The greatest epic ever made

Rating: Null/10 (6 December 2003)

With Lawrence of Arabia, David Lean proved beyond doubt his complete mastery of filmmaking. This is the most visually impressive and beautifully made film I have ever seen. Made on an enormous scale and meticulously directed, it dwarfs other epics and succeeds in providing a clear insight into all of the main characters which is where many epics have failed in the past where the spectacle dominates and characterisation is forgotten.
It is obvious when watching this film that every single scene has been thoroughly worked out and slaved over until it has been perfected. Stanley Kubrick's films often give the same impression but Lean has managed to avoid forgetting about and ultimately dehumanising the story and characters which was Kubrick's greatest failing.
Lean's task is helped considerably by the cast. In a film of this scale there is often a temptation to fill it with movie stars in order to help recoup the vast budget. Thankfully the original intention of casting Marlon Brando as T.E Lawrence and Horst Buchholz or Alain Delon as Sherif Ali was soon dismissed and the then unknown Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif were chosen, both of whom were perfect for their roles.
It is hard to believe that another unknown actor, Albert Finney, actually turned down the part of Lawrence, the role of a lifetime, before it was offered to O'Toole.
As great an actor as Finney undoubtedly is and despite giving a superb screen test over four days, I simply can not see him capturing the eccentricities and mystique of the enigmatic Lawrence. Finney is also too powerfully built to look a misfit in the British Army in the way the softly spoken, painfully thin O'Toole did.
O'Toole has the ideal appearance for Lawrence who indeed looks and acts like a clown as one officer pointed out to him whilst performing his initial role with the army in Cairo. However once he is in the desert and has found a cause he believes in, he becomes an astonishingly beautiful figure in his elegant white robes and is a million miles away from the suffocating stiffness of the British Army.
Omar Sharif as Ali provides an exotic Arabian companion to Lawrence, the two of them educating each other in the ways and customs of their respective countries. The contrast between them is emphasised by Sharif's dark hair and brown eyes and by O'Toole's blonde hair and staggeringly blue eyes.
Arthur Kennedy is excellent as the cynical and often bedraggled Jackson Bentley; the journalist based on Lowell Thomas, who makes Lawrence famous around the world.
Anthony Quinn is ideally cast as Auda abu Tayi, the boisterous leader of an Arab faction whose hatred of Ali's tribe is likely to explode at any moment.
If there are weaknesses in the cast they will probably be found in the performances by Anthony Quayle who is slightly wooden as the compassionate Colonel Brighton and surprisingly Alec Guinness, miscast as Prince Feisal, whose make-up looks unconvincing when standing near Omar Sharif.
What makes the story particularly interesting is that there is no undoubted hero but several villains. No major character comes through this film free of blame or criticism.
Lawrence is indeed the shameless exhibitionist' as Jackson Bentley stated after his funeral whose arrogance leads directly to his brutal torture and sexual abuse at the hands of the Turks. Sherif Ali often seems to have more compassion for the Turks than for his fellow Arabs. Auda's interests in the Arab revolt are primarily fuelled by greed.
The British Army and its subjects, perfectly portrayed by Jack Hawkins and Claude Rains are deceitful, manipulative liars looking to exploit Lawrence's achievements in Arabia. Prince Feisal is cruel in his condemnation of Lawrence at the end.
The Arabs themselves are incapable of resolving their tribal differences in order to unite and gain their freedom. The Turks are brutal, bloodthirsty savages who slaughter and rape their innocent and defenceless victims.
Despite the fascinating politics and excellent characterisation there are some clear weaknesses in the story. The scenes with the British Army in Cairo are poorly written particularly Lawrence's scene in the nasty, dark little room' and Lawrence's return to Headquarters after the victory in Aqaba. The scene depicting Lawrence wandering around, lost in thought as he searches for the miracle Feisal desperately needs is a tacky piece of Hollywood melodrama that is untypical of Lean.
However, these occasional shortcomings are completely overshadowed by the unforgettable images that make this film stand out head and shoulders above any other.
Everyone remembers Ali's entrance, appearing as a mysterious, tiny spot on the horizon but the two finest scenes in the film belong to Lawrence.
The rescue of Gasim is an amazing piece of editing as the loyal Daud waits for Lawrence to return. The soundtrack is wonderful as Daud approaches the distant figure he hopes is Lawrence, the music changing with each cut to compliment the action, culminating in the spectacular shot of their two camels meeting and crossing, the only figures in a vast desert.
The most remarkable scene perfectly sums up the story of Lawrence and the unsolvable mystery that surrounds him. O'Toole striding triumphantly along the top of a recently derailed train, the adoring Arabs following his shadow as El Aurens' jumps onto the next carriage and blocks out the sun creating a dramatic silhouette of an untouchable God-like figure.