I’ve got Lawrence of Arabia here on dvd, but because of its length I think I have to put it on before the kids go to bed (between 2 and 9 y.o.). But before I do that I’d like to make sure there’s no graphic violence in the film. I’m not going to watch it *with *them of course, and they’re probably totally uninterested in it – not the least because they don’t speak English (we live outside the USA where children grow up with totally different languages :eek:) – but, nonetheless, there might be a little Wakinyan child in the living room for a few minutes, and I don’t want him or her to happen to see graphic violence on the tv screen at that point.
No, it’s tame even by 1962 standards.
The movie begins with Lawrence’s death in a motorcycle accident, although I don’t recall that it’s depicted graphically. There are various shootings, other deaths (one in a sandstorm), battles, beatings, torture, and trains being blown up. It’s not super graphic by today’s standards, but there’s plenty of blood and violence.
And there’s creepy Uncle Jose…
There’s Lawrence’ relationship with the boys, which is subtle, but could be questioned. And the flogging scene is, I think, very graphic, and could be disturbing.
The flogging scene is appalling! Not all that long, thank god, but things like that disturb me unduly, anyway. (I saw this when I was 11, and even then I knew what was implied…I was no dummy.) There are plenty of shootings, plus of course war and things blowing up.
i’d say if the kids have watched ordinary television these days they won’t have trouble with the movie.
The motorcycle accident, well, you don’t see anything at all, just him struggling for control, then the goggles flying away.
And the flogging isn’t that bad, I don’t even remember blood. Although the mood is creepy.
Lawrence executes a man with a pistol but you don’t see the bullets hit.
Add at least one beheading to the list.
I saw it when it first came out when I was 11. Even at that age I was creeped out by the death in the sandstorm, and the flogging scene. Even if it’s not blatantly graphic, I wouldn’t recommend it to small children.
There is splattered blood during the battle scenes. It’s no Reservoir Dogs.
Alright, thanks. I might wait until they’re in bed after all. Not because I think they’d be traumatized if they happen to see one of the scenes you refer to, but because I don’t want to worry about such things while enjoying, hopefully, the flick myself (“it this the flogging scene”, “is there a child in the room”, etc). Many thanks.
I haven’t seen the movie in fifteen years, but the flogging scene came to mind as something I wouldn’t want a young child to see. But then, it’s the kind of thing a young child might not process as traumatically as an adult does.
I just finished watching this movie last night, I have seen it many times. While the movie is pretty tame in a visual sense, it deals with subject matter that IMHO is inappropriate for children and might raise questions you as a parent may not be ready to take on. You of course get to make final judgment.
Enjoy one of the best flicks ever made
Capt
Would they actually sit there and watch it? It’s a loooong movie, lots and lots and lots of talking, and endless riding through the desert on camels. I mean, I like it, but I would think young kids would get bored within an hour.
If you’re talking about the quicksand scene, I can see where that might be disturbing to some kids.
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Would they actually sit there and watch it? It’s a loooong movie, lots and lots and lots of talking, and endless riding through the desert on camels. I mean, I like it, but I would think young kids would get bored within an hour
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True. Unless the 9-year old is a WWI history buff who knows something about international political and military alliances in the Middle East during that era, they’d probably first get confused about exactly what was going on and then get bored.
This one. It scared the hell out of me.
I was 15 when I saw it the first time and I’ve seen it several times since then. It’s one of my all-time favorite movies. The violence is NOTHING compared to what the average kid sees on the average cop show today. There are NO women in it at all, but there is a lot of manly devotion, camaraderie, and male bonding-- thus it is a favorite of the gay community.
The main problem with a child of today watching it is that it’s a very long, slow film, and doesn’t have much dialogue. There are plenty of shots of the vast, empty desert. Most kids who are used to action movies with lots of fast scene cuts, fast talking, special effects, etc., would be bored *senseless *by this epic, which methodically shows the rise and fall of Lawrence.
Peter O’Toole was at his absolute PEAK in this movie and so many scenes stand out in my memory as favorites. Lowell Thomas to Lawrence: “Why do you like the desert?” Lawrence: “Because it’s clean.” Lawrence to bartender at officers’ club: “He likes your lemonade.” Ali (Omar Sharif) to Lawrence: “Garlands for the prince–flowers for the man.” The moment when Anthony Quinn spots the white horse on the railroad car-- that one always gives me goosebumps. Be sure and report back after you watch it. I’ll be interested in your review.
Possibly my favorite movie of all time. Easily in my top five.
suggested MPAA rating: PG for War Violence, Mild Language and Smoking
Sex & Nudity
One man rips off another’s clothes (the character is only shown shirtless/from the chest up), then comments on how “very fair” his skin is while touching his chest. The scene is suggestive, but menacing rather than erotic. However, it is strongly implied, without anything actually being shown, that the character whose shirt is ripped off is homosexually raped.
Violence & Gore
Some comparatively mild violence. (Battle scenes, blowing up trains, mostly bloodless shootings, a character is wounded in the shoulder with blood shown and later a scar…
Profanity
Mild Language.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking
There is drinking and smoking, but no drugs.
Frightening/Intense Scenes
The deaths of young characters may be distressing, as well as the scene of implied torture/assault and its aftermath, but by modern standards the film is comparatively subdued.
It’s a stunning movie. Make time to watch it by yourself–or with other adults.
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You can judge for yourself whether anything will upset your kids. I remember one scene showing a village that had been massacred by the Turks to be quite grim; perhaps the fact that I’d read the Seven Pillars of Wisdom meant I knew what we were seeing.
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You ought to see it the first time without have to deal with bored kiddies. It does move slowly. Slowly, majestically & beautifully–but not, perhaps, amusing for short attention spans…
As others have mentioned there are a few deaths here and there, but nothing approaching graphic by modern standards. I’d say it’s about 1/3 as violent as an episode of Davy Crocket from the '60’s.
More importantly, the deaths are few and far between in a movie that’s about 9 hours long by little kid standards. I strongly suspect they’ll be asleep/not paying attention should something objectionable happen. This is a movie where the landscape is practically another character in the story, so you get a lot of long, lingering shots of the featureless desert. There’s one memorable scene where we watch a man on a camel emerge from a mirage and trot towards the protagonist. Check it out, if you think they can handle that scene then they can handle the whole movie.