10 minute intermission at 2 hours, 19 minutes.

Considered by many as one of the greatest films ever made, Lawrence of Arabia is an epic adventure set against the breathtaking images of the vast endless frightening desert landscape, which becomes a blazing metaphor for the mysterious spiritual struggle of a man grappling with his distant unknown destiny. T.E. Lawrence was a flamboyant minor British officer who helped to weld together disparate tribes of and led them successfully in guerrilla warfare. The filmmakers were aware of the dangers of biographical trivialization and conscientiously created a controversial and often contradictory character. To mount this spectacle was an enormous undertaking. Years in preparation, it took over 300 days to shoot in four countries. To write about this cinematic masterpiece will never approach the experience of the film. It is meant to be seen and heard.—Jeremy Kagan, The Criterion Collection