Why was ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ such a revolutionary movie?
As cinema fans have flocked to their local theatres to witness the magnificence of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, their attention has been drawn to a film that undoubtedly inspired Villeneuve, another masterpiece of the desert. Widely considered one of the greatest cinematic gems of all time, David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia has been added to the watchlist of several cinephiles across the world.
Lean’s epic adventure drama, released in 1962, is based on the life of British army officer and diplomat T.E. Lawrence (played by Peter O’Toole) and his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. It focuses on Lawrence’s experience in the Hejaz and Greater Syria in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War and his meetings with the Arab National Council, diving into his conflicted allegiance between Britain and his desert allies.
But what was it about Lawrence, which won seven Academy Awards from ten nominations, that made it such a revolutionary piece of cinema? For starters, one cannot deny the epic scale of the film. The utterly jaw-dropping cinematography, captured gloriously by Freddie Young, depicted the sprawling expanse of the Arabian desert, whether in wide, open panoramas or intense close-up shots, and every frame in Lawrence can be felt in all its dry, sand-blasted heat. This kind of attention to visual detail had simply not been seen before, and Lean’s movie absolutely defined the ‘epic’ genre.
Aside from the visuals, though, and with a quick mention of Maurice Jarre’s stultifying score, Lean employed a new kind of narrative structure that laid the groundwork for future cinema. Biopics often tell the stories of their subjects in a linear manner, but Lean opted to focus on the vital parts of Lawrence’s life and have them dissected by scenes in which his emotional turmoil comes to the surface. This enables Lawrence’s contradictions as a character and a historical figure to be thoroughly examined.
Lean, who had already enjoyed success with The Bridge on the River Kwai, made a brave decision to cast the unknown Peter O’Toole in Lawrence’s lead role. This was unheard of at the time for such a big production, but Lean showed that greatness could be brought out of untested talent with a little faith and direction. O’Toole proceeded to give one of cinema’s most iconic performances, bringing the historical figure to life on screen with commanding physicality and all his emotional and moral complexity.
Lawrence of Arabia also faced up to and accomplished the task of portraying a problematic piece of geopolitical history and explored the difficult intricacies and consequences of World War I as the colonial stranglehold in the Middle East grew stronger against more and more resistance. In that light, there was a fearless commitment to uncovering the past in Lean’s film, especially in an age where cinema had been rather prude and conservative.
As stated above, Denis Villeneuve was greatly inspired by Lawrence of Arabia when making his Dune series. When asked about its impact, he gushed, “It’s like a masterpiece; it’s timeless, and you could not make it again today. It’s a perfect movie. And it’s a masterclass in cinematic language. For the film student, I was to witness this movie in its full power on the big screen—it had a tremendous impact on my psyche and my creativity.”
Steven Spielberg is also known to be a huge fan of Lean’s movie and once explained the reason that it possesses such a unique quality. “What makes that film unlikely any film that can be made again is that it was done naturally,” he said, “with the elements of light and sound and maybe the greatest screenplay ever written for the motion picture medium […] It was a miracle.”
Clearly admired by some of the greatest directors of all time, Lawrence of Arabia is a pinnacle milestone in the history of cinema that pushed the boundaries of the medium into new frontiers. With some of the most impressive visuals ever captured on screen, without the use of special effects, plus a fearless mode of narrative storytelling, Lean’s film was a true revolution and continues to be taken into the hearts of cinema lovers the world over.