Nothing Is Written

By TADHG CURTIN

Over 60 years on, David Lean’s iconic Lawrence of Arabia (1962) lives up to its epic status as one of cinema’s greatest achievements.

In the late 1950s, director David Lean had just directed the great The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). It was a massive success so his next project was his for the taking. His decision to film the story of one T.E Lawrence’s time in Arabia would give cinema, according to Steven Spielberg, “a miracle of a picture”. Based on the book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, it tells the story of the real life T.E. Lawrence, an English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.

T.E Lawrence’s life story now occupies an interesting space between fact and fiction. His public image resulted in part from the sensationalised reporting of the Arab revolt by American journalist Lowell Thomas, as well as from Seven Pillars of Wisdom. On 19 May 1935, Lawrence died, at the age of 46, six days after being injured in a motorcycle accident in Dorset. His death at a relatively young age adds to his mystery leading many to posit conspiracies about it but more than likely, there is nothing to it. It’s that dictum of when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

Peter O’Toole was just a stage actor when he was given the role of Lawrence and he’s fantastic. His co-star, Omar Shariff has one of the great entrances in cinema in this movie. Both actors would find their movie careers launched as a result of Lawrence.

Some have attacked it for being just a film with people riding camels in the desert. I don’t agree. It was certainly unique. In The Making of Lawrence of Arabia, Omar Shariff talked about how odd of a prospect the potential movie was - “If you had told people, at that time, to produce a film that was going to cost a lot of money. Without any big stars. About Arabs, riding camels and jogging across the desert… no girls, no love story. No action. It didn’t seem like it was going to be something that people would want to see and it’s amazing to have had the vision that it could work”. That vision is rare these days, mainly because it’s not allowed. Money comes first.

It is cinematic scope at its biggest; figuratively, aurally, and visually. There are moments where people have never looked so tiny within its large frame. It’s a testament to its editor, Anne V. Coates, that while coming in at an impressive 216 minutes, the thing moves. It’s in no hurry getting through its tale but you’re captivated throughout. And certainly, Maurice Jarre’s lush, romantic, and rousing score helps too. It’s now the score of the desert. Exotic, beautiful, mysterious.

I had the great fortune of seeing it on the big screen in 2015 and the mixture of age groups in the audience was staggering. It shows that there’s a thirst for a cinema that doesn’t talk down to us. The character of Lawrence is a true enigma. We’re not sure what his motives are behind anything he does. His belief that nothing is written is a great metaphor for how we approach our own destiny. His stating that it’s going to be fun before he sets off on his adventure could be for life as well. It can be. For this movie, it is. And it’s unforgettable too.

Available on DVD, Blu Ray and to stream on Netflix.