Lawrence of Arabia

Movie Review: Lawrence of Arabia

Year of Release: 1962
Country of Origin: UK
Director: David Lean
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif

Plot outline: Epic rumination on a flamboyant and controversial British military figure, T.E. Lawrence, and his conflicted loyalties during wartime service (IMDb).

Mr. Dryden: “If you give them artillery, you’ve made them independent.”
Gen. Allenby: “Then I can’t give them artillery.”
Col. Brighton: “It’s your decision.”
Gen. Allenby: “No. I’ve got orders, thank God. Not like that poor devil; he‘s riding the whirlwind.”
Mr. Dryden: “Let’s hope we’re not.”

Set in the trackless expanses of the Middle East in World War I, the movie shows T. E. Lawrence’s attempt to make a nation of the Arabs, something quite different from the continued exploitation intended by the British crown. He is posted to spy on King Feisal and report back to HQ, but he is a two-edged sword who ends up identifying more with the Arabs than his British countrymen.

Lawrence of Arabia is a movie which celebrates the silence and emptiness of the vast Arabian desert. It was produced in a time when only the best would do. Clearly, David Lean only used the finest snippets to make his epic. The vast shots across the shimmering desert showing a miniscule rider approaching, the glorious sunsets, the Arab encampments, the battles, all combine to make this movie a must-see masterpiece. The story is both epic and personal, the performances are all first rate, the dialog is excellent, and the cinematography is legendary ... in short, it’s very hard to find any fault with David Lean’s creation. It also does a masterful job of character development: we learn that Lawrence is quite an uncommon man, right from the first few frames. Meant to be seen in 70mm, Lawrence of Arabia will undoubtedly lose some of its majesty on even the best high definition television. This is a larger-than-life production meant to be seen on a larger-than-life screen. With the exception of a few shots of the sun which burned through the stock when they tried to actually shoot it, everything in the movie is real. In an age where CGI has become routine as a way to cut costs, the difference between thousands of actual, human extras versus thousands of computer-generated extras is astounding. It is a pity that epics such as this may never be made again due to Hollywood’s obsession with formula movies. Lawrence of Arabia is a modern classic that has to be seen to be believed. (GC, FML)

My judgement: **** out of 4 stars