'Lawrence of Arabia,' 1962

'Lawrence of Arabia,' 1962
(Handout)
Director David Lean's epic about T.E. Lawrence's attempt to enlist Arab support for the British during World War I (and then create a unified Arab nation) awakens underutilized portions of viewers' senses and brains. It is the reigning masterpiece in a career bursting with them. Screenwriter Robert Bolt's interpretation of Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" allows Lean to suck the marrow of his favorite subjects -- civilization, anarchy and the unknown; the call of the wild; the mystery of personality. Peter O'Toole's Lawrence -- sensitive, brooding, capricious and brutal -- is one of the few convincing film portrayals of an eccentric genius, or any genius. Omar Sharif provides a charismatic counterpart as Sherif Ali, in turn Lawrence's antagonist, partner and existential touchstone. Lean and his cinematographer, Freddie Young, make Lawrence's vision of a new Arab nation arising from the desert seductively concrete. They give us landscapes filled with harsh, perilous beauties and seductive portents. Every mirage, shadow or burst of sun registers as an omen or a puzzle in a movie that remains an infinite fascination.