The 60th Anniversary of the Epic LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Limited Edition SteelBook from director David Lean, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment comes the stunning story of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.

Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) is in the British Army in World war I and is sent by his reluctant superiors to serve in the Arab Bureau to learn about Prince Faisal’s revolt against the Turks. Upon arrival, he meets Col. Brighton (Anthony Quayle) who orders him to do his job and leave.

Yet when he meets Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness), he does not listen to orders and the royal is keen on Lt. Lawrence. He goes so far as to suggest that the Prince set up a surprise attack on the port of Aqaba which not only gives the Prince a strong-hold, but also gets the British their supplies.

The Prince gives Lawrence fifty men with Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif), and two servants to help. Crossing the Nefud Desert, a man goes missing in the night and Lawrence will go no further until he is found. This gets him the respect of the Arab men, but it turns quickly.

After the Turkish victory, Lawrence is promoted to Major and can now help the Arab, yet they are suspicious. The new Major knows that their suspicions have grounds. Yet, he goes full force against the Turks with Ali at his side helping him.

Lawrence also turns to Auda Tayi (Anthony Quinn) for help but finds he is in over his head with feuds. Yet when Lawrence is scouting, he is captured by the Turk Bey (Jose Ferrer) and their encounter leaves him physically and mentally devastated. Ali finds him and he returns to British Headquarters.

General Allenby calls Lawrence up again to help with a push on Damascus but he wants nothing to do with it. When he agrees, his army is not like his previous garrison who just fights for whoever has the money. Lawrence becomes a part of something regretful that has consequences.

Arriving in Damascus, a council is set up, but the British have other plans that bring the new Colonel back to Britain.

O’Toole as Lawrence is absolutely stunning in this role. The first time I saw this film I was struck by its scope of course but it was the performance of O’Toole that kept me riveted. A character that shows us the excess of power and the frailty of trying to rule over a people who do not want to be ruled. O’Toole gave those characterizations but also a performance that could never and should never be attempted again.

Sharif as Ali, what can I saw about the man who made me fall in love with DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. In this role he is daring and clings to the beliefs of his people and rightly so. He fights along side Lawrence because he sees something in him that can change the course of his country. Always leery, always watching and always amazing to watch him bring this character to life.

Guinness as Faisal is equally leery, but he does so in a completely different way than the character of Ali. Faisal dons his robes and uses his own brand of grace and elegance to watch and see what Lawrence can accomplish. It would be so many years later that I would see this actor’s reach as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the STAR WARS franchise. It is all the roles in between that I spent years catching up on everything he had done.

Quinn as Tayi is tough and does not like anyone telling him what to or what to think. Constantly going up against Lawrence, he still loves a good fight and just needs to be pointed in the right direction. Ferrer as Bey has a smaller role, but it is important in that it changes Lawrence a great deal.

Other cast include Donald Wolfit as General Murray, Henry Oscar as Silliam, Michel Ray as Farraj, John Dimech as Daud, Zia Mohyeddin as Tafas, Harry Fowler as Corp. Potter, Ian MacNaughton as Corp. Hartley, Gamil Ratib as Majid, Arthur Kennedy as Jackson Bentley, Claude Rains as Mr. Dryden

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

On 4K Ultra HD is the Feature Presentation in 4K Resolution with Dolby Vision, Fully Restored from the Original Camera Negative with Special Features including – Peter O’Toole Revisits LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, Making of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA Documentary, Deleted Balcony Scene with Introduction by Anne V. Coates, and The Lure of the Desert: Martin Scorsese on LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.

Also, A Conversation with Steven Spielberg, Wind, Sand and Star: The Making of a Classic (1963 and 1970 Versions), Maan, Jordan: The Camels Are Cast, In Search of Lawrence, Romance of Arabia, King Hussein Visits LAWRENCE OF ARABIA Set, In Love with the Desert Documentary, and Lawrence at 50: A Classic Restored.

Finally, Archival Interviews, New York Premiere Footage, Advertising Campaigns and Vintage Trailers & TV Spots.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA was nominated for ten Oscars in 1963. The film won seven including Best Pictures and Best Director. The music score was by Maurice-Alexis Jarre with cinematography by Freddie Young. In 1998, the American Film Institute put LAWRENCE OF ARABIA on their list of 100 of the Great Films listing it at number five.

It is with ease to understand why beginning with an amazing cast of actors that have left an indelible mark on filmmaking and LAWRENCE OF ARABIA shows us why. The cinematography is just breathtaking with the vastness of the desert which is punctuated with a score that makes the heartbeat loudly. The costuming is mesmerizing and when the wind is blowing and the costumes flow, it is captivating.

Director Lean has taken a story and given it simplicity and grandness at the same time. I have seen the film in a theatre and, now coming to SteelBook, my 73-inch television and sound bar is going to take me back into the theatre again to enjoy this epic creation.

In the end – the desert holds the history!

The Classic BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI Returns to Steelbook

 

Jeri Jacquin

Celebrating the 65^th Anniversary from director David Lean, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the Steel Book 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital classic BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI.

In Thailand, British POW’s arrive in a Japanese prison camp in 1943. Leading the group is British Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness) who discovers that the camp is in intolerable condition. He meets Commander Shears (William Holden) who confirms that it is bad in the camp and the jungle surrounding it makes escape difficult. Even so, Col. Nicholson forbids any of his men to attempt an escape due to orders.

Running the camp is Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) who makes it clear how they can all survive the war. He wants a bridge built that will make a road from Bangkok to Rangoon. Reminding the Saito that there is such thing as a Geneva Convention, he will not be part of any manual labor, but the enlisted men go. Major Clipton (James Donald) intercedes between the two men when Saito threatens to shoot the refusing officers.

As each day the bridge is not build passes, Nicholson notices that what the Japanese are building will not withstand any crossing. Wanting to have the bridge known as British ingenuity, Nicholson orders the men to work. Saito is aware of what the prisoners are doing knowing that if he does not finish, he is a dead man himself.

Shears manages to actually escape from the prison camp and ends up in a hospital in Ceylon. Enjoying his stay, he is approached by a Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) who wants him to help in a mission to destroy the bridge. Parachuting into Thailand, Shears and his group manages to plant explosives with the help of village chief Khun Yai.

As the bridge celebration is to take place, everything must fall into place for the mission to succeed.

Guinness as Nicholson once again turns in a powerful performance as a self-centered and a tad narcissistic military man who does everything by the rules. Keeping his officers safe by using the rules pits him against the camp’s Colonel. But, his ego gets the better of him and he does the one thing he shouldn’t – builds the bridge. He retains a bit of power and authority and it all goes to his head. Guinness is and always will be one of the great actors in epic films.

Kayakawa as Colonel Saito runs a tight ship, at least that’s the way it looks. Coming up against someone like Nicholson, he tries everything possible to get the one thing he needs done accomplished and that’s the bridge. Kayakawa has a bit of an ego himself but that is nothing compared to the alternative if he does not get the job done.

Holden as Shears is another arrogant character but one that does not see himself staying around a prison camp. Escaping is his first and only thought and certainly not helping Nicholson with building a bridge. That does not last long when he realizes he must go back to the one place on earth he planned to always stay away from. Holden gives us a character full of himself and playing the system to enjoy a war.

Donald as Major Clipton is the medical officer keeping an eye on the overworked soldiers and watching the power match between Nicholson and Saito. He knows that what is happening is clearly wrong but can only be responsible for helping those who are hurt, wounded or sick during the craziness.

Other cast include Andre Moreli as Colonel Green, Peter Williams as Captain Reeves, Keiichiro Katsumoto as Lieutenant Miura, MRB Chakrabandhu as Yai and Goeffrey Horne as Lieutenant Joyce.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

On 4K Ultra HD is Feature presentation in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, fully restored from the original camera negative with the Special Features of – Crossing the Bridge: Picture-in-Picture Graphics Track, Making of THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, The Steve Allen Show with William Holden and Alec Guinness, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI Premiere Narrated by William Holden, and “Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant” Featurette.

Also, USC Short Film Introduction by William Holden, An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius, Photo Gallery and Theatrical Trailers.

The book Bridge on the River Kwai was written in 1952 by Pierre Boulle and the screenplay began being written by Carl Foreman but would later be taken over Michael Wilson. Boulle would receive the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and it would take many years before Foreman and Wilson would be recognized for their work.

BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI won Best Picture in 1957 and six more Academy Awards. The film also made the National Film Registry in 1997 and in 1999, the film was voted the 11th greatest British film by the British Film Institute.

This is another epic film by David Lean and Hollywood had to know he was going to deliver something stellar in scope. Bringing a story such as this to the screen meant the right place, the right cast and characters that are struggling. The cinematography in the wide shots is stunning considering they are surrounded by jungle.

Watching the story unfold is filled with twists and turns and that, in itself, is something that always captivated me. I actually saw this film for the first time at the drive in with my parents and was taken in from the first frame. I watched it again on television but back then it was a 23-inch screen, so it was not as thrilling. Seeing it again on a 73-inch screen with a sound bar reminded me of the first time I saw it and why it has always stayed with me.

There are good films, there are great films and then there are epic films that stand the test of time and can never be repeated. BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI is one of those films.

In the end – it is a war of the bridge!