Review of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) by Kyle H — 30 May 2014
There are movies about a historical figure, and then there are movies that make a historical figure immortal. Lawrence of Arabia fits into the latter category. What makes it stand above other epic films of the 50's and early 60's is that it combines the broad filmmaking elements of John Ford and Cecil B.
DeMille with the introspective ones of Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles. Instead of just watching a landscape, we witness one man redefining the landscape. We see T.E. Lawrence, an Englishman already an outsider to his own culture in many ways, stepping foot into Arab culture and transforming it, not by presenting British customs to the people, but by unleashing his personality - egocentric, insecure, ruthless, violent, clever, humble and sympathetic all at once.
This is what made him such a transforming figure of World War I and such an incredible icon to witness on the big screen. The stupendous performance by Peter O' Toole is a large contributing factor.
The cinematography (including the very first color mirage on film) is still impressive by today's standards, proving nature to be far more captivating onscreen than computer graphics.
This review of Lawrence of Arabia (1962) was written by Kyle H on 30 May 2014.
Lawrence of Arabia has generally received very positive reviews.
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