To finish off Mason week I watched The Fall of the Roman Empire. It stars not only Mason but also Christopher Plummer, Alec Guinness,Stephen Boyd and Sophia Loren. It was directed by Anothony Mann who is known most for his work with James Stwert In many Western films such the Man from Laramime, Winchester 73, The Naked Spur, Bend in the River to name a few.
It is my second favorite of the Mason movies I watched after North By Northwest. Dimitri Tiomkin's score is a really great as always and it adds a lot to the film. The reconstruction of the Roman Forum holds the record for the largest outdoor film set at 1312 x 754 feet.
Last week I watched 7 time Oscar and 5 time Golden Globe winning Lawrence of Arabia. The film was directed by David Lean also known for such films as Passage to India and The Bridge on the River Kwai both of which also star Alec Guinness as did many of his films. The movie revolves around the life of T.E Lawrence(Peter O' Toole) a British officer during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule during WW1. Oddly he did not win best actor it instead went to Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mocking Bird. The Music composed by Maurice Jarre did win. Jarre scored most of Leans films. I really enjoyed the film. I thought the cast which included Anthony Quinn and Claude Rains was well picked. The action scenes and march with the camels were really well done as were the scenes with the trains. The film really shows you what war can do to a man.
