The Greatest Film Ever Made, And The Definition of "Epic"

Rating: 10/10 (8 April 2006)

T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) is an eccentric British army officer who is serving as a minor staff officer in Cairo during World War I, until General Murray (Donald Wolfit), the commander of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, is convinced by Dryden (Claude Rains), the slippery chief of the Arab Bureau, to dispatch Lawrence - who has knowledge of Arab culture from his pre-war visits to the region - as a liaison officer to forces of the faltering Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, led by Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness). Ignoring the skepticism of the already-present British officer, Colonel Brighton (Anthony Quayle), he convinces Feisal and the latter's chief lieutenant, the fiery Sheriff Ali (Omar Sharif), to allow him a small expedition to seize the Turkish-held seaport of Aqaba, Jordan. Undertaking an impossible forced march through the Nefud Desert, Lawrence is successful, becoming first accepted by the Arabs and then made into a sort of superhero, and succeeds in recruiting the flamboyant chieftain of the Howeitat tribe, Auda abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn) to his cause in the process. This catches the attention of the British general staff in Cairo - including General Edmund Allenby (Jack Hawkins), who has replaced Murray - who decide to supply Lawrence with arms and supplies to wage a guerrilla war against Turkey to complement Allenby's conventional attacks - but with a tight leash, as Britain (and France) have designs on the Middle East. Encouraged by his victories and an American journalist (Arthur Kennedy) who is looking for a hero, Lawrence lets his fame get to his head, thus beginning a long downward spiral as he discovers his own fallibility, the perfidy of his commanders, and that, no matter where he is, he must always be an outsider.
There isn't really a negative thing that can be said about this film. The cinematography and direction is simply the best in any movie ever, there's no doubt about it. Lean is a master of the epic scope, and his amazing, non-stop shots of large bodies of men moving through the vast desert is simply beautiful, and more surprisingly never gets old (at least for me). Freddie Young's cinematography does an excellent job of showing the vastness of the desert, as well as just how insignificant people - even an army of 2,000 Arabs on horse/camel-back - are in it. The entrance of Ali at the well is just an amazing scene, done with no music - nothing but a camera pointed at a black figure emerging from the vast wasteland of the desert. The battle scenes also deserve credit, too: in times when "Lord of the Rings" relies on CGI battle sequences, it's refreshing to watch a film which uses thousands of REAL people. The most amazing of these is the attack on Aqaba, which ends with an amazing thirty-second panning shot, showing the Arabs swarming through the entire town, finally settling on a Turkish cannon that is pointed to the sea "and cannot be turned 'round". The raid on the Turkish supply train, and of course the massacre of the retreating Turks towards the end ("No prisoners!") are no less effective, the latter being a much more potent anti-war message than all of the films of Oliver Stone combined. Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson write a wonderfully literate and thoughtful script (with amazing relevance to current events in the Middle East today). And need I even mention Maurice Jarre's amazing score?
The cast is flawless. Peter O'Toole is simply amazing as Lawrence, giving one of the most compelling performances is cinematic history. He is able to convincingly portray Lawrence's massive shift in character: going from an arrogant outcast, to a man who believes in his own infallibility, to a man who is finally a broken shell, disillusioned by his own violent acts and his manipulation by his superiors. O'Toole's performance is simply stunning, and it's no wonder this movie made him a star. Omar Sharif is also impressive as Ali, a charismatic character who is the perfect foil for Lawrence's shifting personality. Alec Guinness is solid as Feisal, who is both sagely and cynical at turns (I am convinced that George Lucas cast Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi because of this performance). Jack Hawkins deserves credit for making Allenby both manipulative of and sympathetic to Lawrence simultaneously. Anthony Quinn and Claude Rains steal every scene they're in - Quinn with speeches and flamboyant gestures, Rains with marvelous dry underplaying. Jose Ferrer does a nice job cramming a lot of interesting depth into the Turkish officer who captures (and does other things) to Lawrence, considering that he has all of five minutes on screen. Arthur Kennedy (as the Lowell Thomas-esquire reporter, Jackson Bentley) and Anthony Quayle (as Brighton, the stuffy Brit who grows to respect Lawrence over the course of the film) round out the cast nicely.
Simply put, there is no other film quite like this. It is the ultimate epic/adventure movie, and MUST be scene in widescreen to be appreciated. I have the fortune of owning a plasma TV with surround sound, which is about as close to seeing it in a theater as you can get. Do NOT watch this movie pan-scan, or it will be ruined.
If the only reason why you wouldn't watch this movie is "length" - well, that's your problem for missing out on THE greatest cinematic experience of all time. You can have your "Titanic" or "Return of the King"; I'll take "Lawrence of Arabia" any day.