Lawrence of Arabia: A Cinematic Masterpiece + 2 More for Weekend Viewing

This week’s movie picks are all British films. Give yourself an early start if you plan to watch the epic biopic Lawrence of Arabia all in one sitting. Serious Charge is similar in plot to last week’s The Children’s Hour, dealing with the impact of false rumors. Mandy is unique for its portrayal not only of how the hearing-impaired experience life, but also of 1950s methods for teaching them to communicate.

1. Lawrence of Arabia

RELEASE DATE: 1962 DIRECTOR: David Lean STUDIO: Columbia ictures HEADLINERS: Peter O’Toole, Omar Shariff, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, Jose Ferrer. RUN TIME: 3 hours, 30 minutes

SYNOPSIS: Depicts T. E. Lawrence’s experiences in the Ottoman provinces of Hejaz and Greater Syria during the First World War, as he unites desert tribes to revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Themes include Lawrence’s emotional struggles with the violence inherent in war, his identity and his divided allegiance between his native Britain and his newfound comrades within the Arabian desert tribes.

NOTES: Based on the life of T. E. Lawrence and his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Breathtaking cinematography and fine musical score. In 1991, deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the US Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Nominated for 10 Oscars, winning 7, including Best Picture and Best Director. Also won Golden Globe for Best Drama.

LINKS TO: Trailer | Full film

2. Serious Charge

RELEASE DATE: 1959 DIRECTOR: Terence Young STUDIO: Eros Films Limited HEADLINERS: Anthony Quayle, Sarah Churchill, Andrew Ray, Irene Browne RUN TIME: 1 hours, 27 minutes

SYNOPSIS: An unmarried vicar, newly arrived in the parish, attempts to get local a local juvenile delinquent to face up to his responsibilities to a young girl he has made pregnant. The thug trashes the vicar’s drawing room and fakes a struggle. As he leaves, he tells the former vicar’s daughter, who has her eyes on the new vicar but has been spurned, that the new vicar “interfered” with him. The false accusation proves to have extensive and unforeseen consequences.

NOTES: Adapted from the 1956 stage play of the same name by Philip King. The film is notable for the screen acting debut of Cliff Richard, at that time a teenage pop idol, in a minor role. He sings three songs, although none is heard in its entirety.

LINKS TO: Trailer

3. Mandy

RELEASE DATE: 1952 DIRECTOR: Alexander Mackendrick STUDIO: General FIlm HEADLINERS: Phyllis Calvert, Jack Hawkins, Terence Morgan, Mandy Miller RUN TIME: 1 hours, 33 minutes

SYNOPSIS: British drama about a family’s struggle to give their deaf daughter a better life. Father and mother disagree, with the mother enrolling the child in a school for the hearing-impaired without the father’s consent.

NOTES: Based on the novel The Day Is Ours by Hilda Lewis. Looks at educational methods for the deaf in the 1950s and is very instructional in this context. It also sees the world from the deaf child’s eyes. Exceptional performances by Mandy Miller as the hearing-impaired Mandy and Jack Hawkins as the head of the school for the hearing-impaired who helps her.