Lawrence of Arabia Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Lawrence of Arabia
Year: 1962
Director: David Lean
Country: UK
Language: English

David Lean is perhaps the most important British Filmmaker in the History of Cinema. While he has only Directed 19 pictures, every last one of them is remarkable. His Dickens adaptations (Oliver Twist and Great Expectations) greatly improve the original source material. His late 50's to late 60's epics (Bridge Over the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, and Doctor Zhivago) continue to stun the world entire. This review is about his second Oscar winning film.

Lawrence of Arabia is about Thomas Edward Lawrence, a flamboyant and controversial British military figure who is given leave to investigate the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I. He is eventually conflicted about his loyalties during his service in Arabia and forms a guerrilla army.

If a friend wished to be introduced to "epic" cinema, where would you lead them? While Gone With the Wind is a good choice, it may prove too long for some. Lawrence of Arabia, on the other hand, is certainly manageable. It is sweeping and stunning, full of great cinematography charting the vast desert land. The score is unforgettable, perhaps the greatest in all of cinema. It is full of exquisite detail that you may not notice at first, but may be noticed over a lifetime of viewings.

Unfortunately it is a victim of being in the "sorry for colonialism" genre, along with films like Avatar, The Help, and Django Unchained, but since it came out decades before those terrible movies I'd say we don't hold this fact against Lean's picture. His characters are incredibly complicated and full of raw emotion. We can really get behind Lawrence, who is somewhat of a messiah of the desert. Renowned actor Peter O' Toole is at his absolute best and it's a shame that he was snubbed at that year's Oscars, it was also unfortunate that Alec Guinness lost out too.

In conclusion, Lawrence of Arabia has had a profound impact on the making of the "epic" genre of film and continues to this day. It is masterful, Lean was truly a perfectionist of his craft. It's even entertaining to here about the stories O'Toole has to say about the production of this scene. During a scene involving going high speeds with camels, O'Toole confesses (50 years later) that he was drunk the entire time, mainly because beforehand he was scared out of his mind. Praise it! 5/5