Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Nothing is written.
During World War I, English officer Thomas Edward 'T.E.' Lawrence sets out to unite and lead the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes to fight the Turks.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 11 December 1962 |
| Genre | Adventure, History, War |
| Director | David Lean |
| Starring | Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn |
| Runtime | 228 min |
| Rated | PG |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 9.3/10 · Metacritic 100/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 93% · IMDb 8.3/10 · TMDB users 8.0/10 |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $46 million worldwide |
Where to watch Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia is streaming on Netflix ($19.99 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Netflix is $19.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 29 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent Lawrence of Arabia on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and FlixFling. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
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What kind of watch this is
David Lean directs a 228-minute epic about an English officer who decides to lead a war in the desert. The runtime is the first thing to know. It is a long way to get to the ending, which makes the beginning feel like a warning. The film is a study in scale, focusing on a man who is too big for the map. It asks if a person can be a symbol. The answer is usually no, but the camera disagrees.
What the critics said
The scores are high, which is the easy part. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 93% as of January 2026, and Metacritic gives it a perfect 100 as of January 2024. Critics loved the visuals but questioned the soul. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called it "vast, awe-inspiring," yet found it "barren of humanity." Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times agreed on the majesty but called it "exasperating." Some found the 221-minute runtime too long. It is a film that demands your attention and then challenges your patience.
How it did with audiences
It cost $15 million and took in $46 million worldwide. That is a tidy margin, though the notes suggest the final tally climbed to $70 million once the dust settled. In the UK, it sold over 1 million tickets from just 13 theatres in six months, a record for the region. On TMDB, users rate it 8 out of 10. IMDb users gave it an 8.3/10 weighted average as of February 2026. The numbers are solid, but the audience clearly preferred the story to the spreadsheet.
Awards
It took 9 wins from 10 nominations. David Lean won Best Director. Sam Spiegel took Best Picture. Freddie Young, Anne V. Coates, John Box, Maurice Jarre, and John Cox rounded out the Academy haul. The National Board of Review also placed it in their Top Ten. That is a lot of hardware for one very long film.
What came next for the cast
Alec Guinness moved from the bridge to the galaxy, trading epic war for space opera in Star Wars. Anthony Quinn kept working, finding roles in Revenge and A Walk in the Clouds decades later. Jack Hawkins went from Ben-Hur to Zulu, a brief but sharp change of uniforms. The credits cannot say this title caused that shift. They can only mark where the path bent.
Where it left its mark
The visual style shaped a generation of directors. George Lucas, Stanley Kubrick, and Steven Spielberg all cite its influence. Spielberg called it a "miracle" and his favorite film. He saw it four times in four weeks. That experience taught him to look for personal themes beyond plot. It decided his career. Denis Villeneuve called it a "perfect movie." He credits it with shaping his Dune trilogy.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Lawrence of Arabia.
Sources
- Lawrence of Arabia on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q228186 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Lawrence of Arabia (film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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