When we first meet Lawrence, he is a brash young officer who makes
no apologies for his style. He tells a superior officer, that the problem
is his manner: "It looks insubordinate, but it isn't really."
Lawrence gets sent to serve British interests in North Africa. Initially,
he knows very little about the local customs and survival techniques,
but he learns quickly. Soon, he proves himself to the tribal leaders
with his bravery and resourcefulness, in addition to demonstrating respect
for their customs.
The panoramic scenes of the desert are extraordinary, characterizing
both the challenge and the lure of this world to Lawrence. But after
he's asked to do some things that make him question his own ethics,
he returns to his commanders to beg to be released from this duty.
The contrast between the scenes in the desert and the scenes in the
British command post are striking. In the desert, there's an aura of
dusty, sweaty heat. By contrast, the command post is fresh, orderly
and cool looking. The image of Lawrence, with his sunburned face and
desperate eyes, sitting on an upholstered chair, shows how far he's
come from the world he's known.
The higher-ups insist on sending him back into the fray. The second
half is more difficult to follow because it delves into the political
intrigues in play at the time, about how warring segments of the population
factored into war alliances. The many scenes of commanders talking strategy
in tents may leave some viewers cold, but the battle scenes are visceral
and easy to comprehend, especially Lawrence's transformation in battle,
as he unleashes the fire within that had been brooding beneath his jovial
exterior.
Peter O'Toole deserves praise for his portrayal of Lawrence. He immersed
himself so fully in this role that he is still associated with this
part today, despite his many movies since. Of course, if the director
had his first choice, he would have cast Albert Finney in the role.
Finney did a screen test and was offered the job, but turned it down
because of the long-term contract he'd be required to sign. Other actors
reportedly considered for the part were Marlon Brando (who dropped out
to play Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty) and Anthony
Perkins. Alec Guinness, who had played T.E. Lawrence on stage, wanted
the role, but the filmmakers felt he was too old and gave him the role
of Prince Feisal when their original choice, Laurence Olivier, turned
it down.
Omar Sharif, likewise, does an excellent job. He plays a character
whom viewers initially hate, then learn to respect, understand and even
admire. It's a difficult task for an actor, to produce so many emotions
over the course of the movie. His understated acting produces the right
result. He also had some help from a special 482mm lens from Panavision,
used to film his entrance through a mirage. Panavision still has the
lens, which cinematographers refer to as the "David Lean lens."
It's notable that Sharif got the role that he did, considering that
most ethnic roles in those days were played by white actors in makeup
(such as Alec Guinness).
The cinematography is excellent, as is the attention to detail in terms
of costuming and casting. King Hussein of Jordan lent an entire brigade
of his Arab Legion as extras for the film, so most of the "soldiers"
are played by real soldiers. Interestingly, the 227-minute movie is
reportedly the longest film not to have any dialogue spoken by women.
The film took a long time to complete, which led to an interesting
story by Peter O'Toole, told on The Tonight Show. He referred
to the scene when Lawrence and General Allenby, after their meeting,
continue talking while walking down a staircase. According to O'Toole,
part of the scene had to be reshot much later, "So in the final
print, when I get to the bottom of the stairs, I'm a year older than
I was when I started walking down them."
This movie will be a bit hard to follow for people who aren't enamored
with military strategy. Initially, I saw this movie as a teenager with
my brother at an outdoor showing. I missed a lot then, but I thought
it was due to a combination of a poor projectionist (who mixed up the
reels at least once), and the poor lighting during the first half of
the movie before the sun had completely set. But now, rewatching it
20 years later, I found that it was still difficult to keep track of
the different political alliances and schemes.
That aside, Lawrence of Arabia is an excellent movie, full of
subtext, superb acting, and breath-taking visuals, and it is one of
the best films ever to win the Best Picture award.
