If you’re of the opinion that they don’t make ’em like they used to, you are absolutely correct. If you’re peeved that it’s more and more difficult to see the ones they used to make on a big screen, that’s absolutely correct too. So I would suggest you carve out some time and put your money where your complaints are this coming Thursday, October 4, when David Lean’s still-remarkable, relentlessly thrilling 1962 picture Lawrence of Arabia plays in a 4K digital restoration for one showing only (at 7 p.m.) in theaters across the country, including one near you, I would expect. You can find out more at the Fathom Events website here. I can’t imagine it’ll be anything less than thrilling. I saw a prior restoration of the movie at the Ziegfeld some years back and it was one of my favorite moviegoing experiences ever. So don’t wait for the upcoming Blu-ray; see it big, if you can. The presentation will also feature some nice extras, including introductions from Omar Sharif and Martin Scorsese.
…he came to fight the Turkish.
Wow. I haven’t heard a HOLLYWOOD KNIGHTS reference (if that’s what this is) since my father died in 1997. It’s a movie that changed the way I heard both the LAWRENCE score and the song “Volare.”
Maybe my favorite movie. I’ve seen it thrice on the big screen but oddly enough I equally treasure the home viewings in which I first fell in love with the film. Although how, as a kid, I watched it stretched out to fill a square frame without suspecting something was up is beyond my understanding now.
Seeing the restoration in 70mm (back in ’89, ’90?) was one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve ever had. How many times does one get the chance to enjoy an intermission, entr’acte, etc., anymore?
Without question the queerest film (in every sense of the term) to ever win the Oscar. Innovatve,thrilling and original in almost every scene ti akes one weep for the crap we’re being spoon fed these days. O’Tolle s three times taller than the real Lawrece but he makes us connect with the man while maintaining his enigmatic persona in every way. Kids, don’t try this at home.
THIS is 70mm – not The Masturbator”!
AND I AM A RIVER TO MY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!
Glenn, I cannot thank you enough for bringing this to my attention. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is a film I have deliberately resisted seeing because I only want to see it in a theater (same with THE SHINING, which screens here in Chicago this weekend, glory be). I shall resist no longer.
WOW!!!! I’m so glad I read this blog!! I totally missed this!! THANK YOU, from the bottom, top and middle of my heart.
“You tread heavily; but, you speak the truth.”
Well, it’s not as exciting as a Fathom Events showing of Glenn Beck’s life altering moment, but I may try and attend anyway.
I shall be seeing this Thursday evening.
It’s worth noting that my local theater (Cinemark Century Theater, Evanston, IL) lists two screenings: 2pm and 7pm.
Thanks for this, Glenn– we went online and got our tickets right after reading your post. I’ve seen LAWRENCE before, but never on the big screen. Can’t wait.
A word of advice regarding the overture: anyone attending this should make sure they arrive early. I saw Lawrence on the big screen a few years ago and the Jarre score over a black screen was accompanied by many “oomphs” and “excuse me“s in surround sound; I received several bumps on the knee (and likely other viewers received several bumps from my knee). When the screen lit up and the show started, there was tremendous applause, and it wasn’t just for the stirring music…
Are all showings in 4K?? I’ve only ever seen it twice, both times in 70mm. I’d be tempted to catch it this way but, alas, I have to be on the road.
Thanks again for the public service: I had also resisted seeing this until a big-screen opportunity arose and it was just terrific, with the overture, intermission and all. Worth the wait, to be sure!
Too bad it’s only 4K, or, in other words, a 35mm showing. Not that I’m nitpicky or anything.
Waited my entire life (thirty-eight years, to be precise) to see this film, as I knew that I needed to SEE IT BIG! or not at all. Anyhow, I was caught the NYFF screening a couple weeks back and I not disappointed. In fact, I was completely and utterly floored. (Special thanks to Alice Tully Hall’s glorious 36′ x 50′ [h x w] screen.) They really don’t make ’em like this anymore, and man, are we ever the poorer for it.
Still think Olivier’s the best: Res Ipsa Loquitur ‑the facts speak for themselves!