"I pray that I will never see the desert again!"

Rating: 8/10 (11 February 2008)

This sweeping, highly literate historical epic covers the Allies' Mideastern campaign during World War I as seen through the eyes of the enigmatic T. E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole, in the role that made him a star).
The film follows the eccentric British officer as he tries to united such desert leaders of Arabia such as Sheriff Ali (Omar Sharif), Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness) and Auda Abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn against the Turks during World War I.
Director David Lean orchestrates sweeping battle sequences and breathtaking action, but the film is really about the adventures and trials that transform Lawrence into the so-called legendary man of the desert. The film is packed full of just fantastic image after another. For instance, the transition, of the match being blown out into the desert.... the mirage sequence. The film simply stands alone as one of the best films ever. My favorite scene is probably the one where Lawrence rides along the sea, after just having captured Aqaba.
Equally important to the film is the psychology of Lawrence, who remains an enigma not only to the Arabs, but also his fellow British officers. There was a quote at the end of the film given by Prince Feisal (Guinness) that really summed this up. It had to do with the both of them being glad to be rid of him.
One half of Lawrence was a scholar, a thinker, and gentle. But the other half was of that of a man of action, harsh, and decisive, and must of all flamboyant. No one is ever able to discern what Lawrence's motives really are in this matter: Sheriff dismisses him as yet another "desert-loving Englishman," and his British superiors assume that he's either arrogant or mad. In fact, some could even wager that the man was insane & that he carried around with him a sadistic god complex. In fact, in several scenes he claims that he will personally " give it to them" referring to the Arabs freedom. Yet, what happens at the end of the film? With the common enemy now gone, old tribal hatreds simply spring back into action. They may have been able to conquer Damascus, but they couldn't run it or conquer centuries of hatred. As noted from the film. " The Arabs? Who or what are they? I only know of tribes!" In fact, one may just see the real Lawrence's whole ' labor of love' as hopeless.