Review of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) by Ally C — 31 Jan 2011

David Lean didn't do small very often and Lawrence of Arabia was made in his great, mid period just after Bridge on the River Kwai and Doctor Zhivago. Without the intensity of the former or the sprawling love story elements of the latter, the viewer of Lawrence is invited to witness the story of an extraordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, sometimes doubting his resolve but acting like a god.

An all-star cast lead us into the desert and, although O'toole stands out with his mad yet driven performance, Omar Sharif and Anthony Quinn shine as the opposing leaders of two warring Arab tribes who must come together if Arabia is to become, in Lawrence's words, great again.

Themes of madness and adversity against the elements flow through the film but the idea of Lawrence as a god is played out by his extreme arrogance and also the rhetoric of the film, by his being regarded as a prophet and his self-proclamations of being like Moses.

Lean is asking if it is too much to expect that one man lead the beginnings of a great nation. The answer is no but only with compromise and selfishness. If you are looking for a socialist tract where armies can move countries, this is not the film for you.

Breathtaking cinematography and music combines to elicit sweeping emotions but the film's most poignant scene is where Lawrence, wearing the traditional dress of a tribes leader, takes his young Arab companion into the officer's mess in Cairo near dead and asks for lemonade.

Rather than willing him on to help the British take command of Arabia (albeit under an Arab flag), all I wanted him to achieve was drink his lemonade. Small desires for a giant of a film.