Glorious Lawrence
by Catherine Lucy
Widely regarded as one of the greatest pictures ever made, the 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia is director David Lean’s epic film about the real-life historical figure T. E. Lawrence. Peter O’Toole plays Lawrence, an officer in the British army who travels across the deserts of the Near East to help the Arabs fight off the Turks in a war over land, natural resources, and independence.

The cast includes such veteran actors as Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, and Omar Sharif. Sharif plays an Arab soldier named Sherif Ali who clashes with Lawrence early in the film, but the two men eventually become allies and work together for the Arab cause. Claude Rains has a supporting role as a Frenchman named Mr. Dryden. His character, along with the top British officers, encourage Lawrence’s heroic actions in order to further their own countries’ plans for the highly sought after land around Saudi Arabia.

This film is great in many ways. The acting is superb, particularly the performances of O’Toole and Sharif. Each man brings compassion, warmth, and depth to his character. In addition to the acting, the cinematography is magnificent. Lawrence of Arabia is best viewed on a large screen in its original 70mm format. This film is visually exciting and stimulating. There are glorious shots of soldiers and armies traveling across the huge sandy hills of the desert regions. In one shot, the sun rises against the hills of the desert, and the camera beautifully captures the colors of the sunlight at dawn. The Maurice Jarre score is luscious and dramatic, frequently building to crescendo at climactic scenes. The music also helps to emphasize a particular sentiment or emotion. When Lawrence first begins his venture across Saudi Arabia, the landscape is breathtaking, and the musical score induces a sense of awe that the audience experiences at the same time as Lawrence.

Unfortunately, the screenplay is not flawless. Although this film is best described as an adventure movie, the dramatic plot is laced with political motives and overtones that can be complex to follow. A large cast of characters, particularly the ever changing regiment of English officers, leads to confusion as to what each country’s motive is in this war against the Turks. At times, one is not sure if any of the characters in the film are interested in Lawrence’s heroics. He might be an intelligent leader of the Arab army, but how much is he liked and respected by the white (non-Arab) men in this film? With a running time of nearly 3 ˝ hours, these questions are drawn out and the film’s epic nature almost defeats itself. Viewers might find the importance of these political subplots inconclusive, at best. This film is worthy of at least one viewing simply for the beautiful and moving cinematography. The acting is also first rate and fresh, even some thirty-eight years later. One does not simply watch Lawrence of Arabia--one experiences this film.

CineScene, 2000