Lawrence of Arabia: The Story of T.E. Lawrence and the Arab Uprising in World War I

Lawrence of Arabia, Colombia Pictures

December 10, 1962

$15 Million Budget, $70 Million Box Office

Original Poster

Drama

The central historical message of the film, Lawrence of Arabia is to share the story of T.E. Lawrence, played by Peter O'Toole, a British Officer and his experiences as a member and leader of the Arab Uprising in the Arabian Peninsula during World War I. The film follows Lawrence's time in the Arabian Peninsula, his involvement in the Arab Uprising and the Arab National Council, and the issues Lawrence experiences and issues with his time in the war, including his changing attitudes towards the violence of war, finding his own identity, and balancing the relationships he develops with the Arabs and his duty to his country as an officer. 

The film was based on the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, written by T.E. Lawrence himself. The film was directed by David Lean, produced by Sam Spiegel, and written by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The score was written by Maurice Jarre, and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

The film reveals the view reveals the viewpoints of the war over 40 years after it occurred, and shows the views of heroism in World War I. It exposes the problems that these so called war heroes encounter and experience as well. The film was a critical and financial success upon its release, and won a number of awards, including best picture and best director at the 35th Academy Awards. In 1991, the film was called, "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," and was placed in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry. The film is still well received today.

The look of the film, especially in newer remastered versions, is breathtaking. The open landscapes provide an idea of how vast the deserts that Lawrence lived and worked in must have been. The areas selected for filming were clearly chosen carefully and utilized intentionally. Because of the available camera technology when Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, some scenes and movements appear choppy or broken, but the landscapes, production, sets, costumes, and writing make up for these filming issues time and time again. The editing allows the film to flow smoothly over its 200+ minute run time, and the score provides emotion and helps set scenes throughout the film in an outstanding way, and creates a real life Indiana Jones feel. 

The films provides strong historical context, and gives a great understanding of the relationship that Lawrence and the Arabs had. There are some parts of the film where the art of the film took away from true historical accuracy, such as the the battle at Aqaba, the taking of Damascus, and Lawrence learning about the Sykes-Picot agreement, which would divide the Arab world between the British and French after the war. T.E. Lawrence knew of the agreement but was not at liberty to share the information with the Arabs as a British officer. 

Overall, the 1962 film provides an incredible look into the Arab and British fight against the Ottoman Empire during World War I and allows viewers to grasp an idea of the tactics, battles, and relationships that developed, and produces an image of heroism from the life of T.E. Lawrence. 

Leni Riefenstahl

Leni Riefenstahl was born August 22, 1902 in Berlin, Germany. She was a director and producer of a popular 1930’s documentary film called the Triumph of Will. Riefenstahl started out her career as a ballet dancer, however, upon receiving a knee injury, she stopped dancing and became an actress. She started doing “mountain films” which is a German genre of film that focuses on nature, mountains in particular. She soon formed her own production company in 1931 and wrote, directed and starred in The Blue Light which came out in 1932. This is when she gained support from the Nazi party and made the film Triumph of Will in 1935. 

In Triumph of Will, the documentary studies the Nazi Party at a Nürnberg convention in 1934 that was to show the unification of the Nazi party, as well as introduce leaders. It also shows speeches given by Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders. Because of the fact that her film supported the Nazi cause she ended up being detained after World War II. She tried to complete other productions afterwards but was never able to bounce back.

References:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/09/obituaries/leni-riefenstahl-filmmaker-and-nazi-propagandist-dies-at-101.html

http://www.leni-riefenstahl.de/eng/bio.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leni-Riefenstahl#ref182318

The Human Cost of a War

World War One had a huge human costs, people in the combatant nations struggled to deal with the results of the war. It is estimated that 8 million soldiers died on the battlefield, with Russia in the first place with around 2 million military deaths. France had the highest proportionate number of losses with the record of death being one out of every ten adult male. Around 8 million civilians died because of the war and another 20 million people died in the worldwide influenza epidemic that followed the war. 

The nature of the war made proper burials very difficult, soldiers were usually interred where they fell. When the remains were gathered, due to the chaos of the war, it was difficult to make an accurate identification, and hundreds of thousands of death soldiers remained unidentified. Memorials were built on the main battlefields of the war, to express the general need to recognize the great sorrow and suffering caused by it. Europe also raised public memorials to honor the dead and held ceremonies on important anniversaries such as November 11, the day that the war ended, and July 1, to commemorate the Battle of the Somme. 

Reference 

McKay, John P. A History of Western Society. 12th ed. Vol. 2. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017. Print.