A great biopic of one of the greatest of all men.

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2004)

In 1986 at the tender age of 13 I was holidaying in Dorset, England and visited a tiny country village called Moreton.
It was here, far far away from deserts, sheiks and camels that I first became enthralled by T.E. Lawrence the British Officer who fought alongside the Arabs against the Turks, and who foresaw and tried to prevent the very political tensions we see in the region today.
Why Moreton you may ask? Well that day I found him. There he was at the back of the tiny graveyard, finally tucked away from the world he spent his final years trying to escape. The grave is simple. There are no carved figures of camels or an effigy of a robed desert king or the like, neither does it make any reference whatsoever to the great man he was or what he accomplished. It simply reads T.E. LAWRENCE FELLOW OF ALL SOULS COLLEGE OXFORD.
Intrigued but not yet in full appreciation of what I had just seen, I was determined to learn more about him and I was recommended a book called THE SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM written by Lawrence himself telling in detail his exploits in the desert. However no-one told me that Lawrence was also one of the most superficially intelligent figures of the 20th century and it was so intelligently written that I found it very hard to get through. You yourself would also have to be a fellow of All Souls College Oxford, to have understood it.
Instead I opted for the 1962 film which basically is an adaptation of this great novel. This I understood and was I amazed? Not 'alf.
This ranks as one of my favourite motion pictures if not THE favourite. Of course the real star of the picture is the stunning cinematography, but the all-star cast runs it a very close second.
Peter O'Toole gives a more than adequate portrayal of Lawrence, and I find it amazing that after such a promising start for such a naturally talented actor that none of his subsequent projects lived up to this standard. Alec Guinness is superb as Feisal and seems to have actually changed his race and creed for the role. Jack Hawkins gives General Allenby more of a humane and good natured disposition than the real Allenby deserves, but none the less portrays him well. Claude Raines, as Dryden, shows true English style, with his wit and dead pan attitude even when faced with the worst of news.
Omar Sharif, in his first non-Egyptian film, plays Lawrence's friend and confidant, Ali and it is their love/hate relationship that gives the film it's tenderest moments. And of course special mention for Anthony Quinn who once again proves that he could play anyone, of any age, race or culture with as much conviction as the real thing. Excellent.
What the film fails to explain is what kind of man Lawrence really was. However this cannot be blamed on the director or the actors as Lawrence was so superior of mind it was almost like he was on another plain, even his most closest of companions failed to understand him if of course he understood himself.
I do not find this film too long and on many frequent watches I often have to look at the time to see if four hours have really passed. It is an engrossing story and is told in a manner as to be true to Lawrence and the people who coloured his world. So true in fact that Lawrence is portrayed in a 'warts and all' kind of way giving equal screen-time to both his failings and his triumphs. From his growing enjoyment of killing and his failure to save his friend from quick-sand to the crossing of the Nefud desert and the taking of Akaba, the events are shown true to life. Rarely do we see a story-line where we are made to love, worship and admire a man who also appalls and sickens us in the same film.
One of the few films to actually stay true to the historical facts without studio sensationalism seeping in, it offers realism unlike any film before or since.
It might also interest you to know that this this is the only film I have ever seen that does not feature any women at all. I wonder if it is the only one? If anyone knows the answer to this please let me know.
If you still don't fancy this epic or still think its boring or badly made, try reading the book instead. You'll come back embracing this DVD with three arms.