+++ Opinion +++
The classic status of this adventure is undisputed: “Lawrence of Arabia” was placed on the list of culturally relevant films that must be preserved for posterity by the US Library of Congress. He won seven Academy Awards, including the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. and the American Film Institute voted this masterpiece the best epic in Hollywood history. In the official DashFUN ranking of the best adventure films of all time, the legendary desert ride also made it to second place, just behind “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Furthermore, the impact of Lawrence of Arabia is almost immeasurable!
There are direct references in spy movies (as in James Bond: The Spy Who Loved Me) and in science fiction thrillers, for example Prometheus. Directed by David Lean, the epic also left a lasting impression on how adventure stories are narratively harnessed and filmed in such a way that they make us dream of distant places and risky exploits. If you don’t know this milestone yet or want to refresh your memory of it: “Lawrence of Arabia” can be found on various streaming platforms – including currently at no additional cost as part of the WOW subscription.
» “Lawrence of Arabia” at WOW*
For “Lawrence of Arabia” you have to set aside a lot of time, but it’s worth it. Then this visually stunning classic is just as fascinating today as it was then! And if we’re being honest for a moment: A film running time of over 200 minutes is actually a piece of cake, at least for series fans who can get the entire season of a Netflix event series in a single day…
During World War I, British officer Thomas Edward Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) is tasked with liberating the Arabian Peninsula from the Turkish army. To this end, he fraternizes with the Arabs and even adopts the lifestyle of the Bedouins. This earns him the trust of Prince Feisal (Alec Guinness). After a few successful moves at the front and a lot of clever diplomacy, Edward Lawrence also wins the sympathy of other tribes. However, his increasingly close friendship with the Arab people is put to the test when he learns what the long-term plans of his compatriots are…
Inspired by the life and actions of the real-life Thomas Edward Lawrence, screenwriters Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson weave a compelling narrative out of a complex war story: Lawrence of Arabia is about friendship, expanding cultural horizons, moral growth, and conquering great dangers together. The fact that this turns out to be so gripping is, of course, also thanks to the audiovisual component of the film:
Written by Maurice Jarres, the music is unforgettable, the costumes are sumptuous and the set construction is as breathtaking as the luscious landscape shots that know how to evoke wanderlust and awe. Plus, David Lean’s intuitive imagery and fabulous editing by Anne V. Coates ensure this epic never feels bulky. Instead, the story unfolds with immense pull.
But the memorable figures also play a large part in this: For all real-life inspiration, the characters in this cinematic adventure are exaggerated in a way that adds to the story’s larger-than-life flair. Some might even be a little too exaggerated on paper, but the gifted ensemble makes up for that. Be it Peter O’Toole, who lends intensity and changeability to the title hero, or Alec Guinness, later cast as Obi-Wan, who balances wise prudence and witty cynicism in his role. Or Omar Sharif, who as Sherif Ali effortlessly goes through a roller coaster ride of emotions – but always shines with warm-hearted loyalty.
Not that Lawrence of Arabia is the first successful and popular film with a desert setting. But what Lean and his cinematographer Freddie A. Young have pulled out of their dusty, hot locations is simply in a class of its own. Therefore, these images shaped the further course of adventure cinema – and also shaped the fiction set in distant galaxies. Frank Herbert, for example, replicated in his classic novel “Dune” in written form the magnetic attraction of the desert settingwhich was still conveyed visually in “Lawrence of Arabia”.
And the way Paul Atreides befriends the Fremen bears striking resemblances to Lawrence of Arabia. George Lucas’ “Star Wars”, on the other hand, as a melting pot of countless narrative and aesthetic influences, squints between all its western and samurai references to both “Dune’ as well as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.
Not only the atmosphere of the Tatooine sequences is reminiscent of individual passages from “Lawrence of Arabia”, also Luke Skywalker’s look is clearly based on the title hero of the monumental film. More Lawrence of Arabia influences came in later projects from a galaxy far, far away: The Jordanian desert of Wadi Rum, where Lean filmed some prominent sequences, also served the teams behind Rogue One and The Rise of Skywalker. as a location.
The Plaza de España in Seville, which was staged in “Lawrence of Arabia” as a British military base in Cairo, appears again in “Attack of the Clones” as a magnificent building on the planet Naboo. And the second episode, “The Book of Boba Fett,” fast-forwarded the “Lawrence of Arabia” sequences, in which Lawrence and an Arab army hold off a Turkish train. Now with Boba as Lawrence’s substitute and the Tusken in the shoes of the Arabs.
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