Lawrence of Arabia is a masterpiece, a sprawling epic about a man torn between his sanity and his destiny, fighting a politician's war in an endless ocean of sand. It balances highs and lows and keeps its breakneck pace from the initial death of Lawrence to the disbanding of the Arab National Council. It confidently weaves together political instability, the Turkish brutality, the inability of the Arabs to unite, and Lawrence's deteriorating mental state into a unique and strong tapestry which stands as a testament to the power of film. From the pristine offices of Cairo to the bloody streets of Tafas, Lawrence of Arabia cements its reputation as one of the greatest and most influential films of all time.
At the heart of Lawrence of Arabia is T. E. Lawrence himself. Peter O' Toole plays the part with a remarkable humanity, which contrasts sharply with the bloody violence he surrounds himself with. From the Arabs' constant violence to the sleazy politicians who say less than they think, the war makes Lawrence's frankness and his unwavering moral code stands out, which is all the more apparent as he begins to break down in the latter half of the film. As more people die around him, Lawrence spirals down into an insanity portrayed with great earnestness by O' Toole, and his moral code breaks down as he becomes nothing more than one more grain of sand in the infinite desert of war. Eventually, Lawrence looses his control of the situation, and we feel his frustration so viscerally because of O' Toole's great acting.
Of course, half of the credit goes to the cinematographers, who redefined what was possible in shooting a movie. Every shot is deliberately placed and molded to create striking imagery at every turn. One particularly memorable moment was on Lawrence's journey to meet Prince Faisal, when the camera looks up at Lawrence from inside a well. This movie's cinematography is filled with epic transitions and shots; in fact, it looks like a direct inspiration for the camera angles which made Breaking Bad so famous. The breakneck pace of the story means that all information should be vital; in fact, most information about how Lawrence feels is communicated from the camera. When he is focused on the match in the opening moments of the film, the camera shows only his face and the match. When he is distracted, the camera shows the army marching in the distance while he sits alone on a rock. But it also conveys the desert as its own living breathing creature. It takes high shots which make Lawrence and his men look like ants in an ocean. And these sweeping shots are more than striking moments for the sake of exhibition; they further the themes of the story, as Lawrence is dwarfed up by the violence, bloodshed, and savagery of the desert he desperately hoped to free.
There are so many more things that make the film great. Lawrence is an amazing role model, a man so dedicated to his role that he dresses like the people he works with, yet also unorthodox enough to win a war. The score for the film is marvelous, with a whimsical march for the soldiers, a war drum for the battles, and the iconic orchestral melodies for the majestic shots of the desert. The only criticism is the historical inaccuracy which inevitably arises from telling a story. But even Saving Private Ryan gets things wrong sometimes, and what matters is how well Lawrence of Arabia tells its story, which it does masterfully. Lawrence of Arabia is a sweeping epic which delves into the psyche of one man, and while its premise may not be inventive as something like 2001: A Space Odyssey, its extraordinary execution makes it stand out as one of the greatest films ever made.
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