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

Amazon.com

Based on the true story of Lord Mountbatten's destroyer, In Which We Serve is one of the most memorable British films made during World War II. Unfolding in flashback as survivors cling to a dingy, the film interweaves the history of HMS Torrin with the onshore lives of its crew. The 1942 film was the inspiration of Noel Coward, who desperately wanted to do something for the war effort, and he produced, wrote the screenplay, composed the stirring score, and starred as Captain Edward Kinross. Coward also officially codirected, though he handed the reigns to David Lean (in his directorial debut). There is fine support from Celia Johnson and John Mills, as well as a star-making debut from an uncredited Richard Attenborough. The use of real navy and army personnel as extras, together with lavish studio production and authentic shipboard location footage, lends the film an unusual sense of realism. A landmark in the careers of many of the most important names in British film, this moving and occasionally harrowing classic has a vital place in the development of British cinema. --Gary S. Dalkin ... Read more

Reviews (4)

5 Stars for the Movie Only
The DVD has not been restored as the cover suggests. But, for $4.95, who can complain? This is simply one of my favorite movies: intellgently written, beautifully acted!!!, and very moving and involving. It's probably one of the few older WWII movies that can actually be called a work of art. I love the dialogue, especially. There's a speech that Celia Johnson delivers that is a masterpiece of emotional eloquence. If you haven't seen this movie, give it a try. It's wonderful. Students of film NEED to see this movie. It's one of the best things to ever come out of England and an early David Lean classic, although he shares the directing with that marvelous, stone-faced, yet utterly brilliant Noel Coward.

Criterion should really be the one releasing this film. It's simply too important to only have this version. But I'm grateful that this version exists and, like I said, for the price, you HAVE TO ACQUIRE IT. The image is not completely bad, the sound is okay. It's just that it's such a geart piece of cinema that it begs for a more pristine and truly restored edition.

Mr. Miniver?
This is an excellent movie that can't help but draw comparisons to the movie "Mrs. Miniver". They both came out in 1942 with an England at war and pretty much going it alone. They focus on the home front and show the quiet tenacity and sacrifice of the British citizen. There are patriotic speeches in both movies unabashedly designed to stir the emotions of the English (and, presumeably, American) public. Those speeches are fine with me because they are well done. I think this point is worthy of comment because the films probably lack some of their punch with generations who already know how all of this turned out. What is interesting and effective with "In Which We Serve" is how the film jumps around in time. Only the ending is seen in its' proper place. This enables us to witness how so many people are affected by the events that take place on the HMS Torrin.

I rated this film a "4" instead of a "5" (4.5 wasn't an option) because, oddly enough, I thought the acting of Noel Coward was too stiff. He never limbered up in his role unlike the rest of the cast. This is a movie worth seeing regardless of time and place.

BETTER THAN MRS. MINIVER?
well, maybe an overstatement. however, this film is an amazing dramatic achievement - all kudos to writer/director/lead actor noel coward. a great movie about WW2 with none of the glossiness and sentimentality of MRS. MINIVER (again, a classic film in its own right). this is a film about real people in very plausible situations not being "heroic"; just trying to live during a war with compassion and sense of humor. (not trying to diss MINIVER, but i never really could buy that nazi in the kitchen scene w/greer garson). coward and team splice in some actual battle footage which works very well to create an overall production standard that ranks among the best of the period. even now. all the actors are great (especially john mills).

True Story of the British Lord Louis Mountbatten
In Which We Serve is a superb film, though some younger people might think it is a little dated, is was made in 1942.
The names were changed but the Captain of the destroyer 'Torrens' is really Lord Louis Mountbatten and his ship, the HMS Kelly, sunk off Crete near Greece during the invasion of the island by the Germans in 1941.
All the speeches and talks the Captain gives to the crew are word for word what Lord Louis said at the time.
It is as close to being the most factual film ever made.

Its a film one can watch every so often and Noel's performance as Captain 'D' is very real and believable.
Highly reccomended. ... 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

Amazon.com

The life of Christ got an excessively long treatment (260 minutes, later trimmed to 195) in this 1965 film directed by George Stevens (The Diary of Anne Frank). Max von Sydow does beautiful work as Jesus--his spontaneous mourning at discovering his friend Lazarus has died is not like anything in other New Testament epics--and Stevens renders the familiar tale with a handsome authenticity. But the project is nearly undone by an unwise gimmick in which seemingly half of Hollywood's living stars at the time make brief (often very brief) cameo appearances, some of which are ridiculous. But there is a lot to like in the film, and Von Sydow's sensitive nobility sticks in the memory. --Tom Keogh ... 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

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

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

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

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