A Funny Sense of Fun: Lawrence of Arabia

As a child, I remember my father being somewhat obsessed with David Lean's epic, biographical masterpiece, Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and that is also what kept me from watching it independently for over a decade. In spite of that negative association, all through my childhood and teenage years I remained haunted, in a good way, by the one thing I remembered from passing through the living room while the film was on: that tracking shot of Lawrence's feet as he strides across the top of a captured passenger train in what I consider the film's most triumphant, disturbing, and visually incredible moment. When I finally sat down and watched it for myself, six years ago, I was blown away as I'd never previously been. It's the sort of film that stuns me anew every time I watch it, as I come away feeling like I'd forgotten just how extraordinary it is.

Starring the magnificent Peter O'Toole as Lawrence, featuring Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, and Alec Guinness, and making excellent use of Claude Raines and Anthony Quayle, Lawrence of Arabia is not only one of the best epics there is, but one of the best biopics as well. T.E. Lawrence, stationed as a mapmaker in Cairo during WWI, found himself given what most of his peers and superiors considered the unenviable opportunity to seek out nomadic Arab tribal leader Prince Faisal (Guinness) and attempt to rally his support against the Ottoman Turks. Once in the desert, Lawrence became captivated with the land and its people, and his somewhat obsessive personality, anarchic tilt, and strong ego translated into creating (and, in a sense, leading) what became an all-out revolt as he convinced assorted tribes to unite against the Turks, whom the English needed help routing. An extremely controversial personage whose alledgedly accidental death in a motorcycle accident remains shrouded in conspiracy theories, it's hard to say just how much of Lean and O'Toole's portrayal of the man is accurate, but verifiable historical facts remain in place. At any rate, O'Toole's Lawrence is a stunning, tragic paradox of a man, a naive idealist with a conniving streak who comes to see his carefully imagined world crumble around him in the worst of ways, and remains amongst the most complex and memorable characters in the history of film.

The acting is extraordinary; the score, by Maurice Jarre, a masterpiece; the cinematography, a work of art. From the moment the camera opens on a birds-eye shot of Lawrence preparing himself and his bike for his final, fatal ride, to the closing shot as he is driven off in a jeep while the score's pompous, prissy British theme contrasts the bold, hopeful, triumphant music of the introduction, it never flags once. As an epic, it's unusual due to the nature of its setting. Epics are classified not only for their large scale, but often for their lavish sets as well, and the majority of Lawrence of Arabia takes in the desert. In a wonderful paradox, the most desolate landscape on Earth takes on a character and quality every bit as rich as any of the massively detailed sets from, say, The Lord of the Rings.

Historically, Lawrence's story and accomplishments - or crimes, depending on your point of view - paved the way for everything that's been happening in the Middle East ever since, and the Western state of relations with that region. One thing most historians agree on is that he is responsible for instructing the Arabs in the art of organized guerilla warfare, something that was previously foreign to a scattered, nomadic people. Uniting the tribes changed the face of Arab culture, society, and politics. As well, the British military badly underestimated the power and determination of the Arabs, using them under false promises and then screwing this newly empowered group. The events related in Lawrence of Arabia are the direct grandfather of last year's Charlie Wilson's War, and, really, the situation in the Middle East today. This is the sort of fascinating, vitally important socio-political stuff I didn't learn in high school, but spent a lot of time researching thanks to one very good film. It should also be noted that anything I've written here about it is the smallest of nutshells.

Beautiful, heartbreaking, and disturbingly relevant, Lawrence of Arabia is a film you'll need to reserve a good chunk of time to watch, but the good news is, it was made back in the day when theatre owners weren't desperate to cram as many showings into one day as possible - in other words, it comes with an intermission. It can at times feel its length, because it plays out in somewhere between four and seven acts depending on how you split it instead of the film standard of three, but I suspect you'll be hooked by that introduction. And then hooked by the history. And then you'll watch it three times in a year.

Woo hoo!