I recently watched Lawrence of Arabia for the first time, as it certainly has a reputation as a classic. The film was genuinely moving and thought-provoking in parts, but altogether it's an experience akin to many movies like it: It probably watches better now if you'd already seen it decades earlier.
There's an element of stage acting in many of these classics - a manner (or even volume) of conversation, dramatic, unnatural turns toward or away from an argument - that, to me, has not aged well.
The pacing is slow and deliberate. There's maybe an hour of dialogue in this 3 hr, 42 minute movie, a runtime which is used mostly to explore the grandness of the scenery, though admittedly, at times, I wondered if the film was buffering when it wasn't. I don't think criticisms that it's a bit boring are unwarranted.
The scale of the film, even by today's standards, is pretty outstanding. Scenes of charging camels riding to battle, the music & landscapes of the desert - all of this is as advertised. The main character? I'm not sure what we're supposed to think of T.E. Lawrence. He sort of alternated between humble solider & self-appointed deity, between altruistic and self-serving. The lack of consistency never gets us to truly understand his motives or desires, and again, like movies of old, the overacting (theatrical falls to the ground, dramatic glances, contrived shouting matches) pulled those opposing themes farther apart.
Again, I feel like you just had to be there. I don't think it's unfair to suggest that Hollywood's top filmmakers have found new and innovative ways to tell great stories in the last 60 years, at least for today's audiences. If classic films aren't your cup of tea, this one may be tough to sit through.
There's an element of stage acting in many of these classics - a manner (or even volume) of conversation, dramatic, unnatural turns toward or away from an argument - that, to me, has not aged well.
The pacing is slow and deliberate. There's maybe an hour of dialogue in this 3 hr, 42 minute movie, a runtime which is used mostly to explore the grandness of the scenery, though admittedly, at times, I wondered if the film was buffering when it wasn't. I don't think criticisms that it's a bit boring are unwarranted.
The scale of the film, even by today's standards, is pretty outstanding. Scenes of charging camels riding to battle, the music & landscapes of the desert - all of this is as advertised. The main character? I'm not sure what we're supposed to think of T.E. Lawrence. He sort of alternated between humble solider & self-appointed deity, between altruistic and self-serving. The lack of consistency never gets us to truly understand his motives or desires, and again, like movies of old, the overacting (theatrical falls to the ground, dramatic glances, contrived shouting matches) pulled those opposing themes farther apart.
Again, I feel like you just had to be there. I don't think it's unfair to suggest that Hollywood's top filmmakers have found new and innovative ways to tell great stories in the last 60 years, at least for today's audiences. If classic films aren't your cup of tea, this one may be tough to sit through.