The experiences of archaeologist-turned-soldier T.E. Lawrence during World War I, primarily his efforts to create a unified Arab army to force the Ottoman Empire out of the region.
Director David Lean and independent Hollywood producer Sam Spiegel were riding high after the success of 1957's Bridge On The River Kwai, winner of seven Academy Awards. After flirting with a biopic about Mohandas Gandhi, they turned their attention to the larger-than-life figure of T.E. Lawrence.
Playwright Robert Bolt (A Man For All Seasons) co-wrote the script with Michael Wilson were given extensive access to research materials by Lowell Thomas, whose biography of Lawrence is credited with creating his oversized public image. Wilson's more history-centic script was largely rewritten in favor a more intense character study.
In the lead role Lean cast stage actor Peter O'Toole, who only had small roles in several films up to this point. Joining him are Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Claude Raines, Jose Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy, Jack Hawkins, and Egyptian actor Omar Sharif in his first English language role.
The film was a critical and commercial hit upon release, and won Oscars for Best Picture, Direction, Art Direction, Cinematography, Original Score, Editing, and Sound, with O'Toole, Sharif, and Bolt receiving nominations.
Various cuts were made to the film in subsequent releases, but in 1989 David lean worked with a restoration team on a highly-publicized Director's Cut, with re-recorded dialogue and scenes reconstructed with found fragments. For the Blu-ray release, the film was digitally restored again and scanned at 8K resolution for the highest possible quality transfer to the new format.
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