Spectacular, fascinating character study. The Legend lives on

Rating: 10/10 (14 March 2012)

They don't make screens big enough for a movie like this. Hell, they don't make Actors like these anymore... Being born in the 80's, I must have seen "Lawrence of Arabia" in my childhood but didn't understand what the fuss was all about (except for Peter O'Toole's beauty and intense radiance). I have reluctantly revisited it recently. It took me several viewings to fully appreciate it, and it's probably the greatest movie ever made.
Much has been said about this film, and usually people who have something to criticize are getting into pissing contests over its historical accuracy. I couldn't care less about those "controversies", they are missing the point. This is a fictionalized account, not a history lesson. I'm only interested in Peter O'Toole's Lawrence and the way this particular story is told. Historically accurate or not, I don't care.
Not only "Lawrence of Arabia" hasn't aged one day, but it's light years ahead of recent productions. Cinematic perfection is what it is, and it's a miracle. There must have been a rare star alignment 50 years ago, that made everything click so perfectly - cast, acting, script, music, editing, scenery, costumes, all within a remarkable direction. Every scene is an invaluable lesson of filmmaking, a demonstration of superlative acting. What strikes me is that sensitive issues like sexual identity and violence are beautifully explored with a subtlety, intelligence and elegance that are no longer to be found in film today. I'm afraid to imagine how the "Deraa sequence" would be depicted these days. Filmmakers today just lack the talent and sensitivity to make it compelling without resorting to obscenity and gore for cheap shock value.
Peter O'Toole is splendid, sophisticated,larger-than-life, and leaves you breathless with every movement. You will notice the subtle touches of his performance, the nuances of his ambiguous identity, constantly shifting. The portrayal of Lawrence is somewhat inconsistent, inexplicit, and he remains a fascinating puzzle, which is both frustrating and also the key to the movie's overall success.
You will be blown away by the power of Lean's imagery and his ability to define a character so precisely and memorably through purely visual means. There's no CGI, so everything looks and feels real. But it feels real mostly because we see the alien Arab world through Lawrence's eyes. It's amazing how introspective, how personal such a grand-scale epic can be.
So who is O'Toole's Lawrence? What is it that drives him to do what he does? I still don't know, but with each viewing there's something new to discover. I believe that David Lean's respect for the mystery, for the ineffable of human personality is something to be admired. But it's more than respect, it's Lean's intelligence that prevents him from "explaining" Lawrence. That's why people are still crazy about this movie 50 years later.