Aw-Rence might be one of the darkest and most twisted of the celebrated Hollywood epics. To think that some lump this in with the (in their own way great) films like Ben-Hur.
On a purely aesthetic level, LoA is still unequaled. See it in a theater if your TV isn’t getting this point across.
Politically, I’m not entirely sure if the movie isn’t a stone cold celebration of imperialism. Unlike Pasolini’s Salo, which shocks you into hating sadism, LoA just kinda shrugs it off.
Scholars have written entire books about this film, so I’ll just leave it at this: it’s probably one of the weirdest canonized classic you’ll ever see.
