Lawrence of Arabia; A Passage to India

One of the major DVD releases of 2001, David Lean's 7-Oscar winning 1962 Lawrence of Arabia (beautifully restored in 1988) stars Peter O'Toole in his screen debut as the enigmatic T. E. Lawrence, a British officer who is bored with his map-making duties at Cairo circa 1917, and asks to be transferred to Arabia, where Turkish raids have split and crippled the already divided Arab nation. Under the aegis of Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness), Lawrence and Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) make a daunting journey across the Nefud Desert to attack the Turks at the coastal city of Aqaba--a springboard for a string of victories, with Lawrence leading the warring factions of the Arab empire. While the battle scenes are among the most stirring ever committed to film, Robert Bolt's intelligent screenplay devotes equal time to the mystery of Lawrence himself: a man who increasingly came to enjoy killing (and loathed himself for it), and saw himself in nearly God-like terms. Beautifully acted and stunningly photographed, the anamorphic widescreen DVD transfer is--in a word--superb, while the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is crystal clear. The second disc offers a slew of extras, including an hour-long "making of" documentary, a conversation with Steven Spielberg, historical featurettes, New York premiere footage, and more. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice.Blessed not only with David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai (VL-1/01) so far this year, the spring also brings Lean's final effort to DVD: his 1984 adaptation of E. M. Forster's novel A Passage to India. Judy Davis is marvelous as the delicate Adela Quested, who travels to India circa 1928 with her mother (Peggy Ashcroft, in an Oscar-winning performance) to meet her fiancée. Befriending a young professional Indian, Dr. Aziz (Victor Bannerjee), who invites the women for a picnic at the Marabar caves, Adela is shocked by the sexually explicit artwork adorning the chamber entrances and falls into a swoon. Returning to Chandrapore bloody and hysterical, Adela accuses Dr. Aziz of rape, setting into motion a suspenseful trial played out against the backdrop of conflicting feelings over Britain's reign in India. Co-starring James Fox, Nigel Havers and the late Sir Alec Guinness, the widescreen DVD's lack of Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (it's in serviceable Dolby Digital 2.0) is offset by one of the richest transfers I've seen this year. Extras include a brief interview with David Lean. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[Lawrence of Arabia: Superbit Edition --Oct. 7, 2003--Columbia TriStar, 2 discs, 227 min., PG, $26.95--Taking advantage of the Superbit high bitrate recording process to create optimum video and audio qualities, this release wisely splits Lean's three-hour-plus epic over two discs (the "limited edition" put the film on the first disc, and the extras on the second disc; the Superbit edition, of course, contains no extras). Lawrence of Arabia looked beautiful to begin with after the restoration and digital remastering, but on this Superbit release, it looks even sharper, and Maurice Jarre's luscious and languorous soundtrack will make you swoon. Bottom line: if your budget can afford two Larrys, pick this one up--it's a beaut.][DVD Review—Apr. 29, 2008—Sony, 2 discs, 164 min., PG, $24.96—Making its second appearance on DVD and first appearance on Blu-ray, 1984's A Passage to India (Collector's Edition) features a great transfer on regular DVD and a luminous 1080p transfer and sparkling TrueHD 5.1 audio on Blu-ray. DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by producer Richard Goodwin, plus a number of production and retrospective featurettes, including “An Indian Affair” (14 min.), “David Lean: Shooting with the Master” on the late director (13 min.), “Casting a Classic” (12 min.), “Only Connect: A Vision of India” (11 min.), “An Epic Takes Shape” (11 min.), “Reflections of David Lean” (8 min.), and “E.M. Forster: Profile of an Author” (7 min.). The Blu-ray version also features an exclusive “Beyond the Passage: Picture-In-Graphics Track.” Bottom line: a fine extras package for an excellent film.][Blu-ray Review—Nov. 20, 2012—Sony, 227 min., PG, $26.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1962's Lawrence of Arabia features a sparkling transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras exclusive to the Blu-ray release include a “Secrets of Arabia” picture-in-graphics track, and a “Peter O'Toole Revisits” retrospective featurette with the actor (21 min.). Special features carried over from previous releases include a “making-of” documentary (62 min.), the vintage featurettes “Maan, Jordan: The Camels Are Cast,” “In Search of Lawrence,” “Romance of Arabia,” and “Wind, Sand and Star: The Making of a Classic (1970 Version)” (17 min. total), as well as “A Conversation with Steven Spielberg” on the film's influence (9 min.), advertising campaigns (5 min.), brief newsreel footage from the New York premiere, and an UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a landmark epic shines on Blu-ray.]