Lawrence of Arabia

⭐ 10/10

The only word to describe this movie is epic. Sprawling, grand, whatever adjective you want, this is a massive movie. It tells the long story of T.E. Lawrence, a British man who gets close with a group of Arabs, becoming a leader who helps them fight back against their oppressors. But are his British overlords actually the real oppressors?? The influence this movie has had on everything that has come after it is so clear. Every action set piece, even a bunch of the shots, watching this felt like getting a history of film education.

There is a shot in here that made me think of the Dune 3 trailer, and while maybe not directly inspired I have been thinking about both of them since I first saw them.

Just give me Dune 3 right now please.

Anyways, this movie is incredible. I was able to watch it in a theatre with a bunch of people, and there is a transition early in the movie where I knew this wasn't just some stuffy old movie, as the crowd gasped in appreciation of a simple yet elegant transition. You can't hear it in a gif, and putting it here out of context will not stir anyone, but let me tell you in this moment I was completely transported.

And it doesn't stop from there. The sweeping vistas, the absolute hoard of camels (I can't help but imagine how many died making this). The action scene are so visceral and real, almost scary, and there are these charges with actors on horse or camel back that must have been so terrifying. One in particular instantly brought me back to the charge of the Rohirrim, and there is no way Peter Jackson wasn't aware of this movie while making that. I listened to a podcast on the making of this movie and like all masterpieces the production was super troubled, and incredibly difficult, almost failing a million times along the way. A miracle of a movie.

The acting is phenomenal as well, with Peter O'Toole giving a performance I have never really seen. He's not Indiana Jones at all, even though the character descriptions could be similar. He is very sleight, but also incredibly tall. He is almost effeminate, possibly a choice by the actor given the real Lawrence's sexuality, but it's almost like he's a mystical figure himself, optimistic and energetic in the face of a treacherous dessert and alien people. And the character changes dramatically, he goes through some dark stuff and starts to grow skeptical of his original mission despite his love of the people.

Worth mentioning that there is a bunch of brown-face in this movie, including a great but probably insensitive performance by Alec Guinness. But then there is Omar Sharif, an actual Egyptian who is so phenomenal, and stands out because he feels so perfect in this world. Not to be all DEI or anything, but this is the power of diverse casting! I get that acting is literally the act of being someone you are not, but for an immersive movie like this the prosthetic noses on other people were quite distracting.

Much like Dune, which is the most obvious retelling of this story, the way the story moves from grand adventure to guerrilla warfare to a man becoming undone by the horrors of war is timeless. Feels bold to not make this a white saviour movie, which is is probably often misconstrued as. This movie has a lot to say, and is as relevant today as it ever was.

If I haven't mentioned it yet, this is one of the best looking movies ever made even more than 60 years later. No CGI, everything shot in stunning real deserts or locations in the region. There is a scene where they attack and blow a train off its tracks, all real. There is a massive battalion charging at and through a small city, all real. I was in awe, constantly wondering how this could be done, which I can only imagine was the same thought initial audiences would have had. The wonder and spectacle of movies, so good it stands the test of time.

A strong recommend across the board, but this is also a 4 hour movie including the intermission. I would say it must be seen in theatres, not only for the scale of the images, but for the forcing function of public shaming preventing phone usage. I could feel the moments in the movie where I would have drifted off at home, especially 3 hours in, and I am so glad I was locked into the experience. Any time this movie makes a return to theatres I will have a hard time passing up the chance to see it again.