New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

When I created the list of my Top 10 Most Beautiful Films, several people noted the absence of Lawrence of Arabia, David Lean's Oscar winning epic which is widely considered one of the most beautiful films ever made. While it had been on my list of classic films to see, I simply hadn't gotten around to it back in April. Now that I have, I can safely say it would easily make my list.

Lawrence of Arabia is a stunning film - truly a visual treat from beginning to end, especially on the big screen in 70mm - but that only explains part of its appeal. It is also a masterfully crafted film in nearly every regard, from the performances and writing to the direction, score, and editing.

The film starts with a motorcycle roaring down a winding countryside road. The sensation of speed is terrific - it felt like I was riding alongside the nameless stranger, taking the curves at 70 or 80MPH with him. The stranger takes one too many risks and careens out of control. We don't see the crash occur, but we don't need to in order to understand the rider couldn't survive.

In the next scene, it's revealed the speed enthusiast was T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole, in one of his first major roles) and his extravagant funeral is well attended by political and military dignitaries. A newspaper reporter tries to get quotes from those "who knew the man best" but finds that no one really knew Lawrence.

Cutting immediately from the funeral, we're thrown back in time 20 years to Egypt during World War I, where Lawrence is a young, brash, and intelligent officer with the British army. Due to his experience with Arab culture, he is given an assignment to find Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) and assess his troops in their revolt against the Turks.

Perhaps the most famous image from Lawrence of Arabia is found early on in the film - the iconic "match" cut which transports the viewer from inside a small room on the Army base to the vast desert. I had seen the cut several times in various retrospectives on television or online, but seeing it on the big screen was a sight to behold.

It doesn't take Lawrence long to endear himself to the prince, and soon he's leading a daring expedition across the blistering Nefud Desert to launch a surprise attack against the important port city of Aqaba. Accompanying him are 50 of the Prince's soldiers, led by Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif) who is wary of the pasty-skinned Englishman. The rest of the film is a series of battles - both physical and political - with Lawrence undergoing some serious character changes. Even though the film is more than 50 years old, I have no intention of spoiling anything.

Film is often called a "director's medium," and if you ever need an example of what a director can accomplish, look no further than Lawrence of Arabia. Right from the start, with that exciting motorcycle race, the film shows how talented and detail-oriented David Lean was. Each scene, each camera setup, and each frame was meticulously planned and executed. Lean was known to be a bit of a taskmaster on his sets and would require take after take until he got exactly what he wanted. Like with some of my favorite directors - I'm thinking specifically of Stanley Kubrick and David Fincher - you can't argue with the results. They may be difficult to work with and the cast and crew may end up exhausted, but the final product speaks for itself. Lawrence of Arabia is a beautiful, exciting, well developed, and emotional film with wonderful performances throughout. It is one of the best epic films I've seen and a lot of the credit can and should go to Lean, who won the Academy Award for Best Director for his efforts - his second, after winning previously for The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Continued:       1       2       3       4       5