By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Movie Review
This is one of my favorite epic films and Peter O'Toole is brilliant in the title role as Lawrence. It is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential films in the history of cinema.
The film depicts Lawrence's experiences in Arabia during WWI, in particular his attacks on Aqaba and Damascus and his involvement in the Arab National Council. Its themes include Lawrence's emotional struggles with the personal violence inherent in war, his personal identity and his divided allegiance between his native Britain and its army and his newfound comrades with the Arabian desert tribes.
O'Toole as Thomas Edward "T.E." Lawrence. Albert Finney, at the time a virtual unknown, was director David Lean's first choice to play Lawrence, but Finney was not sure the film would be a success and turned it down. Marlon Brando was also offered the part and Anthony Perkins and Montgomery Clift were also briefly considered, before O'Toole was cast. Lean had seen O'Toole in "The Day They Robbed the Bank of England" and was bowled over by his screen test, proclaiming "This is Lawrence!"
Pictures of Lawrence suggest also that O'Toole carried some resemblance to him, in spite of their considerable height difference. O'Toole's looks prompted a different reaction from Noel Coward, who after seeing the premiere of the film quipped "If you had been any prettier, the film would have been called "Florence of Arabia!"
Alec Guinness as Prince Fasial. Faisal was originally to be portrayed by Laurence Olivier; Guinness, who perfromed in other David Lean films, got the part when Olivier dropped out. Gunniess was made up to look as much like the real Faisal as possible; he recorded in his diaries that, while shooting in Jordan, he met several people who had known Faisal who actually mistook him for the late prince. Guinness said in interviews that he developed his Arab accent from a conversation he had with Omar Sharif.
Anthony Quinn as Auda abu Tayi. Quinn got very much into his role; he spent hours applying his own makeup using a photos of the real Auda to make himself look as much like him as he could.
Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish. The role was offered to many actors before Omar Sharif was cast. Sherif Ali was a combination of numerous Arab leaders, particularly Sharif Nassir--Faisal's cousin--who led the Harith forces involved in the attack on Aqaba.
The historical accuracy of the film, and particularly its portrayal of Lawrence himself, has been called into question by numerous scholars. Most of the film's characters are either real or based on real characters to varying degrees. The events depicted in the film are largely based on accepted historical fact and Lawrence's own writing about events.
Many complaints about the film's accuracy, however, center on the portrayal of Lawrence himself. The perceived problems with the Lawrence begin with the differences in his physical appearance: The 6-foot 2-inch Peter O'Toole was almost nine inches taller than the real Lawrence.
Although the film does show that Lawrence could speak and read Arabic, could quote the Quran and was reasonable knowledgeable about the region, it barely mentions his archaeological travels from 1911 to 1914 in Syria and Arabia and ignores his espionage work, including a pre-war topographical survey of the Sinai Peninsula and his attempts to negotiate the release of British prisoners at Kut in Mesopotamia in 1916.
The desert scenes were shot in Jordan and Morocco, as well as Almeria and Donana in Spain. The film was originally to be filmed entirely in Jordan; the government of King Hussein was extremely helpful in providing logistical assistance, location scouting, transportation and extras; Hussein himself visited the set several times during production and maintained cordial relationships with cast and crew.
The film premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on December 10, 1962 and was released in the United States on December 16,1962. Upon it's release, Lawrence was a huge critical and financial success and it remains popular among viewers and critics alike. The striking visuals, dramatic music, literate screenplay and superb performance by Peter O'Toole have all been common points of acclaim and the film as a whole is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Its visual style has influenced many directors, including George Lucas, Sam Peckinpah, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, who called the film a "miracle."
"Lawrence of Arabia" is regarded as a masterpiece of world cinema and is ranked highly on many lists of the best films ever made. It was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry. Additionally, O'Toole's performance has also often been considered one of the greatest of all time, topping lists made by both "Entertainment Weekly" and "Premiere."
A digital restoration is currently underway for a Blu-ray and theatrical re-release during 2012 by Sony Pictures to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary. The Blu-ray edition of the film will be released to the public on November 13,2012.
