Deftly handled economies of scale by Lean

Rating: 9/10 (28 March 2019)

Lean handles the desert as co-star with O'Toole as Ford did Monument Valley with his Western epics and Wayne. But Lean does it better.
Lawrence goes in an idealistic innocent, a brilliant but naive man who believes he can unite long conflicted tribal societies into a single, powerful group that could work themselves out of the colonial reign of Britain.
He discovers corruption and murder in other men, as well as in himself. By the time an Arab conference fails to unite the tribes, Lawrence is a shattered man. He has personally lost close friends, learned to love killing, been debased. He'd hoped to open doors for a people and place he learned to love, but manages to ruin himself.
O Toole, Sharif, even Quinn at his hammiest before Zorba, do amazing work, with pristine supporting roles by Claude Rains and Alec Guinness.
It is an stunning cinematic epic combined wth Greek tragedy. It is long, a feast for the eyes, beautiful dialogue. Spare, yet rich. Ultimately melancholy. But worth the viewing. The sand washes over you like waves.