Lawrence of Arabia

1962

Directed by David Lean

Netflix says… This Oscar-winning epic tells the true story of T. E. Lawrence, who helped unite warring Arab tribes to strike back against the Turks in World War I. This lush, timeless classic underscores the clash between cultures that changed the tide of the war.

Kids, this movie is only 13 minutes short of being four hours long. FOUR HOURS! I’ll be honest, when I saw the time stamp written on the DVD sleeve when it arrived from Netflix, I was less than excited. The rushed lifestyle of today’s world makes committing four hours to a movie you know next to nothing about something to really consider.

Then again, I know that if someone asked if I wanted to watch all of the Star Wars or Harry Potter movies back to back, I’d make a party of it. So here I am, watching Lawrence of Arabia. But I’m not making a party of it. Even though it’s New Year’s Day. (Happy New Year, BTW!)

I’ll say this for the movie: the soundtrack is fairly epic.

Overall, I had a difficult time staying focused on what was going on. Lawrence of Arabia just isn’t one of those movies that grabs my attention and keeps it. For four hours straight.

Though, I do appreciate the fact that it reawakened my childhood fear of quicksand. So, thanks for that.