Lawrence of Arabia

They sure don’t make ‘em like this any more!

We went to see this 1962 David Lean epic on the big screen tonight here in Barcelona and it was like stepping back into another world!

When was the last time you sat through a ten-minute overture at the start of a film with the screen dark and all the music previewed including the swelling main theme?

When was the last time that the word ‘Intermission’ appeared on the screen after two hours of a three and a half hour long movie?

When was the last time all the granite-solid movie stars that you grew up with appeared one by one like ghosts from your past on the big screen above your head?

Peter O'Toole
Alec Guinness
Anthony Quinn
Jack Hawkins
Omar Sharif
José Ferrer
Anthony Quayle
Claude Rains
Arthur Kennedy

And, of course, our hearts throbbed even more than most when the oh-so-dashing Omar Sharif appeared, especially as we had met him in Cairo a year before his death . . . here:

https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/5053915

The cinematography and landscapes in which Lean immersed us fully and slowly were extraordinary, including the long ride out of a mirage that announces Omar’s arrival - see extra!

We’re lucky that a number of cinemas in Barcelona do one-off classic revivals! There was not a seat to be had in this house tonight!