Sometimes I think that my movie reviews should be just that, and personal interjections or deviating tangents are best avoided. On the flip side of that coin; perhaps it's the tangents which make these reviews uniquely my own. Also considering that my path in life seems more focused on Calculus right now than filmmaking, perhaps it is fitting that tangents take a more prominent position in my writing...
I'm a bit of a movie nerd if you didn't already know. As I posted a review a few weeks ago I noticed that I'm coming up on 200 postings (well over 200 movies since often I review multiple movies in each post). I also remembered that my 100th posting a few years back was for "The Dark Knight", which got me excited thinking that "The Dark Knight Rises" was on track to be my 200th posting. Well, here I am at the 199th posting, about to write about a classic. This poses somewhat of a dilemma, considering that there are a few movies I'd like to see before "The Dark Knight Rises" is released in just over a month. I couldn't possibly see "Brave" and not write about it sometime in the next few weeks, and there's a few other movies I'd still like to see including showings of "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Searchers" at our local theater. Perhaps this doesn't make sense to anyone else, but it just seemed like a really cool milestone to have both Batman movies mark notable points in my blogwriting endeavor. Of course this could be all moot; the world could easily come to an end in the next 32 days and I may never see "The Dark Knight Rises", or worse it could be a horrible film and I won't even want to write about it. Now let's get to "Lawrence of Arabia"...
After seeing the clip of "Lawrence of Arabia" in "Prometheus" I placed the former on hold at my library since it has been many years since my last viewing. I had only seen it once before, probably around the age of 12-14, so my impression of the film was quite obscure. I remember it being long, I think many actually may have heard me say that it would have been better had it ended half-way through. I no longer hold that opinion. The task of reviewing this film is daunting to me, so I will break it down into three categories; the cinematography, the story and performances, and the philosophy.
Apparently there is a high definition film transfer which has recently occurred, which means a theatrical re-release is coming soon and Blu Ray. I am looking forward to both. Even on DVD it is clear that this film is a visual masterpiece. Certain sequences, such as Lawrence walking across the train cars burn impressions of his character into your memory. Other shots, such as Lawrence's arrival at the Suez Canal must be seen, mere descriptions would do it little justice. Considering that the desert is itself a central character in this film, shooting on location contributes so much to the look and feel of "Lawrence of Arabia". I watched a short interview with Steven Spielberg (included on the DVD) in which he mentions that audiences can tell the difference between real scenery and sound stages or special effects. Going back and looking at "Lawrence" and other epic films of the time, it boggles my mind that any self-respecting director would work exclusively with green screens or on a set if a possible real location would work instead. "Prometheus" helps prove my point, the best looking parts of that film were definitely the real landscapes. Movies like "Jurassic Park" work precisely because the craftsmen work so relentlessly to make the essential sets look so like the actual locations, which are utilized as much as possible. "Lawrence of Arabia" has a train wreck which is far more convincing than the recent "Super 8", I wonder why that is?
You may have wondered at my division of categories, let me take a moment to give a brief explanation: Cinematography is the way the film is framed, everything onscreen has a visual impact on the audience. The story and performances go together, these are the basics of cause and affect, motivation, reactions, and consequences. Philosophy is the reason any of this is interesting or important. So as I discuss the story and performances it is best not to analyze the morality (or lack thereof) contained within this film, I will simply try to criticize the presentation. Substance will be considered in the next section... Peter O'Toole plays Lawrence perfectly. Quite often during the almost four hour movie, one of my kids would ask "why did he say that" or "why is he smiling?" They were picking up on the contradictions between what Lawrence had said a moment before and the way he was currently acting. The screenplay, and O'Toole's portrayal of Lawrence definitely keep the audience on their toes. The early scenes of Lawrence in Cairo (excerpted in "Prometheus") are wonderful at establishing his character. He is a restless misfit, who can sense a world of opportunity just over the horizon. Two great movies come to mind that I would like to compare with "Lawrence of Arabia"; "Patton" starring George C. Scott and "The Aviator" featuring Leonardo DiCaprio. "Patton" examines the life of a singularly-minded warrior. His delusional personality makes him a fascinating character, yet there isn't much depth. "The Aviator" follows Howard Hughes' transformation from a visionary genius to obsessive-compulsive recluse. While the story is sadly captivating, it is overall a simplistic representation. In contrast, O'Toole's Lawrence is a dynamic man, who cannot be easily defined. In a single scene Lawrence seems disconnected from reality, wandering in a daze and the very next moment is perfectly lucid. He weeps over the death of a man he hardly knew and later slaughters unarmed men without hint of remorse. Having the audience question Lawrence's inconsistencies (as my kids were doing) is no accident; he is going mad. One of my least favorite movies is also about madness; "Black Hawk Down". The director of that film (ironically) Ridley Scott wasn't content with conveying the madness of a horrible situation, rather he attempted to drive the audience mad too. If frustrating and infuriating the audience was his goal, then I guess he deserves due praise, but watching that movie is such a horrible experience in and of itself. "Lawrence of Arabia" paints a coherent, even beautiful picture of one man's ascent to greatness and descent into madness, which amazingly both were occurring at the same time.
Watching "Lawrence of Arabia" with my kids made me pay special attention to the philosophical aspect of the film. I actually paused the DVD a few times to explain certain scenes or answer specific questions. One such moment came during a scene where various tribesmen were invoking God's name as a blessing upon Lawrence and his quest. "God be with you" is a wonderful thing to say. "If God wills it" might be even better. How come Christians don't talk to each other like this? I explained to my kids that some people have false beliefs, not recognizing Christ as God's son, the one and only saviour. Unfortunately while 99.9% of the people in this movie are claiming to serve God, they are in actuality seriously misguided. The other .1% is Lawrence himself, he believes only in himself. What makes him dangerous is his knowledge, he has an extensive understanding of history; he knows the truth but does not accept it. The apparent contradiction that Lawrence can both hate death and take pleasure from murder is really not a contradiction at all. The struggle with sin that exists for those who seek to honor God does not look the same for those who are at the center of their own lives. Lawrence was a tortured man, but he could see no rhyme or reason for his misery. He found himself in a paradox; how could he define purpose in life if he truly didn't care about the people he claimed to be fighting for? At best Lawrence is a tragic hero, someone who accomplished great victories which supported a higher purpose, while at the same time losing his own soul. "Lawrence of Arabia" could be seen as a tribute to an incredible man, I see it as a stern warning. The best warnings are the ones that really get you attention.
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