David Lean's LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is the epitome of the one film that every person should watch at least once in their lifetime. Putting it quite simply, it's one of the greatest movies ever made, featuring sterling work done by everyone involved. With LAWRENCE, Lean hits the ultimate summit of his directorial career ~a very high bar to set~ and took home his second Oscar for his efforts. Steven Spielberg was once quoted as saying that it was LAWRENCE OF ARABIA more than any other motion picture that inspired him to become a filmmaker.
In the late 1980's, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA became the very first film to undergo an extensive restoration prior to being released on home videocassette. Since originally landing in the theaters in 1962, the Academy Award winning epic suffered several cuts that were done to make room for television airplay. Now, a team of dedicated preservationists diligently labored to resurrect the pictorial quality and restore the excised footage. Insofar as the audio makeover was concerned, some of the surviving actors were brought back to re-record various segments of dialogue twenty-five years after first being spoken. Spielberg ~along with Martin Scorsese~ served as a consultant for the upgrade, and he wistfully reminisced about watching the renewed version in a private screening with David Lean, listening to the old master talk about every aspect of the production. Spielberg would later describe the experience as a"live director's commentary".
Lean and Sam Spiegel last collaborated on THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, and this one was shaping up to eclipse its predecessor on an even grander scale. Taking his cast and crew into the desert for more than a year of filming, Lean had some of the finest colleagues in the industry to help make his vision a reality. Freddie Young's breathtaking cinematography may very well be the greatest in movie history. Production designer John Box's sets are absolutely first-rate; Maurice Jarre contributes some of the most epic movie music ever scored. And because the foundation for any film is its screenplay, playwright Robert Bolt contributes one suitable to Lean's high standards.
In LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, Lean stages some truly spectacular set pieces. Examples include an aerial bombardment of a Bedouin camp; the crossing of the uncrossable Nefud desert; the rescue of Gassim; the storming of Aqaba; a train derailment, and many, many more. Even the entrance of Sharif Ali, beginning as a small blip on the hyperarid horizon, is absolutely mesmerizing. The finished product would become so influential that every wannabe epic in its wake bills itself as "the best since LAWRENCE OF ARABIA".
And finally, that cast!!!! We've got Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, Jose Ferrer, and the two Anthonys, Misters Quinn and Quayle. Most importantly, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA was the breakthrough for a pair of previously unknown actors: Omar Sharif ~who would become the first Arab superstar~ and especially Peter O'Toole in the title role.
Lieutenant T. E. Lawrence is an eccentric British archaeologist and soldier stationed in Cairo when the First World War breaks out. Because Lawrence is the one Englishman who knows the Middle East like the back of his hand, he's been ordered into Arabia by His Majesty's Arab Bureau to locate Prince Faisal (Guinness) and make an appraisal of their situation. One of the most impressive jump cuts ever filmed occurs when a close-up of Lawrence blowing out a match is suddenly jumped to a shot of the morning sun slowly rising over a desert sand dune. Only an undisputedly great director could accomplish this.
After Lawrence's guide is shot and killed by Sharif Ali ~one of Faisal's nobles~ over a water dispute, the lieutenant eventually meets up with Colonel Brighton (Quayle), Faisal's British liaison, who escorts him to the prince's encampment. Remaining suspicious over Great Britain's interest in Arabia ~a hint: it's about oil and the Suez Canal~ Faisal is quite impressed with his young guest's extensive knowledge of Arab history, and realizes that he's not like the usual crop of advisors sent over by London. With the Ottoman Turks constantly forcing the Hashemite Bedouin on the run, Faisal acknowledges to the young man that "what we need is what no man can provide, Mr Lawrence. We need a miracle ".
Lawrence deduces that Faisal's miracle involves taking the vital port of Aqaba currently under Turkish control...but there's a major hurdle! The city is well-defended by huge guns facing the gulf that are capable of sinking Allied vessels. To approach Aqaba from the landward side would mean crossing the Nefud desert on foot, a feat considered impossible. Ali describes the Nefud as "the worst place God created". Undaunted, Lawrence convinces the Arab noble to loan out fifty men to help accomplish Faisal's miracle.
Following their miraculous exit out of the Nefud, they cross paths with the Howeitat tribe led by Auda Abu Tayi (Quinn). Lawrence's outsider status among the Arabs places him in a unique position: that of a go-between, a man capable of uniting them all into a single cohesive fighting force. The coalition nearly collapses the night before Aqaba when one of Ali's men kills one of Auda's; only Lawrence's intervention ~and his execution of the culprit~ prevents bloodshed.
The next morning, Lawrence and his Arabs lead the daring assault on the Turkish garrison at Aqaba, easily overrunning the enemy forces. However, the superstitious Auda's destruction of the Ottoman communications leaves Lawrence unable to contact Cairo and notify them about Aqaba's change in management. Forced to travel on foot with two servants across the Sinai to reach Egypt, the lieutenant fights through sandstorms and quicksand before eventually approaching the canal... just as a ship is passing, where Lean stages a truly breathtaking shot. By placing his camera at a certain angle, Lean creates an impression of the ship sailing through the desert sand.
Long before Aqaba, Lawrence already ditched his uniform in favor of traditional Arab robes. As he and his surviving manservant enter through British Army headquarters, his fellow officers don't know what to make of his new appearance, especially when he informs them all about Aqaba. Luckily, General Edmund Allenby (Hawkins), the supreme commander, is convinced, and persuades Lawrence to return and smash Turkey's rail lines with all of the materiel that can be provided. It's at this point where the intermission comes in, and I think I'll leave my synopsis at that.
The real T. E. Lawrence was a highly complex enigma wrapped in a riddle, and therefore difficult to pin down. O'Toole obviously read "Seven Pillars Of Wisdom" in preparation for his role to gain a little insight into the man....and it paid off handsomely! His brilliant performance as Lawrence was as auspicious a breakthrough as Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara. Overnight, O'Toole was the toast of the town in almost every town in the Western Hemisphere. As a result, the actor received the first of eight ~unsuccessful~ Oscar nominations. Omar Sharif was also recognized by the Academy, and was widely expected to win for supporting actor, but lost to Ed Begley for SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, a movie no one remembers.
Like THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA won a total of 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Along with statuette number two for Lean, the other deserving recipients were Freddie Young for his cinematography; Maurice Jarre's sweeping score; John Box's production design; Anne V Coates, whose editing seamlessly keeps this three and a half hour epic utterly absorbing; and, finally, the costumes. Robert Bolt received a nomination for his literate screenplay, but lost to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
A final paragraph about Lawrence the man: although he won the war against the Turks, he and his Arab allies would be defeated by his own politicians following the Sykes/Picot Agreement, in which England and France secretly conspired to divide amongst them whatever spoils were left over following the Ottoman Empire's collapse..... including Arabia. The betrayal left Lawrence so disgusted with his government's duplicity that he personally declined a knighthood offer from King George V himself. Anyone wondering why the Arabs have such a distrust for the West will find this epic educational as well as entertaining. 🔚
In the late 1980's, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA became the very first film to undergo an extensive restoration prior to being released on home videocassette. Since originally landing in the theaters in 1962, the Academy Award winning epic suffered several cuts that were done to make room for television airplay. Now, a team of dedicated preservationists diligently labored to resurrect the pictorial quality and restore the excised footage. Insofar as the audio makeover was concerned, some of the surviving actors were brought back to re-record various segments of dialogue twenty-five years after first being spoken. Spielberg ~along with Martin Scorsese~ served as a consultant for the upgrade, and he wistfully reminisced about watching the renewed version in a private screening with David Lean, listening to the old master talk about every aspect of the production. Spielberg would later describe the experience as a"live director's commentary".
Lean and Sam Spiegel last collaborated on THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, and this one was shaping up to eclipse its predecessor on an even grander scale. Taking his cast and crew into the desert for more than a year of filming, Lean had some of the finest colleagues in the industry to help make his vision a reality. Freddie Young's breathtaking cinematography may very well be the greatest in movie history. Production designer John Box's sets are absolutely first-rate; Maurice Jarre contributes some of the most epic movie music ever scored. And because the foundation for any film is its screenplay, playwright Robert Bolt contributes one suitable to Lean's high standards.
In LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, Lean stages some truly spectacular set pieces. Examples include an aerial bombardment of a Bedouin camp; the crossing of the uncrossable Nefud desert; the rescue of Gassim; the storming of Aqaba; a train derailment, and many, many more. Even the entrance of Sharif Ali, beginning as a small blip on the hyperarid horizon, is absolutely mesmerizing. The finished product would become so influential that every wannabe epic in its wake bills itself as "the best since LAWRENCE OF ARABIA".
And finally, that cast!!!! We've got Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy, Jose Ferrer, and the two Anthonys, Misters Quinn and Quayle. Most importantly, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA was the breakthrough for a pair of previously unknown actors: Omar Sharif ~who would become the first Arab superstar~ and especially Peter O'Toole in the title role.
Lieutenant T. E. Lawrence is an eccentric British archaeologist and soldier stationed in Cairo when the First World War breaks out. Because Lawrence is the one Englishman who knows the Middle East like the back of his hand, he's been ordered into Arabia by His Majesty's Arab Bureau to locate Prince Faisal (Guinness) and make an appraisal of their situation. One of the most impressive jump cuts ever filmed occurs when a close-up of Lawrence blowing out a match is suddenly jumped to a shot of the morning sun slowly rising over a desert sand dune. Only an undisputedly great director could accomplish this.
After Lawrence's guide is shot and killed by Sharif Ali ~one of Faisal's nobles~ over a water dispute, the lieutenant eventually meets up with Colonel Brighton (Quayle), Faisal's British liaison, who escorts him to the prince's encampment. Remaining suspicious over Great Britain's interest in Arabia ~a hint: it's about oil and the Suez Canal~ Faisal is quite impressed with his young guest's extensive knowledge of Arab history, and realizes that he's not like the usual crop of advisors sent over by London. With the Ottoman Turks constantly forcing the Hashemite Bedouin on the run, Faisal acknowledges to the young man that "what we need is what no man can provide, Mr Lawrence. We need a miracle ".
Lawrence deduces that Faisal's miracle involves taking the vital port of Aqaba currently under Turkish control...but there's a major hurdle! The city is well-defended by huge guns facing the gulf that are capable of sinking Allied vessels. To approach Aqaba from the landward side would mean crossing the Nefud desert on foot, a feat considered impossible. Ali describes the Nefud as "the worst place God created". Undaunted, Lawrence convinces the Arab noble to loan out fifty men to help accomplish Faisal's miracle.
Following their miraculous exit out of the Nefud, they cross paths with the Howeitat tribe led by Auda Abu Tayi (Quinn). Lawrence's outsider status among the Arabs places him in a unique position: that of a go-between, a man capable of uniting them all into a single cohesive fighting force. The coalition nearly collapses the night before Aqaba when one of Ali's men kills one of Auda's; only Lawrence's intervention ~and his execution of the culprit~ prevents bloodshed.
The next morning, Lawrence and his Arabs lead the daring assault on the Turkish garrison at Aqaba, easily overrunning the enemy forces. However, the superstitious Auda's destruction of the Ottoman communications leaves Lawrence unable to contact Cairo and notify them about Aqaba's change in management. Forced to travel on foot with two servants across the Sinai to reach Egypt, the lieutenant fights through sandstorms and quicksand before eventually approaching the canal... just as a ship is passing, where Lean stages a truly breathtaking shot. By placing his camera at a certain angle, Lean creates an impression of the ship sailing through the desert sand.
Long before Aqaba, Lawrence already ditched his uniform in favor of traditional Arab robes. As he and his surviving manservant enter through British Army headquarters, his fellow officers don't know what to make of his new appearance, especially when he informs them all about Aqaba. Luckily, General Edmund Allenby (Hawkins), the supreme commander, is convinced, and persuades Lawrence to return and smash Turkey's rail lines with all of the materiel that can be provided. It's at this point where the intermission comes in, and I think I'll leave my synopsis at that.
The real T. E. Lawrence was a highly complex enigma wrapped in a riddle, and therefore difficult to pin down. O'Toole obviously read "Seven Pillars Of Wisdom" in preparation for his role to gain a little insight into the man....and it paid off handsomely! His brilliant performance as Lawrence was as auspicious a breakthrough as Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara. Overnight, O'Toole was the toast of the town in almost every town in the Western Hemisphere. As a result, the actor received the first of eight ~unsuccessful~ Oscar nominations. Omar Sharif was also recognized by the Academy, and was widely expected to win for supporting actor, but lost to Ed Begley for SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, a movie no one remembers.
Like THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA won a total of 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Along with statuette number two for Lean, the other deserving recipients were Freddie Young for his cinematography; Maurice Jarre's sweeping score; John Box's production design; Anne V Coates, whose editing seamlessly keeps this three and a half hour epic utterly absorbing; and, finally, the costumes. Robert Bolt received a nomination for his literate screenplay, but lost to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
A final paragraph about Lawrence the man: although he won the war against the Turks, he and his Arab allies would be defeated by his own politicians following the Sykes/Picot Agreement, in which England and France secretly conspired to divide amongst them whatever spoils were left over following the Ottoman Empire's collapse..... including Arabia. The betrayal left Lawrence so disgusted with his government's duplicity that he personally declined a knighthood offer from King George V himself. Anyone wondering why the Arabs have such a distrust for the West will find this epic educational as well as entertaining. 🔚