Review of A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (1992) by Afzal S — 04 Jun 2008

Lean made the great film about TE Lawrence in the 1960's. This British TV Film concerns Lawrence after he became famous from his wartime exploits. It couldn't be more different to the Lean film- there are no action scenes under the hot sun or sand-caked, noble savage Arabs.

This Lawrence is a man back in 'civilisation', haunting the imperial boardrooms of Paris and London, the heart of the British Empire, and in defence of which he had originally sprung into the desert in the First World War. It is Lawrence the failure, a man made dangerous as the title of the film suggests by his regret at offering up his promised Arab independence on the altar of Empire.

This film is about Lawrence the man, not the myth as promoted by the Lean film. But I'm not sure it's really any more successful. The turgid dramatising of the Peace talks doesn't help, and while Lawrence's relationship with the Arab Emissary Prince Feisal (played memorably by Star Trek DS9's Siddig El Fadil) is explored more fruitfully, by the end I got the feeling that Lawrence was still as much of an enigma. And casting Fiennes (in his first major role) doesn't help- he is a fascinating, incredible actor, always dark and filled with creeping danger, which he fully exhibits in this role; but also always impenetrable. Still, at least this film, unlike Lean's earlier monumental epic, really attempts to uncover the personal enigma that was Lawrence.