Release Date: 1962
We went from watching one really long film (Gone with the Wind, 224 minutes) to another really long film, Lawrence of Arabia, 216 minutes. We ended up watching Lawrence in one night. We went on a walk at internmission.
I probably would never watch this movie again, but I am glad I saw it once. It was set during World War I and based on the life of T.E. Lawrence.
This film gave me a new respect for camels and the desert. At one point in time the camels went 20 something days without water, and the desert, oh it just was SO hot.
- T. E. Lawrence (the real Lawrence of Arabia) was 5'5" while Peter O'Toole who played Lawrence in the film was 6'2"
- The desert scenes were shot in Jordan and Morocco.
- The film production was frequently delayed because filming started with an incomplete script.
- Jordan, and other Arab countries, banned the film because they thought the Arab cultural was portrayed as disrespectful. Egypt was the only Arab country to give the film wide release.
- Peter O'Toole found that the camel saddle was very uncomfortable. He added a piece of foam to the saddle to make it more comfortable. The idea spread to the natives, who to this day frequently add foam to their saddles.
