Lawrence of Arabia (A or 4/4 stars)
Sweeping historical epic 'Lawrence of Arabia' (directed by the great David Lean, Bridge Over the River Kwai) covers the Allies' mid-eastern campaign during WWI as seen through the eyes of the enigmatic & complex adventurer, T. E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole). After a prologue showing us Lawrence's tragic death at age 46 in a freak motorcycle accident, we flash back to Cairo, 1917 where a 29 yr. old T.E. Lawrence is a misfit cartographer in the British army & looking for adventure. His commanding officer (Donald Wolfit), irked by his insolence, but piqued by his knowledge, orders a transfer for him to enter the vast deserts of Arabia to meet with the Bedouin Prince Feisel (Sir Alec Guinness), who is a British ally in the fight against the Turks.
Prince Feisal dismisses him as another "desert-loving Englishman," & his conniving British superiors (Claude Rains, Jack Hawkins) just assume that he's mad. This film features a plethora of events en route to him becoming a messianic leader of the Arabs (against the Turks). He is determined to have the rival Arab tribes unite & wishes to prevent the Arabs from falling under British colonial domination. We see his foray into Bedouin territory; his befriending Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif, making a most spectacular movie entrance). Using a combination of bribery & diplomacy, Lawrence unites the rival Arab factions of Feisal & Auda Abu Tayi (a great Anthony Quinn). And we witness their difficult trek across the Nefud Desert & subsequent attack on the Turks at the strategic port city of Aqaba {wow!!}.
While on a spying mission, Lawrence is captured, stripped, prodded, & tortured by a sadistic Turkish Bey (Jose Ferrer). Traumatized & forever changed, we then see his violent leadership in the massacre at Tafas. See, until his degrading capture, he believes he is capable of anything; it's almost like he has a God complex. But, after his brutal treatment, he becomes a self-doubting, off-balance man who thirsts for revenge. In the heat of the final battle, a slightly-crazed & drenched in blood Lawrence bellows, "No prisoners!" & fights more ruthlessly than ever. But after taking Damascus, he realizes that his usefulness to Feisal & the British diplomats is over. He sees that his dream of unity for his Arabs was for naught. And dejected, he leaves for England; more enigmatic than ever.
'Lawrence of Arabia' is widely known as one of the better epics that ever came out of Hollywood. Of course, it doesn't hurt that master director David Lean was at the helm. And having Robert Bolt onboard to help write the screenplay from Lawrence's own 1926 self-published memoir helped, too. But when I say 'better' epic, I mean to say: it's literate; intelligent; deep. Many epics look amazing. Many contain brilliant performances. But many also lack depth (in the script). But 'Lawrence of Arabia' actually has all 3. If I have one issue with the film that prevents me from outright loving it, it's that the pacing goes off - for me - during the 3 hour running time. There is plenty of action & adventure interspersed with character interaction, plot exposition, & incredible visuals. But there are also some scenes that feel padded; particularly with pretentious moments of characters staring into space or never-ending visions of majestic landscapes.
The most compelling aspect of this film is the way in which it dissects Lawrence's eccentric personality. Peter O'Toole is magnificent in this role. He gives Lawrence an idealistic, eager-to-please persona early on; only to have him turn into the tormented, sado-masochistic warrior-king whose repressed sexual urges may have had a hand in his newfound lust for killing & revenge. It's a sobering character arc and, again, brilliant portrayed by O'Toole. Omar Sharif is wonderful as Sherif Ali. So too is Alec Guinness as the shrewd Prince Feisal; Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi; Anthony Quayle as Col. Brighton; Jose Ferrer as the Turk who tortures Lawrence; & Claude Rains as manipulative diplomat Dryden. Interestingly enough, there are no speaking parts for women in the film. Take of that what you will.
As noted, the directing/writing is superb. That said, those attributes are trumped by the gorgeous scenery & Freddie Young's lensing of it. 'Lawrence of Arabia' is loaded with countless images of sand dunes & camel riders silhouetted against the sky. There's the famous mirage scene where Sherif Ali approaches Lawrence on horseback, emerging from a haze on the horizon. But a note on that scene: beautiful & iconic as it is ... it's also a scene that verges on being too languorous (which I spoke of before). I felt like saying, "just gallop faster!!". But I digress. The art direction, costumes, & make-up is superb. And Maurice Jarre's absolutely soaring musical score aids the visuals & performances. Though it's a bit bloated, I still think it's a GREAT film with majesty, grandeur, & character catharsis on display.
Prince Feisal dismisses him as another "desert-loving Englishman," & his conniving British superiors (Claude Rains, Jack Hawkins) just assume that he's mad. This film features a plethora of events en route to him becoming a messianic leader of the Arabs (against the Turks). He is determined to have the rival Arab tribes unite & wishes to prevent the Arabs from falling under British colonial domination. We see his foray into Bedouin territory; his befriending Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif, making a most spectacular movie entrance). Using a combination of bribery & diplomacy, Lawrence unites the rival Arab factions of Feisal & Auda Abu Tayi (a great Anthony Quinn). And we witness their difficult trek across the Nefud Desert & subsequent attack on the Turks at the strategic port city of Aqaba {wow!!}.
While on a spying mission, Lawrence is captured, stripped, prodded, & tortured by a sadistic Turkish Bey (Jose Ferrer). Traumatized & forever changed, we then see his violent leadership in the massacre at Tafas. See, until his degrading capture, he believes he is capable of anything; it's almost like he has a God complex. But, after his brutal treatment, he becomes a self-doubting, off-balance man who thirsts for revenge. In the heat of the final battle, a slightly-crazed & drenched in blood Lawrence bellows, "No prisoners!" & fights more ruthlessly than ever. But after taking Damascus, he realizes that his usefulness to Feisal & the British diplomats is over. He sees that his dream of unity for his Arabs was for naught. And dejected, he leaves for England; more enigmatic than ever.
'Lawrence of Arabia' is widely known as one of the better epics that ever came out of Hollywood. Of course, it doesn't hurt that master director David Lean was at the helm. And having Robert Bolt onboard to help write the screenplay from Lawrence's own 1926 self-published memoir helped, too. But when I say 'better' epic, I mean to say: it's literate; intelligent; deep. Many epics look amazing. Many contain brilliant performances. But many also lack depth (in the script). But 'Lawrence of Arabia' actually has all 3. If I have one issue with the film that prevents me from outright loving it, it's that the pacing goes off - for me - during the 3 hour running time. There is plenty of action & adventure interspersed with character interaction, plot exposition, & incredible visuals. But there are also some scenes that feel padded; particularly with pretentious moments of characters staring into space or never-ending visions of majestic landscapes.
The most compelling aspect of this film is the way in which it dissects Lawrence's eccentric personality. Peter O'Toole is magnificent in this role. He gives Lawrence an idealistic, eager-to-please persona early on; only to have him turn into the tormented, sado-masochistic warrior-king whose repressed sexual urges may have had a hand in his newfound lust for killing & revenge. It's a sobering character arc and, again, brilliant portrayed by O'Toole. Omar Sharif is wonderful as Sherif Ali. So too is Alec Guinness as the shrewd Prince Feisal; Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi; Anthony Quayle as Col. Brighton; Jose Ferrer as the Turk who tortures Lawrence; & Claude Rains as manipulative diplomat Dryden. Interestingly enough, there are no speaking parts for women in the film. Take of that what you will.
As noted, the directing/writing is superb. That said, those attributes are trumped by the gorgeous scenery & Freddie Young's lensing of it. 'Lawrence of Arabia' is loaded with countless images of sand dunes & camel riders silhouetted against the sky. There's the famous mirage scene where Sherif Ali approaches Lawrence on horseback, emerging from a haze on the horizon. But a note on that scene: beautiful & iconic as it is ... it's also a scene that verges on being too languorous (which I spoke of before). I felt like saying, "just gallop faster!!". But I digress. The art direction, costumes, & make-up is superb. And Maurice Jarre's absolutely soaring musical score aids the visuals & performances. Though it's a bit bloated, I still think it's a GREAT film with majesty, grandeur, & character catharsis on display.