Lawrence of Arabia is widely considered one of the ten greatest films ever made - though more often by film-goers and film-makers than by critics. This monograph argues that popular wisdom is correct, and that Lean's film is a unique blend of visionary image-making, narrative power, mythopoetic charm and psychological acuteness.

Lawrence of Arabia is widely considered one of the ten greatest films ever made - though more often by film-goers and film-makers than by critics. This monograph will argue that popular wisdom is correct, and that Lean's film is a unique blend of visionary image-making, narrative power, mythopoetic charm and psychological acuteness; far from being a "Boy's Own Tale", it is one of popular cinema's greatest tragedies, closer to Shakespeare than to "Biggles". This volume is the first since Adrian Turner's (now long out of print, and unobtainable for less than GBP 120) to bring together a critical analysis of the film and an account of its tangled production history - a kind of epic in its own right. It is the first ever to combine these elements with the story of attempts by Alexander Korda and others to bring Lawrence's story to the screen, and to be written from the perspective of someone who is as deeply immersed in the lore of the real-life Lawrence as in the movie. It should appeal both to the film's enormous fan-base and to the exceptionally large number of readers who are fascinated by all aspects of Lawrence and his many careers.

"An indispensable part of every cineaste's bookcase" - Total Film

"Possibly the most bountiful book series in the history of film criticism." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Film Comment

"Magnificently concentrated examples of flowing freeform critical poetry." - Uncut

"The series is a landmark in film criticism." - Quarterly Review of Film and Video

"A formidable body of work collectively generating some fascinating insights into the evolution of cinema." -Times Higher Education

Celebrating film for over 30 years

The BFI Film Classics series introduces, interprets and celebrates landmarks of world cinema. Each volume offers an argument for the film's 'classic' status, together with discussion of its production and reception history, its place within a genre or national cinema, an account of its technical and aesthetic importance, and in many cases, the author's personal response to the film.