Lawrence of Arabia

"Everybody needs a Hero." This is one thing that the film constantly reminds us, throughout, from the first scene to the last. It all starts off with this slightly over the top(what I felt then) of Lawrence putting off a matchstick between his fingers, a his famous reply "The trick is not to mind it hurts." Throughout the movie there are instances which seem to levitate Lawrence and hold him up 6 inches above the ground (like Yuddhishtira in Mahabharatha) but then the director brilliantly brings out the darker shades of our hero. (Parts where he sanctions the massacre during the war and when he reveals that he loved killing Ghasim)


In fact he seems to vacillate between a power hungry, ruthless, firebrand messiah of sorts and a repentant, sensitive, ascetic who abnegates his power. The dichotomy in Lawrence is well built up that makes this character enigmatic and charming. The movie also brings into light the struggles of a leader and the unscrupulous ways of politics and diplomacy. The humanization Lawrence's character is brilliantly portrayed and make the movie seem real.


The cinematography is brilliant. The long shots of the desert with just the silhouette of the camels (specially the scene where Lawrence rescues the estranged Ghasim from the desert and returns to the oasis and his man servants rushes back with his camel howling away) Another brilliant scene is one where Lawrence and his troops head off to Aqaba. The entire army is walking int he valley surrounded by red dusty sandstone hill on whose top the women dressed in black and howl. The effect is endearing and touching. The battle scenes are done brilliantly with the portrayal being extremely realistic and camera work brilliant.

Another glaring aspect of the movie is the lack of female characters. This is probably due to the inherent nature of the plot being set in the Arabian region where women freedom was minimal. As a result the movie reeks of testosterone. Maybe it would have been better if Lawrence had actually fallen in love with a beautiful arabic woman but then maybe its best that the movie avoided cliches (However it gives the impression that Lawrence was probably gay). Apart from his, the only drawback is probably that the movie is a bit too long and there are places where the editing could have been crisper. However, this is an epic hero movie and it is every bit true to its cause. A classic movie that continues to engage audience beyond it's time and holds them spellbound with its picturization, cinematography and the enigmatic character of its lead character.