--- title: "Lawrence of Arabia: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/lawrence-of-arabia/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/lawrence-of-arabia" critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Lawrence of Arabia (1962): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Lawrence of Arabia, with praise clustering around David Lean’s direction, the desert photography and Peter O’Toole’s central performance. The reviews repeatedly describe a film whose scale serves an unusually personal story, giving Lawrence’s contradictions as much attention as the adventure. Freddie Young’s cinematography draws particular admiration for conveying the desert’s vastness and fascination, while O’Toole is praised for making an unconventional, elusive figure compelling across the long running time. Reservations centre on pace and how fully the script explains Lawrence. For most critics, occasional sluggishness does little to diminish the achievement, but Sight and Sound finds the storytelling episodic, the character insufficiently understood and the score intrusive. Its complaint about conventional scripting contrasts with Radio Times’ praise for the screenplay’s satire of imperial attitudes. The spread is largely enthusiastic, with the sharper dissent questioning the writing rather than the visual craft. ## Radio Times — Adrian Turner Rating 5/5. Lean’s magisterial epic offers a complex portrait of T.E. Lawrence through O’Toole’s flamboyant performance and a script that satirizes imperial attitudes. It features awe-inspiring desert imagery and stands as grand-scale movie-making at its finest. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-h6yveb/lawrence-of-arabia/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 2 September 2001. Praises the bold imaginative vision behind the epic, particularly Lean's ability to convey the desert's vastness through iconic imagery like the approaching figure on the horizon. Highlights the film's focus on Lawrence's quirky, unconventional personality over conventional action or biography. [Read the review](https://rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-lawrence-of-arabia-1962) ## The New Yorker — Brendan Gill Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 1962. Calls the long, ambitious film a near-success that avoids boredom through strong contributions from its writer, designers, composer, cinematographer, and especially director David Lean. Singles out the exquisite desert camerawork and passionate direction for praise while noting the candid handling of Lawrence's personal peculiarities. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1962/12/22/the-flawed-hero) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 4 November 2014. Lean’s 1962 epic stands as the gold standard for grand-scale cinema, with its sweeping desert vistas and compelling central performance by O’Toole remaining highlights. The digital restoration makes it essential viewing on the big screen despite its length. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/lawrence-of-arabia) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 1962. Hails the film as a big, bold, smash-hit epic with sweeping production values, superb Technicolor and Panavision photography, and strong direction by Lean. Praises Peter O'Toole's striking lead performance and the overall spectacle while noting minor issues like occasional sluggishness. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1962/film/reviews/lawrence-of-arabia-2-1200420236/) ## Sight and Sound — Penelope Houston Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2017. The film is an ambitious but episodic epic that struggles to fully capture its enigmatic central character despite strong production values. It excels in conveying the fascination of the desert through striking visuals and some fine performances, but is let down by an intrusive score and overly conventional scripting. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/lawrence-arabia-archive-review-hazy-draw-desert) ## Empire — Angie Errigo 1 January 2014. The critic praises David Lean's mythic blockbuster as both a stunning epic and a sensitive portrait of T.E. Lawrence, highlighting its combination of exhilarating adventure and intensely personal human story set against a spectacular backdrop. She singles out the film's action artistry, iconic performances especially Peter O'Toole's, and memorable sequences like the mirage introduction of Omar Sharif's character for particular admiration. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-lawrence-arabia-review/) ## The Guardian — Philip French 25 November 2012. The critic calls Lean's film a stately masterpiece and one of the last intelligent epics, urging viewers to see the restored 70mm version in a cinema for its full impact. He singles out Freddie Young's unforgettable desert cinematography for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/nov/25/lawrence-of-arabia-review) ## Collider — Liam Gaughan Rating A+. 14 December 2022. The critic finds the film straightforward, enthralling, and deeply moving in its examination of morality and patriotism. Its spectacle and visuals remain powerful and unrivaled despite the age of the production. [Read the review](https://collider.com/lawrence-of-arabia-review/) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2012. Festival review. The critic hails it as one of cinema's great epics and David Lean's masterpiece, praising the breathtaking desert visuals and Peter O'Toole's charismatic, kooky performance as the highlight. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/bfi-london-film-festival/a410928/lawrence-of-arabia-4k-restoration-review-london-film-festival-2012/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray 23 January 2004. The critic highlights the enduring scale, scope, sublime cinematography by Freddie Young, the desert's beauty, and Peter O'Toole's deep, contradictory characterization as T.E. Lawrence. It is presented as an unforgettable epic that broke Hollywood rules while treating its subject seriously. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/lawrence-of-arabia-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/lawrence-of-arabia.md