Title/Year: Lawrence Of Arabia - 1962
Director/Birth Country/Year Born: David Lean - England - 1908
Budget: $15 Million
Gross: $70 Million (Worldwide)
Synopsis: Based on the story of Colonel T.E. Lawrence and his exploits during WWI in helping the Arab National Council. Lawrence is conflicted with the violence of war and with his loyalties to his native British versus his new found brothers-in-arms.
Narrative and Visual Keywords: biography - middle east - loyalty - flashback - memoir - internal conflict - reluctant hero
Characterization/ Dialogue: "The trick is NOT minding it hurts." Some have said that Lawrence had a sadomasochist nature about him.
Camera/lighting/editing technique: Known as THE sweeping epic that defines the epic. A variety of gorgeous establishing and landscape shots. Shot using the Super Panavision 70 format.
Political/ Social Commentary: T.E. Lawrence was a scholar and a very educated man. He is portrayed as such in this film, but also as a bumbling soldier, not considered fit for "real" military action. Lawrence is a conflicted man. He represents the conflicted nature that many people feel during war time. He struggles with his loyalties to his British military and, on a grander scale, his country. He finds he is also devoted to his new comrades in the Arab tribes that he leads in a revolt against the Turks.
Historical Relevance/ Recognition: Nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 1963, winning 7. (Best Picture, Best Director, Art Direction, Cinematography, Score, Editing, and Sound)
Notable Collaboration: Cinematographer Freddie Young has worked with David Lean three consecutive times, winning the Oscar for Best Cinematography each time.
Random fact, Etc: Sir Alec Guiness plays a the role of Prince Feisal. He would go on to play a pivotal role in a little sci-fi opera known as Star Wars. The role, of course, was Obi-Wan Kenobi.
1. There was indeed some evidence in ineffective military leadership depicted in this film. How much of the ineffective leadership was due to upper-class ineptitude is something that either doesn't exist in this movie or I just simply did not pick up on. Lawrence (O'Toole) is a Lieutenant in the beginning of the film. His leaders do not think he is capable of any kind of military action of importance. One meeting with Prince Faisal (Guiness), however changes things. The Prince wants to hear what Lawrence has to say and he agrees to letting him lead his tribe across the desert. One scene where social class and cultural difference is evident stuck with me. A scene between Lawrence and Ali (Omar Sharif) early on tells us all we need to know about their differences. Lawrence, as we know at this point, is very well educated and flamboyant. Ali is simply proud of the fact that he can "both read AND write."
2. I think we see a bit of both issues in Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence is a conflicted soldier. Not only is he conflicted with the violence of war, but he is conflicted in his loyalties as well. He does, however, have a code he follows during his operations. During a very long trek through a treacherous part of the desert, one of the men gets left behind during the night. Ali pleads with Lawrence not to go back and that it is too late. Lawrence does what he knows is right and without thought of his own fate, heads back to find the missing man. Later, Lawrence is forced to execute the very man he saves in order to keep peace between two rival tribes and for the greater good of the mission.
3. This film was not about the melodrama, but more about the hero and his plight during wartime. There were no romantic scenarios played out or poses woven in. We see Lawrence as a reluctant hero who rises to the occasion, and to the surprise of his superiors, comes through in the end.
4. The Turks are the common enemy of the Arab tribes and the British, but there side of the story is not really portrayed. We know they are the enemy, pure and simple. No exaggerations of atrocity until the second part. The train attack sequence, we do see a Turk fire on Lawrence and hit him in the shoulder. Another sequence, Lawrence is caught and tortured, then thrown out on the streets.
References:
- www.imdb.com
- www.boxofficemojo.com
- www.wikipedia.org
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