There's a saying that there's one thing even better than having a great success and that's have another great success. But finding a worthy follow-up after one has scored a bullseye isn't an easy thing to do and doesn't happen often. Following the Oscars and pots of gold which came rolling in with 1957 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, its director David Lean was in a quandary: what to do for an encore? Kirk Douglas in his capacity as producer and star of SPARTACUS, wanted Lean to take over that film's directorial reins. Lean wasn't interested. William Wyler, in the throes of doing his multi-million dollar remake of BEN-HUR invited Lean to direct that film's centerpiece, the chariot race sequence. No dice. One project that did excite him was doing a bio-pic about Mahatma Gandhi but he wasn't able to get anyone remotely interested in financing it. It was at that point that his BRIDGE producer Sam Spiegel approached him about joining him to do the story of Thomas Edward Lawrence, the mysterious and glamorous British military man who led an Arab revolt against Turkey in World War I, then died, not in battle, but in motorcycle accident on a country road in 1935 at the age of 47.

Lean was intrigued, which led to this incredible movie we'll be showing to many of you for the first time exactly as it was meant to be seen: in wide-screen dimensions, looking as mint as the day it was premiered in 1962. That the film turned out so well and worthy of every one of its seven Academy Awards is particularly amazing because it had defeated so many earlier attempts to bring it to the screen. Logistics, costs and the enigmatic nature of Lawrence himself had snafued all those previous tries. But the question lingers: would this film be the masterpiece it is if it had been cast in any of the other ways it almost was? Originally it was announced that 25-year-old newcomer Albert Finney would play the title role, with a cast also including Cary Grant, Horst Buchholz, Laurence Olivier and Jack Hawkins. (Only Hawkins is in the final film.) Finney worked four days and then quit. Then the role was offered to Marlon Brando but was still tied up on the far-behind-schedule MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY being filmed in Tahiti. Montgomery Clift begged to do it. Tony Perkins was considered, as was Richard Burton. But it was Katharine Hepburn who saved the day, calling Lean and suggesting 28-year old Peter O'Toole whom she'd recently seen in a play at London's Royal Court theatre. By such pranks of fate, masterworks are born. Few, however, have ever been equal to this one.

1962. 222  minutes. Super Panavision 70, Technicolor. Producer:  Sam Spiegel. Director: David Lean . Screenplay: Robert Bolt, based on “Seven Pilars of Wisdom” by T.E. Lawrence, and other sources. Cinematography: Freddie Young. Editor: Anne V. Coates.  Music: Maurice Jarre. Art direction: John Stoll. Costumes: Casting: Phyllis Dalton.  Maude Spector. Cast: PETER O'TOOLE, ALEC GUINNESS, ANTHONY QUINN, JACK HAWKINS, JOSE FERRER, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Wolfit, I.S. Johar, Michel Rey.  A Horizon production released by Columbia Pictures.