“Lawrence of Arabia” Movie Review

 

“Lawrence of Arabia”

 

Movie Review

 

 

The life of T. E. Lawerence and his 1926 book Seven Pillars of Wisdom was the inspiration for the 1962 British historical epic drama film Lawrence of Arabia. It was produced by Sam Spiegel through his British business Horizon Pictures and distributed by Columbia Pictures under the direction of David Lean. Peter O'Toole plays Lawrence in the movie, and Alec Guinness plays Prince Faisal. Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains, and Arthur Kennedy all appear in the movie. Michael Wilson and Robert Bolt wrote the movie's script.

 

In particular, the film shows Lawrence's raids on Aqaba and Damascus and his participation in the Arab National Council during the First World War in the Ottoman provinces of Hejaz and Greater Syria. Its topics include Lawrence's emotional issues with the brutality of battle, his identity and his conflicted loyalty to his own Britain and its army as well as his newfound allies among the tribes of the Arabian desert.

 

There is an interlude between the two portions of the movie.

 

Part I

 

T. E. Lawrence perishes in a motorbike accident in 1935. At his memorial service at St. Paul's Cathedral, a reporter makes vain attempts to speak with those who knew him in order to learn more about the fascinating and mysterious guy.

 

Lawrence is a misfit British Army officer during the First World War who stands out for his insolence and intelligence. General Murray objects, but Mr. Dryden of the Arab Bureau sends him to evaluate Prince Faisal's chances of leading a revolution against the Turks. Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish kills Tafas, his Bedouin guide, when they are traveling because he drank from his well without permission. Later, Lawrence runs into Colonel Brighton, who tells him to remain silent, give his opinion, and then leave. When Lawrence meets Faisal, he disobeys Brighton's instructions; the prince is intrigued by Lawrence's candor.

 

After a significant defeat, Brighton recommends Faisal to retreat, but Lawrence suggests a risky surprise attack on Aqaba. Its conquest would give the British a port from which to unload crucial supplies. Although the settlement is poorly protected on the landward side, it is well fortified against a marine assault. He persuades Faisal to send fifty men, under the command of a pessimistic Sherif Ali. Lawrence hires the young orphans Daud and Farraj as servants, and over time, he grows to love them as a parent would. On the final step, they traverse the Nefud Desert, which is thought to be impassable even by Bedouins, and travel day and night to get to the water. Gasim, one of Ali's men, loses his strength and slips from his camel in the middle of the night. Lawrence turns around and saves Gasim when he realizes he's gone missing. Ali convinces Lawrence to burn his uniform and provides him some Arab clothes to wear. Lawrence is regarded as one of the guys.

 

Auda Abu Tayi, the head of the potent local Howeitat tribe, is persuaded by Lawrence to turn against the Turks. When one of Ali's men murders one of Auda's due of a family rivalry, Lawrence's plan is nearly foiled. Lawrence announces that he would personally put the perpetrator to death because Howeitat reprisal would endanger the tenuous relationship. After being shocked to learn that Gasim, the guy he risked his life to save, is the guilty party, Lawrence shoots Gasim.

 

The Arabs took control of the Turkish troops the following morning. In order to alert Dryden and the new commander, General Allenby, of his success, Lawrence travels to Cairo with Daud and Farraj. To the sadness of Lawrence and Farraj, Daud dies while crossing the Sinai Desert after falling into quicksand. Lawrence is promoted to major and provides money and weapons to the Arabs despite the fact that his report of the capture of Aqaba is first not believed. He is immensely concerned and admits that he enjoyed killing Gasim, but Allenby ignores his reservations. Lawrence queries Allenby about the Arabs' suspicions that the Brits are interested in Arabia. When questioned, Allenby claims there isn't.

 

Part II

 

By detonating the Ottoman railway between Damascus and Medina and pestering the Turks constantly, Lawrence starts a guerilla war. Jackson Bentley, an American war correspondent, publicizes Lawrence's accomplishments and makes him well-known. In one raid, Farraj suffers critical injuries. Lawrence unwillingly shoots him to death and then runs away because he cannot stand by and watch as the enemy torments him.

 

After Lawrence and Ali scout the enemy-held city of Deraa, Lawrence and a number of the Arab people are taken to the Turkish Bey. Lawrence is exposed, gawked at, and poked. He is then severely Flogged for attacking the Bey before being sent onto the street, where Ali rushes to his rescue. Lawrence is shaken by the incident. When he returns to the British HQ in Cairo, he does not belong. General Allenby asks him to assist the "grand push" on Damascus a little while later in Jerusalem. With some hesitation, Lawrence decides to go back.

 

Lawrence gathers an army driven more by monetary gain than by the Arab cause. They see a column of Turkish soldiers retreating after slaughtering the citizens of Tafas. The Tafas native among Lawrence's men commands, "No prisoners!" The man charges the Turks alone and is slain as Lawrence hesitates. Lawrence adopts the deceased man's rallying call, leading to a massacre in which Lawrence himself takes part over Ali's objections. He afterwards feels bad about what he did.

 

Before to Allenby's forces, Lawrence's men capture Damascus. The Brits shut off access to the public utilities after the Arabs established a council to run the city, leaving the desert tribesmen to discuss how to continue the occupation. They quarrel continually in spite of Lawrence's efforts, and eventually hand over the majority of the city to the British.

 

Lawrence is promoted to colonel and given the order to return to Britain right away because Faisal and the British no longer need him. Prior to a biker passing his automobile and leaving a dust trail in his wake as he exits the city, he longingly observes the eminent Arabs. Lawrence doesn't respond when the chauffeur says that he's on his way home.

 

At the 35th Academy Awards in 1963, the movie received ten nominations and won seven of them, including Best Picture and Best Director. Together with the BAFTA Awards for Best Film and Outstanding British Cinema, it also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture- Drama. Critics especially praised Freddie Young's Super Panavision 70 mm photography and Maurice Jarre's emotional soundtrack.

 

One of the best movies ever made is regarded as Lawrence of Arabia. It was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1991 after being judged to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" by the United States Library of Congress. It was voted fifth on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Movies list of the best American movies in 1998, and it came in at number seven on the 2007 version. The movie was ranked as the third-best British film in 1999 by the British Film Institute. It was chosen as the greatest British movie in a Sunday Telegraph poll of the country's top directors in 2004.

WATCH THE REVIEW VIDEO FOR MORE...