Lawrence of Arabia (1962) By Aaron Charny

Title/Year: Lawrence of Arabia, 1962

Director/Birth Country/Year Born: David Lean, England, B. 1908

Budget: $15,000,000 (estimated)
Gross: $70,000,000 (Worldwide) (January 2002)
Synopsis: During WWI British officer Lawrence is sent to Arabia to find Prince Feisal. While in Arabia, Lawrence helps unite hostile Arab tribes to strike back against the Turks.

Narrative and Visual Keywords: WWI, Classic, Epic, Biographies, British, Arabs, War, Hero, Revolts, Fights for freedom. 

Characterization/ Dialogue: T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), an officer in the British army serving in the Middle East during World War I. He is ordered to enter the desert and make contact with Prince Feisel (Alec Guiness), who is a British ally in the fight against Turkey. What follows is not only an account of how Lawrence became a pivotal figure in the Arab revolt, but his rise and fall of his character during the war. 

Camera/Lighting/Editing technique: Long takes, shots vary from extreme long shots to extreme close ups to stress a point. Tight pacing, there's plenty of action and adventure spread with character development, plot exposure, and visuals. 

Political/ Social Commentary: The British purpose in Arabia was to kick to the Turks out and occupy Arabia on its own. Lawrence purpose was to kick the Turks out, so that the Arabs can be free in their own land. 

Historical Relevance/ Recognition: Lawrence of Arabia was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won seven including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction and Best Original Score. Upon its release, the film was a huge critical and financial success and it continues to remain popular among viewers and critics alike. The visuals, the dramatic music and the screenplay have all been common points of acclaim and the film as a whole is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Its visual style has influenced many directors including George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, who called the film a "miracle".

Notable Collaboration: Alec Guinness, who plays Prince Feisal in Lawrence of Arabia, has appeared in six David Lean movies including Great Expectations (1946), Oliver Twist (1948), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and David Leans last film A Passage to India (1984). Lean once stated that Guinness is his favorite actor.

Random Fact, Etc,: Although 227 minutes long, this film has no women in speaking roles. It is reportedly the longest film not to have any dialog spoken by a woman. 

Sources: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/

                http://www.top10films.co.uk/archives/3244

                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film)

Reaction answers:

1. I didn’t see any evidence of ineffective military leadership. Lawrence character develops from being controversial soldier with an awkward sense of humor to a hero and is considered as a prophet to some of the Arabian people. As Lawrence witnesses the War and realizes that killing is not the correct solution. He states that he will no longer return to the desert and is being sent home realizing that he has not made any difference to the Arabs. 

2. The film portrays soldiers as strong individuals following code of honor and duty. The battle scenes show both sides dieing and getting wounded, but we never stay on this shot for very long. Except towards the end of the film when Lawrence visits the hospital and finds hundreds of wounded Turks. They are portrayed as suffering victims of war. Lawrence realizes that his efforts in this war have wounded hundreds of people. 

3. No melodrama, but we do get the familiar pleasures of cinema with our hero character fighting for the right cause. The epic scenes and the striking visuals of the hot dessert and dramatic music enhance the enjoyment of this classic firm.

4. The enemy is portrayed as neutral. We don’t see much of the enemy until they catch Lawrence. We see the enemy torturing Lawrence, but we expect that because in the earlier part of the film some characters prepare us for it.