Visual beauty makes sanctimonious handing tolerable .....

Rating: 7/10 (11 May 2014)

Probably the most visually stunning film that I have seen in my whole life. The visuals in this one would put to shame the visuals in the greatest of Westerns. The grand vistas are the grandest ever.
But PETER O TOOLE's sanctimonious portrayal of Lawrence got on my nerves. There is no other way of putting it - he was too feminine and irritating (I checked on wikipedia and apparently LAWRENCE was a homosexual). Brando (to whom the role was offered initially) would have done a better job even with his mumbling. ALEC GUINESS was also a real pain, I mean he was hilarious. Apparently DILIP KUMAR was offered the role played by OMAR SHARIFF (who was brilliant).
And the story doesn't get really interesting until just before the interval. The film does offer some terrific insight into the Arab psyche. Basically the Arabs were parasites who had no interest in democracy and could not run a country properly. They depended on the British for various systems to continue and the moment the British retreated, everything fell apart completely.
The British were no better. Their flexible morals and deceitful imperialistic ambitions made them play one side against the other quite easily.
The film had this very sanctimonious tone throughout, the main character was completely unlikeable and I don't think TOOLE played him very well. And nor were the filmmakers successful in showing what a nefarious person Lawrence really was.
LEAN might have made some visually stunning films but I guess he always worked with a big budget. he is no KUBRICK or POWELL/PRESSBURGER.
The film did make me wonder about the remarkable men produced by England and what the country has become today.
(7/10)