Lawrence of Arabia (DVD)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) starring Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains, Anthony Quayle, Arthur Kennedy, Omar Sharif. Directed by David Lean. True-life story of T.E. Lawrence, British officer who helped unite Arab tribes to fight against the Turks during World War I. It was O'Toole's first leading role, and made him an instant star. The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Main shortcoming of the movie is extreme length, at nearly four hours. I had to watch it over two nights. Also, a film of this epic sweep really should be seen on a large screen; TV hardly does it justice. The movie loses focus somewhat during the second half, but is still stirring. The subtitles on the DVD are excellent. Grade: A-

Nowhere in Africa (DVD)

Nowhere in Africa (2001) starring Juliane Kohler, Merab Ninidze, Matthias Habich, Sidede Onyulo, Karoline Eckertz, Lea Kurka. Directed by Caroline Link. In 1938, a Jewish family -- father, mother and young daughter -- escape Germany in the nick of time, just before the Nazis begin open persecution of the Jews. The family settles in Kenya, and are obliged to start their lives over again from virtually nothing. Things do not go smoothly -- quite the contrary. It's yet another untold story from World War II, and it is told well. The film only lacks a dramatic soundtrack to give it real heft. The movie won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. One quibble: When, occasionally, a character speaks English, there are no subtitles. This has the odd effect that only when English is spoken is the movie hard to follow. Grade: A