David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia is a monument. At 228 minutes, it is a film that demands patience and repays it in full. This is a biography of T.E. Lawrence, the British officer who became a folk hero in the deserts of Arabia during World War I, and it is told with a grandeur that matches its subject’s outsized legend.
Peter O’Toole plays Lawrence as a man of contradictions: a scholar who loves the desert, a soldier who hates violence, and a diplomat who cannot keep his mouth shut. The film opens with his death in 1935, at a memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral, and then flashes back to the First World War, where Lawrence arrives in the Ottoman provinces of Hejaz and Syria as a misfit lieutenant. He is sent to meet Colonel Harry Brighton, who advises Prince Feisal in his revolt against the Turks, and it is here that the story begins.
Trailer, via Park Circus.
The March to Aqaba
The film’s central sequence is Lawrence’s march across the Nefud Desert to capture the port of Aqaba. He recruits the tribal leader Auda Abu Tayi, played by Anthony Quinn, and leads a small band of Bedouins, including Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish, played by Omar Sharif. Along the way, Lawrence rescues Gasim, played by I.S. Johar, from a well, and the grateful Arabs give him traditional clothing. The march is a test of will, and it is here that the film’s themes of identity and allegiance come into focus.
Lawrence is torn between his loyalty to Britain and his growing affection for the desert tribes. He violates Brighton’s orders by launching a surprise attack on Aqaba, and the attack succeeds because Auda switches sides. There is no gold at Aqaba, but Lawrence placates Auda by agreeing to ask his superiors in Cairo for more. The sequence is tense, beautiful, and exhausting, and it sets the tone for the rest of the film.
The Cast
The supporting cast is exceptional. Alec Guinness plays Prince Feisal with dignity and warmth, and his performance is one of the film’s great strengths. Anthony Quinn brings a wild intensity to Auda, a man who switches sides for a promise of gold. Omar Sharif is mesmerizing as Sherif Ali, a man of honor who is horrified by Lawrence’s execution of Gasim. The film also features Jack Hawkins as General Allenby, José Ferrer as the Turkish Bey, and Claude Rains as Mr. Dryden.
Albert Finney was Lean’s first choice to play Lawrence, but he turned the part down because he did not want to sign a long-term contract with producer Sam Spiegel. Marlon Brando was also offered the role, and Anthony Perkins and Montgomery Clift were briefly considered before O’Toole was cast. Spiegel disliked Clift, having worked with him on Suddenly, Last Summer (1959).
Lean saw O’Toole in The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960) and was struck by his screen test, proclaiming, “This is Lawrence!” O’Toole bears some resemblance to the historical Lawrence, though at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall he is significantly taller than the real man. Noël Coward quipped after seeing the première of the film, “If you had been any prettier, the film would have been called Florence of Arabia.”
The Soundtrack and the Super Panavision 70
The film’s technical achievements are worth noting. The Super Panavision 70 cinematography by Freddie Young captures the vastness of the desert with stunning clarity. The score by Maurice Jarre is a sweeping, romantic work that complements the visuals without overwhelming them. Together, they create a sensory experience that is immersive and unforgettable.
The film’s themes are complex. Lawrence struggles with the violence inherent in war, and he is constantly forced to make difficult choices. He is a man of principles who is willing to bend them when necessary. His relationship with the desert tribes is complicated by his British identity, and the film does not offer easy answers. It simply presents the contradictions and lets the audience wrestle with them.
The Oscar Wins
Lawrence of Arabia was nominated for ten Oscars at the 35th Academy Awards and won seven, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama and the BAFTA Awards for Best Film and Outstanding British Film. The film’s critical reception has been uniformly positive, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.
The film’s tagline, “Nothing is written,” captures its fatalistic worldview. Lawrence believes that destiny is not fixed, and he works tirelessly to shape his own fate. The film shows the cost of that belief, and it is a powerful statement about individual agency in a chaotic world.
The Legacy
The film has had a lasting impact on popular culture. Lawrence’s image, with his flowing robes and his battered face, has become iconic. The film’s influence can be seen in countless war epics that followed, from The English Patient to Black Hawk Down. It remains a benchmark for epic filmmaking, and it is a film that rewards multiple viewings.
There are flaws. The film’s runtime is long, and some viewers may find the middle section slow. The pacing is deliberate, and the film takes its time exploring its characters and its themes. That is not necessarily a weakness, but it is a consideration for audiences who prefer a tighter narrative.
The film’s politics are also worth examining. Lawrence is a British imperialist who is sympathetic to the Arabs, but the film does not fully grapple with the colonial context of his actions. It presents Lawrence as a heroic outsider, but it does not interrogate the system he served. That is a limitation, but it is also a product of its era.
The Verdict
Lawrence of Arabia is a masterpiece. It is a film of scale, ambition, and intelligence, and it is anchored by a performance that is both commanding and vulnerable. O’Toole disappears into the role, and he makes Lawrence a human being rather than a legend. The film is flawed, but its strengths are so substantial that they outweigh its weaknesses.
The film is a reminder of the power of cinema. It is a film that transports the viewer to a distant place and time, and it makes the viewer feel the heat of the desert and the weight of history. It is a film that demands attention and rewards it with beauty, tragedy, and truth.
Key Facts Box
- Runtime: 228 minutes
- Directed by David Lean
- Written by Robert Bolt, Michael Wilson
- Based on T.E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom
- Won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director
- Also won Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards
The film is a triumph. It is a film that speaks to the human condition, and it does so with grace and power. It is a film that deserves its reputation, and it is a film that will endure.
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