Lawrence of Arabia
By Kit Macdonald
“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”
The career-defining performance of the great Peter O'Toole unquestionably came in this, David Lean's brilliant 1962 historical epic about the life of T.E. Lawrence, a British officer who played a pivotal role in the Arab Revolt during World War I, uniting disparate Arab tribes against the Ottoman Empire while navigating the complexities of loyalty, colonial ambition and personal identity.
O'Toole beautifully captures Lawrence's metamorphosis from eccentric army officer to celebrated, deeply conflicted hero, and the film balances monumental battle sequences with intimate and unhurried study of its characters. The sweeping cinematography of Freddie Young and Maurice Jarre's soaring score helped it to its richly deserved seven Oscars.