Classic Movies: Lawrence of Arabia

The latest in our classic movies series, Lawrence of Arabia, was a marathon clocking in at 3 hours and 47 minutes. It took three tries to finally finish watching it, but it was well worth it. I guess I’m biased because I know that these movies are considered classics, but I love the art of these films. There is a lot of music, silence and long shots in this film, but it is beautiful. There is a long musical prelude without images before the movie and again after intermission. That reminded me of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey which also had an incredible musical score.

This is Peter O’Toole’s legacy, his masterpiece. Now I understand why. His character, T.E. Lawrence is absolutely compelling and riveting. Lawrence is a highly intelligent misfit in the British army stationed in Arabia. He ends up going out on his own to help the arab tribes band together to fend off the Turks. In doing so he begins to identify with them as he proves himself a genius of military strategy and leadership. But Lawrence is uncomfortable with the whole thing from the beginning. He tries to quit because he was forced to kill a man according to tribal custom and found that he enjoyed it.

After finishing the movie I didn’t quite know what to think. The film really wrestled with war and violence and what it does to human beings. In the beginning of the movie Lawrence meets Sherif Ali when he kills his guide for drinking from his well. We assume in the beginning that the arabs are the ones who are “barbarous and cruel”. Toward the end of the movie Lawrence has lost himself in the violence of war and leads the Arabs into a bloodthirsty battle in which he indiscriminately kills. Sherif Ali is the one trying to stop him. When an American reporter shows up to see what has happened, Sherif Ali says that he must assume that this was the work of the Arabs, because they are a cruel and barbaric people, irony dripping form his lips.

It’s an incredibly beautiful, but very unsettling film. There was no resolution for Lawrence who was neither at home with the Arabs or his own countrymen. There was no resolution of the political and military conflict involving the Arabs, Turks and the British. There were many more questions than answers left hanging over my head and for this film that was a good thing.

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