Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

227 minutes, an intermission, and not one woman with a line of dialogue. Lawrence of Arabia also puts Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn in heavy makeup to play Arab leaders, which ages worse every year. Those are real knocks, and they’re worth saying out loud. The rest is why the word epic exists. Peter O’Toole plays Lawrence as a showoff who falls for his own legend, then gets frightened of the man it turns him into. Omar Sharif’s arrival out of a shimmering heat haze takes so long you start to doubt your eyes, and that’s the trick. David Lean cuts from a blown-out match to a desert sunrise and basically writes the rulebook for blockbusters in one edit. The second half turns darker and murkier, and you’ll feel every minute of it. Metacritic has it at 100. A 9.3 because every frame still looks bigger than whatever screen you’re watching it on. $271 says you blow out a match this week and stare at it for a second, waiting for the sunrise.

What works: Peter O’Toole’s electric lead, Omar Sharif’s legendary entrance, and desert photography that still makes modern epics look small.

What doesn’t: Western actors in makeup play Arab leaders, no woman gets a speaking role, and the second half drags as it darkens.

Who it’s for: Anyone with a big screen and a free afternoon, and film fans curious where modern epics borrowed their moves.