4. Lawrence Of Arabia
Probably classic Hollywood's greatest epic, Lawrence of Arabia is also one of the most unique movies of its kind ever made. Decades after its release, star Omar Sharif brilliantly summed up its uniqueness by saying "If you are the man with the money and somebody comes to you and says he wants to make a film that's four hours long, with no stars, and no women, and no love story, and not much action either, and he wants to spend a huge amount of money to go film it in the desert, what would you say?" Lawrence of Arabia is filled with gorgeous imagery and at four hours long, and with scenes including hundred of extras, it is the definition of an epic. Director David Lean tells the story of a man who rises from a bumbling misfit to one-man force to disillusioned failure and sets it against the panorama of the Arabian desert. Peter O'Toole, in an all-time great performance, plays what Roger Ebert calls "the strangest hero ever to stand at the center of an epic" as he portrays Lawrence as in turns insolent, charismatic, and insane. While Lawrence of Arabia is light on battle scenes and focuses less on the war than it does on Lawrence's attempt to unite the Arab tribes but it remains one of the most impressive movies ever made by any standard. While always enjoyed by critics, Lawrence of Arabia's lasting influence has been felt most noticeably by succeeding directors. It always ranks higher on directors favorite movie lists than it does on critics, and filmmakers ranging from Steven Spielberg and Sam Peckinpah have described it as one of their favorites. The one of a kind cinematography, ambitious narrative, and a career defining performance from O'Toole make Lawrence of Arabia one of the best, and certainly most influential, war movies ever made and is on the shortlist of films any movie fan has to see at one point in their lives.