David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia takes place in the sun-drenched Saharan desert during World War I, a place filled mostly with camels and turbans, during a time during which Western civilization supposed that foreign meant savage. Stationed at a camp in Cairo, Egypt, a soldier named T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole), a dreamer and thinker, is sent by a chief member of the Arab Bureau to convince Prince Feisal (a nearly unrecognizable Alec Guiness) to resist against the Turks. At over three and a half hours, Lawrence of Arabia is an unprecedented epic, a sand-swept historical spectacle detailing English-Arab relations and the profound cultural gaps Lawrence conquers for the sake of genuine selfless diplomacy.
They simply don’t make them like they used to; Lawrence of Arabia is as much influenced by the medium of film as it is by theater and realism. A true costume drama, the film is a symphony, concurrent elements melding into cinematic achievement. The sweeping shots, courtesy of cinematographer Freddie Young, as well as the regal, bombastic score of Maurice Jarre, are remnants of a Hollywood of old– that dedication to enthusiastic celebration and surprisingly to mankind. Compared to the “spectacles” of today- superhero films, mostly- Lawrence of Arabia is utterly brilliant, even as it is twice as long as most feature-length films.
Peter O’Toole’s delicate interpretation of the real-life character T.E. Lawrence is a subtle and galvanizing performance, a harkening back to the melodrama of early 20th century film. As he travels across the Arabian desert, he witnesses the brutal murder of his Bedouin guide by Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif), a punishment for drinking from Sherif’s well. The haughty Brit learns of the harshness of Middle Eastern life, a people he believes to be savage and primitive but begins to understand are in fact principled, albeit differently than within the universities of the Western world. The gaps of culture are as relevant today as they were even during the first World War, however out of style pith helmets and bush jackets have become. Set design and even makeup are remarkable, noticeably grandiose.
T.E. Lawrence is caught amidst bureacratic politics and old-school colonialism- a resounding story of superiority and manipulation on a grand scale. In a familiar turn as well, liberated Arabs lack the organization and experience to form a cohesive nation, necessitating British and French intervention.
Nearly 50 years after it’s initial release, Lawrence of Arabia has maintained much of its beauty and obvious brilliance, however overlong it may be. In fact, the film manages to feel significantly shorter than it’s actual length, and yet I cannot help feeling as though the age of the cinematic epic such as this has died out with the advent of lasers and Star Wars, regardless of whether George Lucas name-drops David Lean or even Lawrence of Arabia specifically. The film did win seven Academy Awards, among which were small, such as “Art Direction”, “Original Score”, “Film Editing”, “Sound”, “Best Director”, and, oh yes, “Best Picture”. Brilliantly shot, exuberantly scored, and featuring an intermission, David Lean’s Middle Eastern epic is no small undertaking. While dated, it also remains a shining example of well-researched and meticulously executed Hollywood spectacle, appearing both artistically and technically superior to almost any movie ever made.
