by Erika Cox
In 1962, director David Lean and producer Sam Spiegel presented a
new and exciting film to the public. Lawrence of Arabia, featuring actor
Peter O’Toole, became an Academy-award winning movie.
Written by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson, this film is based on the
life of T.E. Lawrence, who was called Lawrence of Arabia. Today, it is
still a film greatly cherished in the movie industry.
The movie is set as a flashback and begins with Lawrence, played
by O’Toole, dying in a motorcycle accident. The flashback begins with
Lawrence as a British lieutenant in Cairo, Egypt during the first World
War. He is sent by Mr. Dryden to assess Prince Faisal regarding the
revolt against Turkey. On the way, his guide is killed. As he nears
Prince Faisal’s camp, he meets another officer, who warns him to leave
quietly. Of course, Lawrence ignores this warning and the prince is
interested in Lawrence.
Lawrence convinces the prince to change his course of action and launch
an attack on the town of Aqaba, by land. He is given fifty men to cross
the Nefud Desert, which is considered impassible. One man, Gasim, falls
behind during the night, and Lawrence turns back to save him, risking
his own life. The army then meets with the powerful Howeitat tribe, and
Lawrence convinces them to join his troops. There is a brief incident
when a man from Lawrence’s tribe kills a man from the Howeitat tribe
over a blood feud. Lawrence vows to take care of the killer himself and
is surprised to find that it is Gasim. He executes the man nonetheless
and the two groups are banded together. They attack Aqaba and capture
it.
Lawrence returns to Cairo victorious and is promoted. They then start
guerrilla warfare with the Turks and American reporter Jackson Bentley
makes Lawrence famous. He is captured during one battle, brutalized, and
thrown into the streets. A changed man, Lawrence gives up fighting.
Later, he is convinced to rejoin the battle and kills all with no mercy.
He wins the battle and the Arabs set up an unsuccessful council to run
the city. They leave before long, as does Lawrence who has been promoted
to Colonel and find himself useless in Arabia.
Lawrence of Arabia was shot over more than a year’s time in Jordan,
Morocco, and Spain. Originally, the entire film was to be set in Jordan,
put this plan was unsuccessful due to budget cuts and illness. The film
first premiers in London, and later that same month, premiered in the
United States.
A success from the beginning, Lawrence of Arabia had a unique visual
style for that period and has influenced directors like Steven
Spielberg, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese. The score, which was also
critically acclaimed, was composed by Maurice Jarre. Other members of
the cast include Alec Guinness as Prince Faisl, Claude Rains as Mr.
Dryden, I.S. Johar as Gasim, Jack Hawkins as General Allenby, and a
number of other talented men, like Omar Sharif, Jose Ferrer, Anthony
Quayle, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Wolfit, Michael Ray, and Anthony Quinn.
No woman plays a speaking role in this movie.
Lawrence of Arabia was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 1963, and won
seven of them, including Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best
Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Music, and Best
Picture. It also won a number of BAFTA Awards, as well as five Golden
Globes.
The historical accuracy of the film is a bit questionable, as it is
generally thought that maybe differences appear between the real
Lawrence and the screen version of Lawrence. Most of the film’s
characters are based off of real people, and many of the events are
historically correct, but the events as they actually happened are
highly romanticized. O’Toole, who played Lawrence, was actually a much
larger man than the real Lawrence, and he played the character with a
sense of masochism and egotism that it is believed the real Lawrence did
not show until after his capture.
Regardless of its flaws, Lawrence of Arabia continues to be a film that
is highly acclaimed by critics. It regularly is named within the top ten
of “best film” countdowns and continues to inspire actors, directors,
and musicians today.
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