Lawrence Of Arabia
Whenever you hear an old-timer say, âThey donât make em like they used to!â, there can be no doubt that they could be referring to this sumptuous, technically brilliant epic made in 1962, which features beautiful cinematography, top notch acting, and an engrossing story, but alas for young people of today, clocks in at a running time of 3 hours and 47 minutes, turning the whole enterprise into pretty much an endurance contest. Director David Lean tells the story of T.E. Lawrence, a British officer in World War I sent into the Middle East to âaccess the situationâ as far as the British involvement in working with the various Arab tribes fighting against the Turks who are allied with Germany, and winds up not only uniting them and leading them to victory, but uses his influence to allow the people to establish their own independent sovereign state. In the lead role, Peter OâToole literally shot out of obscurity to carry the film from beginning to end, and while his performance might not be The Greatest Of All Time as some have postulated, he brings equal parts heroism and equal parts pathos to the table, enjoying the glory of being the âsaviorâ to the Arab people yet finding himself angry and bitter by the end over the bloodshed that resulted from it, as it is heavily implied that Lawrence was a pacifist and quite possibly a homosexual (no surprise that there are no speaking roles for women over the near four hour running time). As his companion and voice of reason, Omar Sharif also made himself a major star here, and the fact that he and OâToole represent the filmâs only acting Oscar nominations is made clear by their interaction together. In other roles, Alec Guiness is a touch out of place as an Arab prince with his Kirk Lazurus-style makeup job, but still brings the character a ton of dignity; Anthony Quinn as the tribal leader who joins the fray is gruff and to the point, and summons up the Arab quality well; Jose Ferrer in the brief role of a Turkish general with rape on his mind towards a captured Lawrence is rivetingly scary; Claude Rains as the British diplomat who ultimately allows the Arabs their independence slides smoothly in and out of the story; and only Arthur Kennedy gives what could be construed as a bad performance as the chipper, go-getter American reporter covering the conflict who comes across as a corny stereotype. As far as getting back to the extreme length of the film, while it cannot be said that the story is ever slow-paced or boring, in the end it does come across as a bit of overkill, maybe too much of a good thing, that leaves the viewer quite exhausted, and the fact that the film ends with a bit of a whimper doesnât help, as Lawrence seems to be just as anxious to get the hell out of the desert as the viewer. Also, it could be interpreted that what Lean is doing is testing the stamina and endurance of the viewer just as Lawrence and his men do when they cross the vast desert on their way to fighting the Turks, which if so, is either a brilliant piece of subversion or a LOTR-style thumbing of the nose to those poor souls who just want to get it over with. As far as the themes and morals of the story that still resonate today (most prominent is the fact that the Middle East needed the help, support, and leadership of the Western world just to help them stand on their own two feet), most of it is overshadowed by the great HUMAN elements, most notably when Lawrence defies logic to go back and pick up a straggler whilst the rest of his crew treks on, surviving the blistering heat to rejoin the others at a water well and earning the respect of them all. Overall, one should take their vitamins and get plenty of sleep before watching, but in many ways the long trek is well worth itâŚ
8/10