Lawrence
of Arabia
(1962)
Rated: PG
Runtime: 3 Hours and 47 Minutes
Reviewer: Jones
Grade: A+Two men stand by a drinking well. They have been traveling all day across barren desert. Their destination is not in sight, but that is not important to them. All that matters is quenching their thirst. They have been here for some time choosing the rest for a spell before carrying on with their journey. It is during this time that they realize they are not alone. They look into the distance and you do as well for you are there with them at the well. At first you see nothing and then ever so faintly you see a black spot appear on the horizon. It steadily grows larger and then, to your astonishment, it begins reflecting upon the surface of the desert creating a mirage. You can now see that it is a man riding a camel and he is coming straight for the well.
Your guide pulls out a revolver and is gunned down before he knows what hit him. The man arrives at the well and dismounts. You stand there stunned, unable to move.
You have just witnessed the most brilliant character entrance of all time and what may very well be the single greatest scene ever committed to film. My description does not do it justice. You must see it for yourself to be able to understand the enormity of it's impact within the context of the film. I have never seen anything like it and I find it quite unlikely that you have either.
The "mirage" scene is just one of many images that this film etched in my mind as it carried me through it's world for nearly four hours. Quite possibly the greatest transition ever resides here as well. Lawrence has just described the prospect of going to the deserts of Arabia as "funny". He lights a match as he says this and concludes the conversation by blowing out the match. Cut to the sun rising over the deserts of Arabia. It is the sort of brilliant, awe-inspiring moment that only the motion picture industry can provide. One other transition that I feel the need to mention occurs late in the film. It is night time and Auda abu Tayi finds himself outside near a pool of water. He looks into the pool to see the reflection of the moon. Seeing this he looks to the sky and stretches in much the same way as someone who has awoken from a good night's rest. Cut to a curtain being drawn aside to show that morning has arrived. I know my mouth hung agape for the majority of the viewing out of sheer awe for seeing moments such as these and many others contained within.
Not only is the film breathtaking in the visual sense, but it also has a great story to tell that is every bit the match of the cinematography. It is the story of a man who is driven by his inner demons to perform what can only be described as "miracles" by the people who follow him.
In performing these "miracles" he comes to be revered as something akin to a God by the Arabs and, over time, he comes to believe it as well. This will eventually be his undoing as he takes more and more risks thinking that he is indestructible.
The man is T. E. Lawrence and he is portrayed with passion and precision by Peter O'Toole (in his first film role). He is a blunt man who, being of little use to the military, is sent into the deserts of Arabia to appraise the situation that has arisen between the warring factions. Upon his arrival in the camp of Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness) he almost immediately begins overstepping his bounds. He speaks of how he thinks the situation should be handled which is in stark contrast to how his superior officer feels it should be done. The Prince listens, but inevitably takes the side of Lawrence's superior. Lawrence, undeterred, convinces the Prince's right hand man Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) that they can take the city of Aqaba from land rather than the sea. They can do this, he explains, because the city's guns are pointed toward the sea and cannot be turned. Aqaba has not anticipated the possibility of a land attack and Lawrence believes this will be their undoing. Ali explains that there is a large problem with his plan. There is a large desert between them and Aqaba that has been described as "uncrossable". This does not phase Lawrence and he is able to get the Prince to give him fifty men across the desert.
It is in the desert that Lawrence performs his first miracle. A man was mistakenly left behind in the desert and nobody will go back for him. It is suicide they say. Lawrence chooses to go back on his own and when he returns from the desert with the man in tow he is received as by the people as a man who is larger than life. He is given Arab clothing by Ali, which only inspires him to be even bolder in his aspirations. While dancing about in his new clothes, during a rare private moment, he makes the acquaintance of Auda abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn) the leader of a rival Arab tribe. Lawrence manages to unite the two tribes into one unit to realize the greater goal of freeing Arabia. This unification is, in effect, his second miracle.
This will lead to Lawrence performing what the Arabian people view as more miracles. They will embolden him to think of himself as something of a deity and to take chance that mortal men would not even dream of doing.
The world of Lawrence is brought to life by the man whose name is synonymous with the word epic: David Lean. If you want an epic made, he's your man. "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was a film of epic proportions that, for virtually any other director, would have been a masterpiece incapable of being surpassed. For Lean it was merely a stepping stone to his masterpiece: "Lawrence of Arabia". Every shot is perfect, for lack of a better word, in composition, duration and effectiveness. Not a single one is wasted, nor is a second of the near four hour run time either. It is he who is responsible for the great moments I mentioned at the top of the review. The mirage sequence and the brilliant transitions are all David Lean. I knew this man was a genius, but even the brilliance of "Kwai" could not prepare me for this unparalleled motion picture spectacle. Lean's greatness exists because he knows exactly what he wants from a scene and how he has to go about getting what he wants translated to the screen. This can be anything from shot selection to drawing great performances from his actors. The brilliance of his visual sense has already been discussed, but I have yet to touch upon the mesmerizing performances contained within the experience that is "Lawrence of Arabia".
Peter O'Toole gives a tour-de-force performance as T. E. Lawrence. His piercing blue eyes penetrate into the soul of the viewer, as they watch this man become more and more derailed. O' Toole makes us cheer him on, because he is everything anyone could ever want to be. He steps on his superior's toes, dares to do the impossible and ends up doing the impossible. Lawrence is a passionate man that desires to do the right thing, even if it takes committing a few wrongs to attain the desired results. O'Toole delivers in every way throughout the course of our journey with Lawrence. I could not find a flaw in his performance, or in the performance of any other cast member for that matter.
Anthony Quinn ("The Guns of Navarone") is unhinged in the role of Auda abu Tayi. He is a surly, yet reasonable sort of man. He is in this world to get money. Not for himself, but for his people. It is easy to see that this is an honorable man caught up in dishonorable circumstances. In a way he is the Robin Hood of the Middle East and I am sure that you will find yourself enjoying every moment he is onscreen alongside the likes of O'Toole, Guinness and Sharif.
Speaking of Omar Sharif ("Doctor Zhivago"). This was his first performance outside of his native lands and he made the most of it. In the role of Sharif Ali he brings class and nobility to a character that hardly seems noble at all. He is the man who comes from the desert in the fabled "mirage" sequence and he proves to be worthy of such an entrance, becoming a key ingredient in the picture's recipe for success. At first he thinks little of Lawrence, but as time passes he comes to love this man, following him in his pursuits, despite the ramifications. I now understand what all the the talk was about when I heard Omar Sharif's name spoken in my childhood. People were speaking of a man who delivered one of the finest supporting performances in motion picture history.
So there you have it. "Lawrence of Arabia" is, quite possibly, the most ambitious, beautifully shot film of all time. It is anchored by performances that can be described as nothing short of mesmerizing, brilliant, thought-provoking masterpieces in and of themselves. The performances are driven by a script with no holes and by a director who knows where he wants to go and how he wants to get there. All of these ingredients culminate in one of the greatest films ever made, which should be all the more reason anyone needs to see this unrivalled spectacle of motion picture history lay itself out before their very eyes.
"Lawrence of Arabia" is a cinematic experience unlike any other that needs to be taken in and absorbed by anyone and everyone who has a place in their heart for the cinema. It is a journey of awe-inspiring, epic proportions that you may never want to return from. This film seduced me in much the same way that the deserts of Arabia seduced a young T. E. Lawrence so long ago. He didn't want to return from those breathtaking lands, nor did I want this film to end.
In a way "Lawrence of Arabia" never ends. It lives on in the mind long after it has come to the end of it's journey. It is in the mind that I feel like my journey through the deserts of Arabia has just begun.
That is the stuff the truly great epics are made of.
Reviewer: Dale
Grade: A+
It's going to be hard for me to do justice to this film in words. How can I? It's such an expansive, amazing and fascinating journey. It's an utterly unforgettable film, and perhaps the masterwork of a true cinema master: David Lean.
I think you all know my love for David Lean. If not, go back and read my review for "The Bridge on the River Kwai": another film that achieves perfection. There is no one better suited to the making of an epic. Period. No one has done them better. And no one has ever done a better epic than "Lawrence of Arabia". I'm almost certain of it. He knows instinctively how to place the camera for maximum impact. Watch "Lawrence of Arabia" and tell me if any of its images will ever leave your mind. I saw this movie for the first time about five years ago, and
I know that the images have been indelible in my own head since then. The man slowly entering from a heat shimmer in the distance, for example. A man rides up through a shimmer of heat, getting closer and closer each moment until he is no longer a speck but a shadow and then an identifiable figure. Man, movies just don't have that kind of patience any more. There are countless shots of men riding camels and they look huge until the camera pulls back to reveal them dwarfed by the vast wastelands of desert which surround them. No desert has ever looked more beautiful on film than this one does. God, it is gorgeous. Some scenes of this film are so beautiful it could make you cry.
The film is patient, as well, yet is never dull. It simply has a lot of story to tell and, rather than rushing any aspect of that fascinating story, it takes its time and lets the characters breathe. It lets us get to know T.E. Lawrence (Peter O' Toole in his film debut, and he has never been better). Lawrence begins as a map technician in Cairo, but has an idea about uniting the Arabs to use as an army against the Turks. The army gives him his post (mainly because he is worthless to them) and he soon goes about uniting the Arabian tribes in order to give them their own freedom, something which the British government has no interest in.
Lawrence, as O' Toole portrays him, is a mesmerizing character. He is so unusual, so much more complicated and complex, so much more strange and bold than most of the characters that a movie has introduced us to. Even though the film tells the story of a winning of a war and the triumph of a race of people, it is mainly the story of a man who seemed to want, more than anything, to change his race and do something totally extraordinary. Lawrence is an enigma of a man and a multi-faceted character, but he is never, ever boring. O' Toole bleeds charisma in this movie. He is charming and stubborn and courageous and eccentric.
He is awesome, in a word.
Then again, so is the movie. Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif do outstanding jobs as the leaders of men who unite with Lawrence and lend their skills to the fight for their own particular reasons. The script is sublime. Each line of dialogue is great and has a deeper meaning behind it. It's the story of one man's importance and one man's longing. And there are scenes of unparalleled spectacle and grandeur. Pretty much any scene, actually. I love the way that we are treated to such a wonderfully unique character. I love how the narrative never goes where we expect it to. I love each and every thing about this movie.
In short, this is not so much a movie as a journey to be taken. You will vicariously experience a time and place that is not your own and you will inhabit it fully from the first frame to the last. This is bold, rich storytelling that does not skimp on anything nor pull any punches. This, my friends, is "Lawrence of Arabia". Experience it for yourself.