The most grandiose biographical epic ever told

Rating: 9/10 (4 February 2009)

Not many studios around today would take a risk on a 3-hour and 45-minute epic tale taking place in a desert, and that's part of what makes "Lawrence of Arabia" such a remarkable classic. As long as it is, there's a sense of greatness as one watches the film: the camera sweeping across the desert and its majestic soundtrack pouring into your ears. There's no denying that as drawn out as the plot is, there's something powerful in every scene, whether its the beauty of the sun as it's caught on camera or the look on Peter O'Toole's face as he comes to yet another epiphany on his journey across the wilderness.
O'Toole stars as TE Lawrence, a somewhat flamboyant but ambitious British soldier during World War I who is sent to Arabia where the Arabs are hoping to receive aid from the British in order to defeat parts of the Ottoman Empire. He ends up leading them successfully in a series of raids and battles and begins to suffer a conflict of allegiance between his British superiors and his Arab allies like Prince Feisal (Alec Guiness) and Sheriff Ali (Omar Sharif).
The film is of Lawrence's journey. He undergoes many transformations and learns many sobering lessons along the way, like the guilt of killing and even the lust for killing in addition to the fact that although he fights for Arabs, he himself is about as white as one can get. Clearly seeing that personal journey is what makes O'Toole's performance one of the all- time greatest. Most of the film is plot and its dialog either plot-oriented or intended to be quotable tidbits of wisdom. Lawrence is our only emotional access into the film and O'Toole just nails the part. The look in his soft blue eyes whether of anger, sadness or gaiety is utterly convincing. Without him this film would be flat and lifeless, no matter how exceptionally well made it is.
And exceptional is one way to put it. Director David Lean chooses to keep the camera on the outside as much as possible, opting for the wide scene-setting shot whenever possible, only getting close-up if it's O'Toole's face illustrating an important point in his character's journey of understanding. It also lets the lavish sets and breathtaking locales become an important part of the story. His goal appears at times to simply overwhelm you with the majesty of the desert, much like Lawrence found it captivating despite being far from anything like home. It's not about creating an intimacy with the film; Lean wants to create awe for members of the audience and that's what big far-away pans and a long thematic score achieve.
Every line of dialog in the film seems to have a poignancy. Almost like Shakespeare, there's wisdom and insight into the conflict being dropped in every line, with scenes ending on revealing and thematic ideas. Whether it's dialog building the complex portrait of Lawrence or the nature of the Middle East conflict, something of value is present nearly the entire film. The only thing missing is that women are virtually absent from the film, which in essence adds a whole other layer to it.
Movies like "Lawrence" don't really get made anymore. While the occasional lengthy biopic comes up, the newer, fast-paced Hollywood simply can't handle too many of them or afford to budget over a year of on-location shooting for something so weighty. That's why "Lawrence of Arabia" is such an untouchable classic.