Lawrence of Arabia

Veteran British director David Lean won his second Oscar for this sweeping, epic tale, based on the experiences of enigmatic World War One Army officer TE Lawrence (Peter O'Toole giving an electric performance in the role that deservedly shot him to stardom). It tells of his efforts as a naive young man trying to unite the Arab nations against the Turks and taking on the British Army when he disagrees with the accepted idea of using modern strategies, preferring to tackle the enemy with far more effective guerrilla tactics instead. However, his ideals are soon eroded by the horrors he witnesses, leaving him spiralling into madness. Omar Sharif co-stars as Sherif Ali, alongside Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins