Lawrence of Arabia 1962

Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News: A cracking good adventure yarn, as well as a disturbing psychological profile of a man destined to become a great leader but an even greater dupe. Read more

Janice Page, Boston Globe: An epic achievement in filmmaking. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: It's an astonishing, unrepeatable epic. Read more

Bosley Crowther, New York Times: It reduces a legendary figure to conventional movie-hero size amidst magnificent and exotic scenery but a conventional lot of action-film cliches. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: [It] remains one of the most intelligent, handsome, and influential of all war epics. Read more

Kate Cameron, New York Daily News: Lean and photographer Fred A. Young have combined their artistic talents in an evocation of the Arabian desert that makes it both terrifying and deeply moving in its lonely grandeur. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Riveting from beginning to end, featuring stellar performances, amazing cinematography, and a story without a trace of fat, the film does everything an epic is supposed to do -- and more. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: We remember the quiet, empty passages, the sun rising across the desert, the intricate lines traced by the wind in the sand. Read more

Gary Kamiya, Salon.com: This is that rare film whose weaknesses are not only swallowed up by its vast, disturbing ambition, but somehow become part of its strengths. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Approach it from whatever angle you like, performances, script, cinematography, score; David Lean's sweeping biography of T.E. Lawrence is unarguably magnificent. Read more

TIME Magazine: It is O'Toole who continually dominates the screen, and he dominates it with professional skill, Irish charm and smashing good looks. Read more

Geoff Andrew, Time Out: The passage of time has only proved how difficult it is to run ideas, history, characterisation and landscape in harness on this sort of scale. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: It was a big bold project and has turned out a big bold film. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Lawrence is too emotionally overpowering for critical reservations. Read more

Rita Kempley, Washington Post: The only thing that really dates it is the awful makeup, orangey pancake for Lawrence, a gray-green nose for Quinn and cordovan shoe polish for Guinness. Read more