After first seeing the restored "Lawrence of Arabia" almost 20 years ago, I became an amateur Lawrence scholar, reading every book about him that I could get my hands on. Last October I attended a symposium of the T.E. Lawrence Society at the Huntington Library, which confirmed that public interest in him has not waned, but in fact has increased due to our recent misadventures in the Middle East. My view of the film has changed over the years, in light of what I've learned about the real history, very little of which made it into Robert Bolt's screenplay. Taken purely as cinema and as entertainment, David Lean's 1962 epic will always be one of the true masterpieces. Had it not been as successful as it was, I might not have taken such an interest in Lawrence's life and times; this probably holds true for many of those who continue to do research about this enigmatic figure.

The plot is based loosely on Lawrence's memoir, "Seven Pillars of Wisdom": from his "humble beginnings" as a British Army lieutenant in Cairo during WWI through his participation in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Told against the stark, awe-inspiring backdrop of the desert, Lean's saga shows an idealistic & resourceful Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) winning the confidence of the Bedouin tribesmen, represented by Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness), Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif), and Auda abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn) -- while dazzling and befuddling his British superiors, General Allenby (Jack Hawkins), Colonel Brighton (Anthony Quayle), and the wily Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains).

Ironically, though Lawrence becomes a famous war hero with the help of cynical reporter Jackson Bentley (Arthur Kennedy), his guerrilla war for Arab independence is eventually exposed as an imperialist fraud. What's more, Lawrence is brutalized by the war, and in particular by a sadistic Turkish Bey (Jose Ferrer), which ultimately leads to a shocking massacre under Lawrence's command.

O'Toole's portrayal of Lawrence is both charismatic and complex: his character's trajectory is that of a tragic hero who loses his innocence to wartime traumas & political intrigue, and who meets his downfall due to messianic hubris -- themes which are as relevant as ever. Nearly a century later, we continue to grapple with the after-effects of that misguided, duplicitous attempt at nation-building to a degree neither Robert Bolt nor his predecessor Michael Wilson could have imagined. A question worth asking is: Does this film help illuminate how the world got to be the way it is now? I think the answer is: To a small degree, yes. Ideally the film would whet one's curiosity to learn more of the facts and thus to enlarge one's world-view beyond the facile, self-serving fictions conjured up by governments and media for our consumption.

Though it is understood that a screenwriter may take dramatic license to turn a complex historical narrative into a viable film, the truth should not be distorted out of all recognition. Bolt's screenplay departs from reality not only in the minutiae (for ex., Daud's ludicrous death by quicksand), but in what is perhaps the key to understanding what drove Lawrence to a nervous breakdown, and what could have been the crux of the film: i.e., that Lawrence was a witting agent of the British Empire, fully aware of the plan to divide the spoils of the Ottoman Empire between Britain and France (the need for oil was influential, though that was not mentioned either). Lawrence's mission from the outset was to ensure that the Arab Revolt remained under strict British control -- to the point of making false promises of independence. That he suffered an acute crisis of conscience from leading the Arabs to fight for a lie testifies to his basic human decency.

Lawrence's authorized biographer, Jeremy Wilson, whom I met at the Symposium, wrote a detailed critique of the film's fictitious nature, and I include the link for those who want to know. After reading it, I considered deducting a star from my rating. But going by my own standards, "Lawrence of Arabia" is still one of those rare films that makes me go, "Wow!" -- so 5 stars it must be. If you're fortunate enough to see it on a huge screen (in a theater, on rare occasions), I think you'll understand, even knowing the facts. This is definitely one of the all-time classics that should never, ever be remade. However, I would welcome someone making a different, more intimate film about Lawrence, set later in his life perhaps, that might give us a more realistic rendering of the man and his legacy.

"Lawrence of Arabia or Smith in the Desert?"
http://telawrencestudies.org/telawrencestudies/reviews/lofa_or_sid_1.htm

Recommended Reading (out of print):
"The Secret Lives of Lawrence of Arabia" by Phillip Knightley & Colin Simpson


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older