Epic is an over-used word in cinema, but David Lean’s four-hour 1962 journey with T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) into the Arabian desert is surely the gold standard for films grand in scale and design. It’s been more than 50 years since Lean chronicled the exploits of Lawrence, an unconventional British officer who struck out alone during World War I with the aid of Bedouins (including Omar Sharif in his most famous role) to fight the Turks.
