<wrence of Arabia:
Don’t judge—I didn’t watch the SUMO films this week. Anyway, “Lawrence of Arabia” was made in 1962 and is quite epic. It tells the story of T.E. Lawrence, who (and I’m judging from his picture on Wikipedia) was quite dashing. Peter O’ Toole plays the British lieutenant stationed in Cairo during World War I. Fluent in Arabic, Lawrence establishes himself among the Bedouins and helps them to revolt against the German-allied Turks. The film is pretty timely– it deals with the violence of war, personal identity, allegiances and the aftermath of revolution. Bottom line is, this is one of the best movies of all time, certainly one of the best epics. Steven Spielberg called it a miracle, so you should see it and so should I. The film is 3 hours and 47 minutes long, so bring snacks.
Gallipoli:
If all you wanted this weekend was to watch movies about World War I, you’re in luck. “Gallipoli” is a 1981 film about young men from rural Australia. They enlist in the army and are sent to Turkey to fight in the battle of Gallipoli. Idealistic at first, over the course of the film the men become more cynical about war games. The film features Mel Gibson and received a 93% on the tomatometer. “Gallipoli” would be my pick if you just want to lose yourself in a good movie this weekend. At two hours, it is certainly less of a commitment than Lawrence of Arabia. And, it seems the film is more about the friendship of two guys than it is about battles. Plus, when someone asks you what you did this weekend you can say “I went to see ‘Gallipoli’.” That’s just fun.