Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

         Lawrence of Arabia is the tale of T. E. Lawrence, a man who led the Arabians in World War I against the Turkish. He was immensely successful, although tormented by his own sadistic urges to kill. Directed by David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia beautifully renders the desert and the difficult journey Lawrence faced crossing it. Artful shots of emptiness, rippling and crippling heat, and the clear boredom and monotony of crossing the desert came across incredibly clearly. While watching Lawrence, the audience is drawn into the story and crosses the desert along with Lawrence and the Arabians. This was clearly Lean’s intent, however it was so realistic that I often found myself feeling as though I were on a trek through the desert, and like Lawrence, I was bored to tears.

         If the goal of the movie was to draw you into this world, it was very successful. A little too successful. If the movie had been split up and perhaps made into two stories, the length of artful shots of sand would have been a lot more bearable. The story of Lawrence crossing the Nefud Desert could have stood alone as a story, and Lawrence’s continued conquest of Damascus could have been another story. Similarly if the duration of desert footage had been cut down, the poignancy of the long desert days would have remained while not putting the audience to sleep. 

         Like in Citizen Kane, I can appreciate why Lawrence of Arabia is considered one of the greats. It is a beautifully told story of a hero. His character was brought to like by Peter O’Toole, down to the detail of his sadistic tendencies, and it is overall well done. Enjoying the burn of a match or killing a man he risked his life to rescue, Lawrence was a well developed character. His immersion into the Arabian culture and dedication to the people also was carefully developed. That being said, the audience can feel every minute passing painfully slow, to the beat of the camel’s footsteps. Lawrence of Arabia is definitely worth the first watch, after all it has been labeled as one of the “best ever’s” and it will hold that title indefinitely, but it is not a movie I would see twice.

By Tapley