides his time to go home. He is only out for himself, but is sent on a mission to bring down the bridge.

There is a line that Nicholson says that really sticks "There comes a point when you realize that you are closer to the end than to the beginning, and you wonder what the sum total of your life represents." The bridge has come to represent many things to many different people, much of it hinged upon whether it stays up or gets torn down. ... Read more

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David Lean's finest films, from Great Expectations (1946) to Lawrence of Arabia (1962), are resolutely sober, which is more than can be said of Henry Horatio Hobson in his wonderfully comic encounter with the moon in Hobson's Choice (1954). Lean's only other comedy was Blithe Spirit (1945), but here he approaches matters of the heart with a surprising lightness of touch and wins a marvelous performance from Charles Laughton--himself soon to make his one and only film as a director, Night of the Hunter (1955). The setting is late-19th-century Salford, England (the black-and-white location filming is exceptional), and widower Henry Hobson forbids his three daughters to marry to avoid paying their dowries. Romance will not be thwarted by economics, and much humorous conflict ensues, interspersed with some serious and even disturbing moments. Brenda De Banzie is splendidly spirited as the eldest daughter, Maggie, while her fiancé is played by the ever excellent John Mills, who would later win an Oscar® for his part in Lean's much more serious love story, Ryan's Daughter (1970). --Gary S. Dalkin ... Read more

Reviews (7)

An odd, charming, unusual film.
Charles Laughton plays Henry Hobson, a blustering, bullying 19th Century British shopkeeper who runs roughshod over his three daughters, who have kept the family shoe shop running while their widowed skinflint of a father drinks up all the profits at the neighborhood pub. At least, that is, until the eldest of the three breaks away and tells poppa where to get off. The performance that really makes this film, though, is the magnificent John Mills as the meek, hapless craftsman who she pins her hopes on. As he grows from noodge to man of means, Mills crafts one of the most endearing characters seen on screen to date. Recommended.

Desert Island Must!!!
If stranded on the proverbial Desert Island, this movie is a must, for it bears viewing time and time again. Masterly performances by Charles Laughton and a very junior Sir John Mills, place this piece in the annuls as being a timeless snapshot of cinematograhic history.

Laughton, as Hobson, shows us the 'perils of the demon drink', in probably one of the most comedic portrayals of all time, as the permanantly inebriated, (though periodical appropriate)stereotypical mysoginistic father, figuring pink elephants/rabbits (included in black and white), whilst his daughter, Maggie (Brenda De Banzie) shows an early impetus for Women's Rights'.
All in all, a classic tale, portrayed in a wonderful display of superb performances... BUY IT, BORROW IT... but you MUST see it!

British humor at its absolute best.
Charles Laughton stars as Henry Hobson, a hard-drinking, self-opinionated, middle-class Victorian businessman. Henry is king of his own little world, a tyrant to his three daughters and ringleader of a clutch of bar-cronies. Finally, daughter Maggie (Brenda De Banzie) decides that she must move out from Henry's shadow if she is to have a life of her own. Seizing on their simple, but talented boot-hand William Mossop (John Mills), she begins to scheme her way through to a life for herself and her sisters. Poor Henry soon finds himself hilariously outmaneuvered at every step. [B&W, created in 1953, with a running time of 107 minutes.]

This movie is a masterpiece at many levels; it is enormously funny, while at the same time showing Victorian society from a middle-class vantage point. Containing nothing really objectionable, it can be watched by all family members. As a matter of fact, my 8 year-old daughter likes watching this movie with me. I recommend this movie absolutely!

Absolutely Fabulous
A feminist treasure, unknown to too many. Laughton is marvelous, yes, but this critique of the concept of the "spinster" is priceless. Also look for a very young Prunella Scales (Mrs. Fawlty of Fawlty Towers fame and other Brit TV) as a younger sister in need of a clue.

Our Favorite Movie Nobody Has Ever Heard Of
Hobson's Choice is the kind of movie that many of us wish they still were making. The acting is superb, the characters are delightful, the story is fun and yet has some social implications. Charles Laughton is at his best as the drunken father who uses his spinster daughters to run his business for him. John Mills shows his great ability as a character actor as the shy boot-maker. This is my wife's and my favorite movie that nobody has ever heard of. We watch it about once a year and try to share it with as many of our friends as we can. If you like old British black and white comedies this is the movie for you!! ... Read more

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There's no getting around a simple, basic truth: watching Lawrence of Arabia in any home-video format represents a compromise. There's no better way to appreciate this epic biographical adventure than to see it projected in 70 millimeter onto a huge theater screen. That caveat aside, David Lean's masterful "desert classic" is still enjoyable on the small screen, especially if viewed in widescreen format. (If your only option is to view a "pan & scan" version, it's best not to bother; this is a film for which the widescreen format is utterly mandatory.) Peter O'Toole gives a star-making performance as T.E. Lawrence, the eccentric British officer who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during World War I. Lean orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into a legendary man of the desert. Lean traces this transformation on a vast canvas of awesome physicality; no other movie has captured the expanse of the desert with such scope and grandeur. Equally important is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma even as we grasp his identification with the desert. Perhaps the greatest triumph of this landmark film is that Lean has conveyed the romance, danger, and allure of the desert with such physical and emotional power. It's a film about a man who leads one life but is irresistibly drawn to another, where his greatness and mystery are allowed to flourish in equal measure. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (278)

DVD the best looking version yet
Apart from the slightly soft, washed-out picture quality during the opening credits of the movie, the DVD edition of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is superb. The movie itself is spread onto 2 discs, with the disc break occurs just before Intermission. The Overture, Intermission, and the exit music are all played to a black screen, as per director David Lean's original wish. The picture quality looks as fresh and clean as, quite frankly, any film made in the 90s. In the dramatic shot where Lawrence appears on the far horizon after he rescued his Arab companion, the higher picture resolution of DVD makes it possible for us to notice his tiny figure whereas on VHS tapes or laserdisc it is so small it is almost impossible to see. Anyone who is serious about watching this film should get this DVD instead of any other version in order to appreciate the opulent cinematography and majestic atmosphere of this epic.

The disc has over 100 minutes of old and new documentaries and news footage about the making of the film, plus two well-designed DVD-ROM features (for Windows PC only): a interactive map showing the various journeys undertaken by the real T.E. Lawrence, and a "split-screen" feature that simultaneously plays the movie and shows you text of behind-of-scene information of the particular chapter of the movie that is playing. Since the DVD lacks a second audio commentary, being able to watch the film while reading facts about it is not a bad substitute.

The included "booklet" is a reproduction of the 1961 program given to theater goers, we are told. A nice touch: the disc case resembles Lawrence's diary in the movie.

Arabian Winner
Lawrence Of Arabia is one of the biggest and grandest films ever made. Director David Lean crafted a stunning epic that tells the tale of World War I British soldier T.E. Lawrence. Lawrence joined the various desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks and the desert battle scenes are breathtaking. Peter O'Toole is amazing as Lawrence in what would be a star-making turn for him. Omar Shariff, Anthony Quinn and Alec Guinness provide strong support, but this is Mr. Lean's film through and through. His direction provides sweeping shots of the desert vistas and gives the film its big look, but he also allows the story to flow and we really get inside the complicated head of Lawrence and see his psychological foibles. The film is beautifully transferred to DVD and it brings justice to the film that had previously suffered on video transfers. The movie was a major success as it swept through the 1962 Oscars winning Best Picture and Best Director, but Mr. O'Toole lost out on what would be the first of his of his seven unsuccessful Best Actor nominations.

Conservatives support slavery? This movie makes the case
Hi. My name is Steven Thulen. You might know me from such reviews as "Bowling For Columbine" and "My Life." I am here today to talk to you about "Lawrence of Arabia." While this may shock and astonish you, I will offer a long-winded review without actually discussing this film.

I am that good.

First, a history lesson. In the year 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He landed in Haiti and raped the native there, then enslaved them. Later, many Africans were captured and made slaves by white people. White people continued to terrorize other races throughout the latter half of the 19th Century.

Finally, World War I took place. During that war, many people died, including white people. Some people who were too cowardly to serve in the world fled to California, where they became subpar sports writers. Later, World War II took place. In that war, white people dropped atomic bombs on Asians.

Peter O'Toole was probably gay and acted really well in this movie.

STEVEN THULEN
AUTHOR OF "JIMMY KEY: BASEBALL'S BATMAN"
(...)

The Greatest Historical Epic Ever
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is, without a doubt, the greatest historical epic ever filmed and the crowning achievement of David Lean's career. It's also the film that makes best use of the majestic desert landscape with shots of extraordinary rock formations, dunes, shimmering "mirages," and caravans making their way across seemingly endless sands.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA tells the story of T.E. Lawrence and his adventures in the Middle East during World War I as he led the Arab revolt against the Turks. It is loosely based on Lawrence's book, THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM.

Even though there are battle scenes in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, this film is, first and foremost, a character study of Lawrence who was, by anyone's account, a fascinating figure. Even the battle scenes serve to enhance the character of Lawrence rather than detailing the horrors of war and we see Lawrence's dark, embittered side as well as his heroic one.

Although Peter O'Toole wasn't David Lean's first choice to play Lawrence (both Marlon Brando and Albert Finney were offered the part), I can't imagine anyone else in the title role.

Omar Sharif is impressive as Sherif Ali Ibn El Kharish. Prior to this film, he was a virtual unknown, but LAWRENCE OF ARABIA launched Sharif on a long career that made him instantly recognizable the world over.

Even though O'Toole and Sharif weren't well-known when they starred in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, the film's supporting case is certainly stellar: Alec Guiness, Anthony Quinn, Jose Ferrer and Claude Raines.

Although I think LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is best viewed on a large theatrical screen, this doesn't mean anyone should pass up the DVD. It's just too good for that, especially the Director's Cut (but do make sure you get the widescreen edition; this film demands it).

Don't watch LAWRENCE OF ARABIA expecting to get a history lesson. Watch it to learn more about the fascinating man who was T.E.Lawrence. If you do, I can't see any way you'll be disappointed.

Read the book, then watch again in awe.
I have seen this masterpiece many many times, but only after reading T.E. Lawrence's book "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" this year do I now begin to understand. This movie is a product of two of the century's greatest minds, one an author and soldier, the other a film maker. The power of Lawrence's descriptions of the desert matches the great cinematography. No film could fully project the power of the inner thoughts of this most introspective man; for that you absolutely need the book to fill in the gaps. Many of the scenes take on a much deeper meaning once you have read the book in detail. The Columbia Tri-Star two-DVD edition is faultless, something I will always treasure. I find it hard to believe that someday a better movie could possibly be made, but we can hope against hope. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Please Sir, I want some More
Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" first appeared in a magazine in 1838. Since then, 13 motion picture versions have graced the silver screen. Perhaps the uncontested classic was released in England in 1948. David Lean stands within a tiny circle of 20th Century film directors who could literally paint with a camera. And paint he did. Dark and moody, his "Oliver Twist" opens in an English countryside storm, as a pregnant young girl seeks shelter from the squall. She is about to give birth to Oliver Twist. Intentionally mute, there is no dialogue until seven minutes into the story. The stage is set for gothic evil and tragic foreboding. Lean auditioned 1500 boys for the lead role, but complained that, in each case, "there was nothing in the eyes". He eventually settled on 8 year-old John Howard Davies. Hard-drinking Robert Newton plays Bill Sikes. Alec Guinness appeared in 6 David Lean productions. His second was here as Fagin. Future movie beauty Diana Dors has a small part. Peter Bull and Francis L. Sullivan are outstanding in supporting roles. Filmed in the shadows of St. Paul's Cathedral, "Oliver Twist" reveals the circuitous, seamy London backwaters of the 19th Century. I have to say it. The extras for this Criterion DVD are rather "lean". However, it does contain a trailer, and 12 minutes of film censored from the original 1951 U.S. release. These scenes show Fagin giving a pick-pocket lesson, and counting his jewels. Charles Dickens and David Lean were just at the beginning of their long and prodigious careers when each released their own versions of "Oliver Twist". Amazingly for both, the best was yet to come.

The most unknown masterpiece this world has yet produced!
Many films have been made, but none in history have matched this one in its all-round technical brilliance. Every last element--Acting: particularly Guinness's richly villanous Fagin, and Newton's terrifyingly larger-than-life Bill Sikes; Direction: David Lean's true masterpiece, a cinematic milestone of such immediacy, it has all the impact and more than any '90's film; Adaptation: distilling the drama and sweep of Dickens' voluminous novel into less than 2 hours; Photography: dazzling the eye with its ravishing camera movements and stunning detail; Music,wondrously witty and almost operatic in its texture by Sir Arnold Bax; & Art direction: a massive studio set that seems all the size of London. Due to controversy, it was shunned its due acclaim, (and devastated this high-budgeted classic's chance at the box-office, contributing to the near-bankruptcy of Britain's film industry soon after) but at first viewing the controversy ends. See it, and wonder not that a 22-year old writes such a glowing review; for truly, "Oliver Twist" is a film for the ages!!! *P.S.: Note Lean's genius in scene where Sikes murders Nancy; without showing any violence, Newton's frightening intensity and Lean's brilliant use of image and sound convey the full shocking violence of the scene.

Dark Brilliance
Although it takes liberties with the plot of Charles Dickens' classic, David Lean's 1948 version of OLIVER TWIST brilliantly captures the darkness and desolation, as well as the grotesqueness and humor, of its source. John Howard Davies as Oliver is the picture of angelic innocence. His underworld nemeses include Alec Guinness, the most repulsive Fagin imaginable; Robert Newton, perfect as the murderous Bill Sikes; and the teenage Anthony Newley, an intense and authentically Cockney Artful Dodger. Kay Walsh is excellent as the doomed Nancy, though I personally would prefer a more youthful depiction of the character. With its vivid cast and masterful direction, Lean's stirring yet unsentimental OLIVER TWIST is surely one of the finest films ever made of a Dickens novel.

The champion of OLIVER TWIST versions
There have been many versions of Charles Dickens classic, OLIVER TWIST. Indeed, ever since movies began, there have been numerous attempts to bring this classic tale of a young boy's battle against thieves, neglect and abuse to the screen. However, it is this version, directed by the great David Lean, that has come to be regarded as the definitive version. By now, the story of a young abused orphan who escapes the workhouse, only fall into a den of thieves, is a familiar one. It is also blessed with some of Dickens' most memorable characters: the brutal Bill Sikes and his girlfriend Nancy, the pompous Mr. Bumble, the noble Mr. Brownlow, the envious Monks, and last but not least, the sly and nasty Fagin and his rag-tag gang of boy thieves, including the sneaky Artful Dodger.

Lean captures the atmosphere of the tale perfectly with stark black and images that will haunt your mind's eye, while Bernard Herrmann presents a wonderfully classic score. One musical highlight is when Fagin teaches Oliver the finer points of pickpocketing with a wonderfully amusing demonstration. Lean's direction also keeps the moving as a good clip, while not sacrificing the finer points of his narrative.

As for the casting, they do a wonderful job to the point of seeming to come bounding out of the page itself. Francis Sullivan is perfect as the blustery beadle of the workhouse, Mr. Bumble. Robert Newton (years before he would ham it up as Long John Silver for Disney's TREASURE ISLAND) turns in a dark and violent turn as the thuggish Bill Sikes. Kay Walsh is equal parts steel and heartache as the ill-fated Nancy. John Howard Davies (who would eventually become a famed British television producer) is touching as the title character, without becoming too saccharine. Henry Stephenson makes for a warm and caring Mr. Brownlow. A very young Anthony Newley makes a strong impression as the fantastic Artful Dodger. But, in the end, it is Alec Guinness's controversial performance of the master thief, Fagin, that will linger in the memory. In unrecognizable make-up designed to make him look the worst Jewish stereotype, combined with a mincing, lisping manner, Guinness creates a truly slimy and disturbing character that generates controversy to this very day. Indeed, when the film was first released in 1948, many critics were up-in-arms over the seeming anti-Semitic portrayal of Fagin to the point that the film wasn't allowed in the US until 1951, when some small cuts of Guinness' performance were made.

There have been many other versions of this classic drama, ranging from the solid Lon Chaney/Jackie Coogan silent, to the wonderful 1968 musical OLIVER!, to the rather limp Disney remake. But, this one has stood the test of time as the definitive version. As such, this is a must see film for all fans of Dickens' work and one that I give one of my highest recommendations.

another good film based on one of Dickens' books
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film, directed by David Lean is also bsed on the famous Charles Dickens novel, based on the popularity of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, it is a wonder he didn't do A Christmas Carol also.

Having not read the novel I cannot determine how close the film is to it. The plot is probably too well known for a summary to be necessary.

The acting is quite impressive also. There was a controversy over Alec Guiness' portrayal of Fagin. While the makeup is impressive, The charater's Jewishness and the very large nose on the makeup labeled the filmmakers as anti-Semitic. The extras casting for the climax of the film is well done also.

There is also an egregious flub in the film. When Oliver faints in the courtroom the POV camera overshoots the set.

There is only a theatrical trailer as a special feature on this release but it still is a good movie. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Harmless, But Uninspired
"Blithe Spirit" has Rex Harrison in his acerbic bachelor mode unable to get rid of either of his dead wives. Now if that's not a knock-out premise, I don't know what is, yet this film fell flat for me. This came out the same year as David Lean's other 1946 release, "Brief Encounter," but it doesn't have any of that film's elegance and style. "Blithe Spirit" feels pretty anonymous from a filmmaking standpoint.

However, this movie's strength is its writing. The screenplay is terrific, and all of the lines are delivered with such throw away dryness that I have the feeling I could watch this again and find everything funnier than I did the first time.

No quibbles with the performances, though no one is asked to stretch him/herself much. My favorite performance probably came from Kay Hammond, playing Harrison's first dead wife. Others rave about Margaret Rutherford, but I found her a bit too mannered and spastic.

I love that movies like this won Oscars for special effects. They're so quaint and fake, but you know the artists had to be so inventive to pull stuff like this off in the pre-computer era.

My most negative comments concern the quality of the DVD itself. I wholeheartedly agree with previous commenters on the horrible color and sound quality on display here. I wish the film had been in black and white, because the copy I saw was washed out and ugly. And my wife and I missed about the first 20 minutes of dialogue because of bad sound.

If you want to own a copy of "Blithe Spirit," I wouldn't buy this one. But it's fine for ren