Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
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STORY LINE
This sweeping, highly literate historical epic covers the Allies'
mideastern campaign during World War I as seen through the eyes of the
enigmatic T. E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole, in the role that made him a
star). After a prologue showing us Lawrence's ultimate fate, we flash
back to Cairo in 1917. A bored general staffer, Lawrence talks his way
into a transfer to Arabia. Once in the desert, he befriends Sherif Ali
Ben El Kharish (Omar Sharif, making one of the most spectacular
entrances in movie history)
and draws up plans to aid the Arabs in their rebellion against the
Turks. No one is ever able to discern Lawrence's motives in this matter:
Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness) dismisses him as yet another
"desert-loving Englishman," and his British superiors assume that he's
either arrogant or mad. Using a combination of diplomacy and bribery,
Lawrence unites the rival Arab factions of Feisal and Auda Abu Tayi
(Anthony Quinn). After successfully completing his mission, Lawrence
becomes an unwitting pawn of the Allies, as represented by Gen. Allenby
(Jack Hawkins) and Dryden (Claude Rains), who decide to keep using
Lawrence to secure Arab cooperation against the Imperial Powers. While
on a spying mission to Deraa, Lawrence is captured and tortured by a
sadistic Turkish Bey (Jose Ferrer). In the heat of the next battle, a
wild-eyed Lawrence screams "No prisoners!" and fights more ruthlessly
than ever. Screenwriters Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson used T. E.
Lawrence's own self-published memoir The Seven Pillars of Wisdom as
their principal source, although some of the characters are composites,
and many of the "historical" incidents are of unconfirmed origin. Two
years in the making (you can see O'Toole's weight fluctuate from scene
to scene), the movie, lensed in Spain and Jordan, ended up costing a
then-staggering $13 million and won seven Academy Awards, including Best
Picture and Best Director. The 1962 Royal Premiere in London was
virtually the last time that David Lean's director's cut was seen: 20
minutes were edited from the film's general release, and 15 more from
the 1971 reissue. This abbreviated version was all that was available
for public exhibition until a massive 1989 restoration, at 216 minutes
that returned several of Lean's favorite scenes while removing others
with which he had never been satisfied.
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