Cinema is one of the greatest forces of communication to
ever exist. In film, thoughts and events that are too complex to be relayed to
masses of people in print or verbally are instead produced on film and
distributed across the world. It is imperative that film be used to tell great
stories; the stories that most will not seek out to understand. One saga that
is absolutely astonishing, yet few would readily learn about is Lawrence of Arabia. Directed by David
Lean and released in 1962, this film won several Academy Awards including Best Picture.
Lawrence of Arabia also started the
careers of the legendary actors Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif and cemented the
status of Lean as a great British Director. It chronicles the life of T.E.
Lawrence, a British officer who assigned to Arabia to help create, and
eventually lead, a revolt against the Ottoman Empire in the First World War.
This film combines a great story, great acting and great cinematography to
become one of the greatest films of all time.
The first great aspect of the film is the substantial
plot. Despite the daunting run time, the story of Lawrence of Arabia is very straightforward. Lawrence, portrayed by
Peter O’Toole, leads a revolt, makes gains against the Turks and deals with the
existing struggles between the Arabs. The suspense is found throughout the story
and arises with each conflict Lawrence takes on. There is never a dull moment
in this film; even the slower periods consisting of travels through the desert
are rife with danger and tension. The writers ensured that all the little
anecdotal moments would provide audiences with memories. When there are action
scenes, we were immersed in information to understand context of why this is
happening. The major facets of the story are presented plainly without
unexpected turns. While there are minor surprises every so often, the
foundation of the plot follows the real Lawrence and his steadfast journey. The
actual tale of this man does not require any enhancements, so the lack of
twists is beneficial. There are many themes in Lawrence of Arabia, notably insignificance and isolation. This is
supported by the desert setting quite symbolically, being the ultimate embodiment
of loneliness.
The acting in Lawrence
of Arabia is absolutely amazing. This is an all-star affair and even gave a
start to legendary actors. Besides the men listed earlier, the film features
Claude Rains, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Jack Hawkins. All of these men
play their characters accurately, even those playing different ethnicities. You
never doubt the realness of Guinness as Lawrence ally Prince Feisal or Quinn as
Abu Tayi when watching the film. In an era of political correctness, this may
be offensive but it is not noticeable. The performances are really what carry
the film. Without effective actors telling this epic, the ambition of the filmmakers
would not have seen fruition. The greatest performance in the film is that of
O’Toole as our protagonist. For an early leading credit, he plays the role like
a seasoned professional. You see the anguish in his face when setbacks occur
and overwhelming joy when progress is made. Peter O’Toole was nominated for
many Academy Awards, never winning, and this may go down in history as the
greatest loss in Best Actor history.
One of the most moving scenes of the film is when the
score is playing while Lawrence and Sharif Ali, craftily performed by Omar
Sharif, cross the desert. It is shown from a distance to put into perspective
the vastness of the desert while the enormous sand dunes enhance the feeling of
isolated insignificance Lawrence felt. It is just one of many scenes that will
take your breath away. The slow scenes between action sequences are punctured
not only with brief suspense, but astonishing shots where audience attention is
held merely by camerawork. The tracking shots up close provide for remarkable
moments as well, namely when Lawrence is walking on top of a Turkish train his
group derailed. The choice of color also brings out the vibrancy of the desert,
bringing life to not only the desert but the story. It is no surprise that
Freddie Young won an Academy Award for Best Color Cinematography this year.
All of these are excellent reasons as to why Lawrence of Arabia is a classic and why
film is art. While film is a powerful form of art, it is also seen an industry.
To make a profit, some things must be left out to accommodate the masses that
visit theaters. In the era of quality versus quality in film, it is amazing to
look back at the earlier decades where blockbusters were masterpieces. It is
unfortunate that mainstream film has changed in recent decades to be less
inclusive of great ideas, but recent films are seen as promising and a new era
in mainstream film could occur. The Golden Age of cinema may be over, but a
renaissance of film quality could be shaping. This is seen in recent Academy
Award nominees that have all the novelty and grandeur of the Golden Age. To paraphrase
Lawrence, this is the time to be great again.
