LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

DIRECTED BY DAVID LEAN

INTRODUCTION

Anyone who has been following my recent film and DVD reviews (and if you have, thank you!!) would be forgiven for thinking that this was David Lean season!!
David Lean has produced so many of my favourite films and is without doubt one of our finest directors.
I am nearly at the end (stop cheering) of my reviews of his work - although there are still a couple tucked away (sorry!!) this review is about a film that in my opinion is one of the best pieces of film making ever.

Lawrence of Arabia gained a grand total of 7 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Musical Score, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Art Direction) in the Academy Awards ceremony of 1962.

This review is about the adaption of Lawrence of Arabia on the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2 disc DVD released on 9 April 2001

When the original film was made it was 222 minutes long, which is close to 4 hours! Columbia Pictures refused to show the film in the cinemas because it was so long. So the film was shortened to 187 minutes, which, although still over 3 hours long, was short enough to be played in cinemas. David Lean wasn't happy about this decision but it was the only way to get his film shown. Having only been shown at 187 minutes for the next 20 years, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg supervised and financed) the restoration of the picture in 1989; this DVD is the result of that restoration.

THE STORY

Despite the length and intensity of this film, the plot is really extremely simple.
It basically tells the true story of T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole in his acting debut), a British soldier in World War I who led an Arab revolt against the Turkish army. Robert Bolt's screenplay was based largely on TE Lawrence's autobiography 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph', and other writings.

The story starts during the opening credits of the film; we see Lawrence's untimely death at the age of 46, as a prologue to the story, which is then told as a long flashback from the newspaper reporter, Jackson Bentley (Arthur Kennedy).

The story starts off by showing just how eccentric Lawrence was. In the first few frames of the film Lean shows Lawrence's character as, unmindful to pain, he subjects himself to burns from lit matches, apparently to moderate his strength of character.
When asked what is the trick, his reply is "The trick is not to mind that it hurts"
Lawrence is sent to spy on King Feisal (played by the wonderful Alec Guiness), but he ends up identifying more with the Arabs than his British countrymen.

Whenever I think of this film, I always picture that incredible journey that Lawrence made on Camel from Cairo to King Feisal's camp. I could actually visualise the vast distances they travelled beneath the glaring sun in the dessert. I feel thirsty now, just reminiscing the scene - it was so wonderfully shot.

After the death of his guide at the hands of Arab chieftain Sherif Ali, (the beautiful Omar Sharif), Lawrence takes it upon himself to lead the Arabs against the Turks at Aqaba.
With what could hardly be called an army, buy a motley crew of 50 men on camels, he crossed the smouldering desert and surprised Aqaba with the help of Bedouins led by Auda Abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn).
When a U.S. newspaper reporter "Jackson Bentley" in the film but based on real-life Lowell Thomas), told the story of his victory to the American newspapers he became a hero.

After many more adventures, the story ends with Lawrence going back to England.
As I said a very simple story, but oh what an incredible film, it lurks in your memory forever!!

T.S. LAWRENCE

Lawrence was a very complex man, the illegitimate son of a wealthy aristocrat. A very unusual man with strange habits, which infers his homosexuality, we are clearly shown in the film that he was also a masochist. This is shown during a scene at the beginning of the film with the lit matches and in a very painful scene at the end.
But we are also shown him as an intellectual with a very strange sense of humour.
He tended to be quite inconsistent - despite being a pacifist, Lawrence killed many men.

CAST

Peter O'Toole as T. E. Lawrence.

Pictures of Lawrence suggest also that O'Toole carried some resemblance to him, in spite of their considerable height difference. (O'Toole was almost 9" taller than the real Lawrence)
It is said that Noel Coward, after seeing the première of the film said to O'Toole "If you had been any prettier, the film would have been called Florence of Arabia".

O'Toole was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Lawrence. He managed to portray the role with as many subtleties as possible (even showing mannerisms with subtlety). Also, he was able to add some superb wit and peculiarity to the character.

.Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal.

Guinness was made up to look as much like the real Faisal as possible; he recorded in his diaries that, while shooting in Jordan, he met several people who had known Faisal who actually mistook him for the late prince.

He learnt his Arab accent from Omar Sharif
Guinness added a wonderful subtlety to his character, and whenever he enters a scene in the film, you can feel his presence.

Omar Sharif as Ali Sherif and Anthony Quinn as Auda abu Tayi were also phenomenal, showing their characters with less subtlety than Lawrence and bringing out the obvious cultural differences between them and Lawrence. Quinn got very much into his role; he spent hours applying his own makeup, using a photograph of the real Auda to make himself look as much like him as he could.

Jack Hawkins as General Allenby.

Hawkins shaved his head for the role and reportedly clashed with David Lean several times during filming.
Again,

Pictures of Lawrence Of Arabia (DVD)

THE REAL T S LAWRENCE

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another wonderful role by a great British actor.

Overall, the acting from every actor in this film is superb, and is another strong point for this film.

CINEMATOGRAPHY AND MUSIC

No review on this incredible film could leave out the amazing cinematography.
I really honestly believe that out of all the films that I have seen, the filming of Lawrence of Arabia is indisputably the best I have ever seen
Filmed by Freddie Young, every single desert scene is filmed so perfectly I was left speechless by the beauty of it. Whether it was the desert landscape or the night sky in the desert I was stunned by it all.
As well as the scenery Young managed to get magic into the film every time a major character was introduced - this is so clearly shown in the wonderful scene as Omar Sharif slowly rides his camel towards the well. The film was just full of unforgettable cinematography of the highest standard
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The musical score is just as remarkable. The filming and music just blended so perfectly together.
Maurice Jarre's music was mind blowing in this film. The use of strings, woodwind, brass and cymbals create the film's epic character, and he also created a fantastic Arabic feel

It is no wonder that the film received Oscars for both best cinematography and best musical score - they were perfection.

DIRECTION

David Lean's directing is simply extraordinary.
Lean took on a mammoth task directing this epic film, and boy did he do it in style!

For a film that is almost four hours long, Lean made every scene seem important and with his incredible skill at pacing he led us through a wonderful journey, making us feel that we were crossing the desert with the actors.
Oh so subtly, shots across a vast, iridescent desert shows a tiny rider coming closer and closer. the glorious sunsets, the Arab encampments, the battles, all combine to make this film a must-see masterpiece.
Lean, in his masterpiece of a film shows us the silence of the desert, the authentic Arab camps, the bloody battles and the magnificent sunsets - he fully deserved his Best Directing Academy Award for this film.

THE DVD

The film is spread over two discs, with Maurice Jarre's overture standing in as intermission music for the first track of disc two.
I love the way that it is presented as it would have been to original cinema-goers The clarity and sound is absolutely wonderful on the DVD
It is amazing how on the incredible desert scenes the tiny figures are seen so clearly on a television

The special features are
A Making Of Documentary
The Original Theatrical Trailer
A Conversation with Steven Spielberg
Footage from the New York Premier -
Plus 5 other Featurettes, Maps, Text and Photos
DVD Rom - Archives of Arabia
Filmographies from the cast and crew

FINALLY FROM ME

The film is often classed as 'too slow'- no, no,no !! That speed (or lack of it is so much part of the film.
David Lean's wonderful direction actually makes you feel that 4 hours is not long enough!
It is of a standard we would not get today, it takes over two minutes for Omar Sharif to ride up on his camel, and during that time there are only a couple of words spoken, but boy does it add something to the film!!
No, I certainly don't believe that this film is slow.
How can a film be too slow when every frame sticks in your mind forever?

To me this is a film that has incredible, acting, directing, sets and scenery, story and script with breathtakingly wonderful music---- it has to be the perfect film!!

Summary: They don't make them like this anymore!!