David Lean’s 1962 classic “Lawrence of Arabia” on Blu-ray in November

Tags: Alec Guinness, Anthony Quayle, Anthony Quinn, Arthur Kennedy, Blu-ray, Claude Rains, David Lean, Jack Hawkins, José Ferrer, Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, UltraViolet

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has just issued a press release announcing that the 1962 David Lean directed film “Lawrence of Arabia” is coming to Blu-ray Disc in a 4-disc collectible box set on November 13th. The film starred Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif, Jose Ferrer, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains and Arthur Kennedy. The film has received a 4K restoration and will be presented in the Director’s Cut. It also appears that a single-disc version will be released as it’s listed on Sony’s press site. Tech specs for the release include full 1080p Hi-Def video in the 2.20:1 aspect ratio and DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound. Both versions will come with an UltraViolet digital copy of the film. The main difference between the box set and the single-disc version is that only one of the bonus materials will be included on the single-disc version; a picture-in-graphics track. As for bonus materials on the box set, it seems the second disc (not specified if it will be a DVD or Blu-ray) will contain a majority of the bonus material on that set. The third disc will possibly be a DVD of the film in standard definition and we’re getting word the fourth disc will be a CD sampler of the Soundtrack. Yes, I do realize the image above shows four discs ALL with Blu-ray logos but I’ve been told what I’ve been told. The physical bonus material here (pictured above) includes A Collectible Booklet with behind-the-scenes facts and photographs. A detailed list of the bonus materials set to be included on the box set are listed below.

• Secrets of Arabia: A Picture-in-Graphics Track [ Blu-ray EXCLUSIVE]
• Peter O’Toole Revisits “Lawrence of Arabia” [ Blu-ray EXCLUSIVE]
• Making of Lawrence of Arabia
• A Conversation with Steven Speilberg
• Maan, Jordan: The Camels Are Cast (1 of 4 Original Featurettes)
• Advertising Campaigns
• Original Newsreel Footage of the New York Premiere
• Vintage Featurettes In Search of Lawrence
• Vintage Featurettes Romance of Arabia (Newly Restored)

UPDATE: The 50th Anniversary Edition collectible box set version of the film is now available for PRE-ORDER over at Amazon with a $67.19 price tag.

Further below after the break you’ll find the majority of the press release mentioned earlier.

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (July 18, 2012) – Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential films in the history of cinema, David Lean’s masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia returns to the big screen 50 years after its 1962 premiere in a 4K digitally-restored version of the Director’s Cut. Following its international debut at Festival Du Cannes this past May, Lawrence of Arabia will screen nationwide in a digital-only theatrical event in theaters starting October 4th. The film will be available in a Blu-ray™ 3-disc collectible boxed set starting November 13th from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Additionally, the film will be featured for one night only on Turner Classic Movies, November 16th at 8:00PM in a television exclusive. The U.S. premiere of the new restoration will take place in Los Angeles on July 19th with a special 4K presentation at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards®, winning seven, including Best Picture and Best Director and staring Best Actor nominee Peter O’Toole and Best Supporting Actor nominee Omar Sharif, the film is one of the crown jewels in the legacy of Columbia Pictures. “We wanted to return this film to as pristine a condition as possible to honor its anniversary release,” says Grover Crisp, EVP of Asset Management, Film Restoration and Digital Mastering for SPE. The original camera negative was scanned at 8K and the film went through a painstaking process of repairing problems inherent to the 50-year old film elements. Using the latest digital imaging technology, the color grading and re-mastering was completed in 4K at Colorworks, Sony Pictures Entertainments’ digital intermediate facility. “The original negative was seriously damaged in a number of ways, some problems dating from the original release and some accumulated over the years.” says Crisp. “But, until now, we did not have the tools available to address these issues. We think fans of the film will be as amazed as we are at the detail and resolution in the imagery captured by cinematographer Freddie Young to compliment David Lean’s immaculate direction.”

If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a purchase through us on Amazon.