Directed by: David Lean
Premise: The true story of T.E. Lawrence (Peter
O’Toole), a British officer who rallied Arab tribes to revolt against the
Turks during World War I.
What Works: Lawrence
of Arabia is a fascinating film to watch because it is an old film with a
very contemporary style and mind. As Lawrence rallies and leads the tribesmen to
overcome centuries of blood feuds and self-destructive traditions, he finds
himself confronted with issues that are eerily relevant to the contemporary age. Lawrence of Arabia deals with the
forging of the modern Middle East and the film raises very important questions
and problems for Lawrence as he must ask who he is fighting for, Arabs or
Europeans, and why. Commercial interests and political goals sabotage the
idealism and this film neither gives itself over to cynicism nor does it blindly
praise naïve idealism. Instead, Lawrence of Arabia finds its story
conflicts in the places where those two mindsets clash and is able to dig up
some compelling ideas while telling a great story. The portrayal of the Arabs in Lawrence of Arabia is extremely
progressive, even by the standards of contemporary cultural awareness, and the
film presents acts of barbarity not as a matter of race or culture but as a
matter of circumstance and choice. One of the remarkable things about director
David Lean’s major works, and especially Lawrence
of Arabia, is how contemporary his films look and sound. Compared to many
other films of the early 1960s, and especially those of the pre-New Hollywood
era, many scenes of Lawrence of Arabia look like they could have been shot very recently. The composition of the
cinematography and the editing of the film have a style to them that makes the
picture still cinematically relevant and the influence can be seen in films
being made today by filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott. The
score of Lawrence of Arabia is also worth mentioning. It has a large
orchestral sound, but it also includes local sounds and instruments and manages
to add an ethnic flavor that enriches the film. The score is also notable
because it is used in exactly the right places and never over-used or used in a
sentimental way.
What Doesn’t: Compared to films like Kingdom
of Heaven or Braveheart,
there is not nearly as much action in Lawrence
of Arabia as a contemporary epic. The film is also much more complex than
most other films of its kind and it resists the morally simplistic rabble
rousing that this genre sometimes falls into. Lawrence of Arabia’s complexity should not be taken as a negative
but today’s audiences should be aware of the storytelling style.
DVD extras: Documentary, conversation with Steven
Spielberg, featurettes, talent files, advertising gallery.
Bottom Line: Lawrence of Arabia is one of the great movies, an essential picture that fans of cinema must take time to watch. It is long but it is also a beautiful and complex piece of work.