A classic that is both captivating and enlightening

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2010)

Lawrence of Arabia is one of the most beautiful films ever made, featuring tremendous performances and a boldly honest look at a complex man and the complex times in which he lived. But while it still ranks as one of the best epics in movie history, the passing decades have also recast it as one of the greatest cinematic testaments to the awesome power of distance that so dominated the affairs of men before the 20th century.
T.E. Lawrence was a British army officer serving without distinction in Cairo during World War I who was dispatched by his country's foreign service to Arabia. His assignment was to observe and evaluate the fractured nature of the land and its Arab tribes and their ability to assist the British war effort against the Turkish Ottoman Empire. What Lawrence did was what no one since Saladin himself had achieved. He united the Arab people and led them to an astonishing victory, only to see that victory and Lawrence's dreams for the Arabs shattered against the relentless and unforgiving way of the world.
It's hard to say which ranks first with this film. Is it the stunning, captivating bleakness of director David Lean's desert vistas or is it the electrifying and heart breaking Peter O'Toole as Lawrence? They each rank among the best work of their kind you'll ever see. I think the edge has to go to O'Toole because the vast landscapes and searing open spaces that Lean throws up on the screen would dwarf the efforts of most actors. Lean creates a world that emphasizes the smallness of man, making it that much harder for O'Toole to imbue Lawrence with a larger-than-life essence. That is exactly what O'Toole does, however, crafting Lawrence as a figure of staggering potential who finds his greatness realized and then spoiled by mundane realities even he cannot overpower by force of will.
O'Toole is back up by a slew of other fine actors, particularly Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif and rival Arab chieftains who first doubt and then come to believe in Lawrence when he no longer does. Claude Rains is also almost unforgettable as Dryden the diplomat. He and Lawrence represent the twin sides of the British Empire. Lawrence is the heroism and the high ideals; Dryden the calculating, self interested reality those ideals were too frequently tamed by.
Watching this movie today, beyond being grandly entertaining, is also a primer on the primacy of distance in human affairs. Though the locomotive had helped shrink much of the West by the end of the 19th century, other parts of the globe like Arabia remained trapped in the iron grip of how difficult it was to get from here to there. Before the airplane truly revolutionized travel, the most towering challenge that faced any man or people wasn't doing what they needed to do. It was getting where they needed to go in order to do it. When you can board a jet today, fly across the international dateline and disembark on the other side of the world yesterday, there may be no better way than watching Lawrence of Arabia to understand the limitations imposed on humanity by the burden of pre-Jet Age travel.
Now, this film is long. I mean, it's loooooooooong. They stopped making movies this length over a generation ago. As entrancing as it is, and even with an intermission, this is still a viewing that requires some commitment. That's particularly the case because the second half where Lawrence is broken down by the burdens of his greatness and the immutable nature of his era is intentionally meant to be disappointing and dispiriting, at least on some level.
Taking all in all, Lawrence of Arabia isn't merely an outstanding motion picture. This is a legitimate "must see" for everyone out there. If you haven't seen it, go rent itÂ…though you might want to be sure and get it over the weekend so you've got time to watch it.