Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
The story focuses on the real life figure of T.E. Lawrence, a controversial British soldier from WW1 who played a major part in uniting a multitude of arab tribes to fight the Ottoman Empire in the middle east. The film begins with his very underwhelming death and subsequent funeral at St. Paul's cathedral. From there we flashback to the life of the man in question. At the time of release, the titular role went to the largely unknown Peter O'Toole which is remarkable really - to put that much risk onto the shoulders of an actor whose biggest movie credit before that was 'The Day They Robbed The Bank of England'. O'Toole, to his credit, carries the role well and certainly proves hefty enough to carry a story of such gravitas.
After proving himself a fearless and cunning strategist, Lawrence becomes a folk hero among the British troops and local tribes alike. He is somewhat of a showman, insubordinate and pretty much a pain in the arse to anyone who wants him to abide to the rules, but his charisma and virtue seem to overpower those quirks and wherever he goes, people will follow. However, as one ranking officer comments in the film, Lawrence is increasingly at risk of going 'full native' and his moral compass becomes pretty quickly skewed, thus making for a fascinating character study of a the lengths a man might go to in order to achieve his goals.
The first thing to mention is the cinematography. It is magnificent. You could potentially make an argument for it being the best work in that department to ever grace the silver screen. Yes, the massive 70mm frame helps. Yes the scenery helps. But most of the brilliance is in the mere composition. Considering this was filmed in the early 1960s, the craft at play puts most films made today to shame. The technique and skill involved with telling this story visually is really a masterclass for any aspiring cinematographers out there. The interiors of this period typically feel like interiors. Here you feel like you're in Damascus. Nothing feels forced and the play between foreground/background is sublime. It's rich, vivid and every frame could be a painting on the wall. Freddie Young deservedly swept the awards for his work here.
The performances are... interesting. Obviously being that this is 1962 and cancel culture did not yet exist, there is much blackface going on. That said, the likes of Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn are, I have to say, pretty believable as Arabs - despite some dodgy accents and the general vibe of 'that's obviously a white man in brown make-up'. No such troubles with Omar Sheriff, who is excellent. Then there is O'Toole. If there in one bum note in the film, it is that Peter O'Toole comes across as, well, a bit fey. Yes there were speculations about the real T.E. Lawrence's sexuality, but we're supposed to believe this man is a warrior whose actions inspire all he meets to bend to his will. It's hard to believe that when eye shadow has been lathered on and he looks like he's never held a pistol in his life. It's not a question of bigotry or anything of the sort, it just doesn't necessarily ring true.
And maybe it's because I've got three children under 4 years old and it took me nineteen sessions to actually get through the entire film, but the arc of Lawrence himself didn't impact me the way I would've hoped. His journey into the heart of darkness has inspired an almost countless iterations of a similar tone since ('Dances With Wolves', 'Avatar', 'Star Wars'. The list goes on) but, again, it left me feeling a bit shortchanged. That is not to say that this isn't a magnificent film, it is. It's just that I suppose when you go in expecting one of the greatest films ever made, maybe your standards are inadvertently raised. Although I'm a person who didn't like 'The Godfather' the first time I saw it, so it may merit a second viewing (preferably without the kids around and a large bag of cocaine to keep me awake for 4 hours) to truly give this film it's proper due.
The score is iconic, beginning with a black screen and an eight-minute overture. Which immediately makes you feel like you're in for an experience. Every time I see a film with an overture and/or an intermission you cannot help but ask the question of why we don't do this anymore. It does nothing but add the magic of cinema to proceedings and I imagine would elevate the experience of watching just about any film, but certainly anything of an epic nature. Not all films have massive sweeping orchestral pieces driving them on, and massive scenes featuring hundreds of extras, but, for the ones that do, surely we could bring back this standard tomorrow and every audience would benefit.
As mentioned earlier, upon further viewing this film may go up in my estimations but, for now, I am thrilled to have finally gotten through it and the stunning visuals will be seared into my soul from now on. Despite Peter O'Toole's inability to convincingly hold a gun, I still thoroughly enjoyed this experience and if more 'big' films looked and felt like this, the movie world would be a better place. If you're a parent of youngsters, just make sure you don't watch anywhere comfortable, there will be sleep. If you're not, load up the espresso martinis and enjoy.
★★★★☆
JB.
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