Life > February 27, 2003

By Miller Harrison

Contributing Reviewer

It took a marvelous script, a lot of money, the extraordinary vision of director David Lean and several years filming in the Jordanian desert to finally create a complete Lawrence of Arabia in 1962.

The film examines the adventures of British officer T.E. Lawrence (played by Peter O’Toole in his first film role) as he leads the Arab revolt against the Turks from 1914 to 1917, but the main attraction is the stunning desert scenery that dominates a majority of its four hours.

As an outsider with a vast knowledge of Arab culture, Lawrence is able to unite feuding tribes by understanding their culture and embracing it, rather than barking orders like the other British officers. But in the end, he discovers that he is truly neither an Arab nor a British officer, and he seems to learn a lot about himself with no conclusion except that he hates what he has learned.

O’Toole ably portrays the quirky, self-centered and even somewhat despicable character who relishes the part of hero but who no better fits that role than he does the flowing white Arab robes he is given.

The narrative of the film is straightforward, and David Lean uses dialogue sparingly and desert images prominently to portray these historical events. Questions about Lawrence’s sexuality, motives and brutal actions are wonderfully recounted but not explicated, leaving them open to interpretation by viewers.

Undoubtedly, the most memorable moments contain no dialogue at all, instead featuring amazing scenery and beautiful filmmaking.

A long take of a solitary rider approaching creates a silhouette in the heat of the desert. A shot of Lawrence blowing out a match cuts instantly to a silent desert sunrise. A single camera shot follows hundreds of riders from the desert through the streets of a town and eventually to the sea.

The true accomplishment of Lawrence of Arabia is not that it is an undeniably amazing study in cinematography, a memorable epic war movie, a powerful story of a people’s struggle for independence or an intimate portrait of a man as cowardly as he was heroic.

Rather, its greatest feat is the combination of all these elements with resounding success.

Lawrence skillfully avoids the clich