"Every shot, every scene is so beautifully formulated."

Rating: 9/10 (8 February 2016)

Once I read a book on cinema and it says that if late Peter O'Toole had been anymore charming in that dessert, then the movie would be worthy of "Florence of Arabia". It was his original striking blue eyes, predominant screen-charisma and surely, his knowledge and experience on acting, which made him a legendary artist of acting Hollywood. This is "Lawrence of Arabia"; a 'totalitarian' cinema, where acting and assured filmmaking are absolute. The fact that modern filmmakers rely so much on CGI and such to produce kitschy films, cinema magic which enraptures audiences, is rarely being conjured up. Till today, "Lawrence of Arabia" is highly regarded as one of Hollywood's greatest epics.
This is a story of a young, educated British military officer named T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole). Not vast to be a biographical motion picture, but greatly an account of Lawrence's exploits in the Arab Peninsula during World War One. At first he was being sent for duty to gather information of Prince Faisal's (Alec Guinness) activities on his revolt against the Turks. But not to the expectations of his superiors, he showed defiance and led the Arabs to fight their enemies. "Lawrence of Arabia" is a 'desert' film, with no major stars attached to it. If I were to live during that period of time, I would not expect success from it.
Although the film is widely recognised as a Hollywood epic, it is rightfully also an excellent character-study. Lawrence, of the movie, is a multi-layered character. It is the coherent development of the mentioned character, that the film's writing actually plays a great role. Lawrence was a playful, carefree man at first. The man is slightly like a clown perhaps, but a very educated clown indeed. His personality preceding the invasion of Aqaba probably justified the idea that his fellow soldiers are actually stumped by his efforts in assisting the Arabs. The moment he was tasked to execute a man he once saved to avoid surge of conflicts between Arabian tribes, the old persona of his starts to fade away, and the new, darker one begins to evolve in him. His soul must be so well attached with love and mercy, that the abrupt killing of his friend affects him to the extent that it transforms him significantly, in spite of the action being utterly necessary. His troubled mind, and madness, are dragged till the end of his expeditions, only to develop leisurely, to its final form. But in the face of the character, his intelligence as a man of winner is not easily overlooked. Knowing that he needs more men to capture Aqaba, he successfully tricked Auda (Anthony Quinn), and his men, into joining his side. And also with regard to his other successful missions against the Turks, it clearly shows about his intellect as a military leader. Lawrence is a fearless and ambitious warrior, but it is his complex personality that intrigues me.
The filmmaking of the picture is ingenious. Every shot, every scene is so beautifully formulated. Director David Lean and cinematographer Freddie Young had orchestrated cinematography to be the best out of it. The performances are superb, with Peter O'Toole leading the way, and was well supported by Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn. And yes, one shall not ignore the magical score by Maurice Jarre.
It is of profound understanding that "Lawrence of Arabia" would melt cinema lovers with its awe-inspiring filmmaking, but again, I reiterate, the hero who is interconnected with enigmatic notions that mobilizes my love for it. The final scene of the show is interesting; Lawrence ignores the British soldiers in heavy military vehicle passing by, but shows attention when conservative Arabs catch the sight of him. This encapsulates the viewpoint that he favours the Arabs over his own people.
"Lawrence of Arabia" is David Lean's masterpiece, but shockingly it never turned out to be one of my personal favourites. But in the eyes of the world? It is one of the greatest absolutely. Released in the early 1960s, and deservedly became one of the most successful works of cinematic art of that era. The 'desert masterpiece' shines and bears upon light that coruscates from genuine movie enchantment towards audiences. I love to see the shot of a rising sun that comes in before Lawrence puts an end to fire of matchstick as the mention for that. The wonderment of "Lawrence of Arabia" is rarely performed again, in my time.
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