Lawrence of Arabia - The First Time

[Nearly Sane]

As with so much great cinema that was made before I was born, I saw this on a rather small television. Eventually I saw it on a big screen and it was a revelation


http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/lawrence-arabia-50-years-ago

[Shaker]

Much of it is Hollywoodised twaddle as far as history goes but it's undeniably great cinema. David Lean had the sort of epic scope that few directors can match nowadays - Peter Jackson with a following wind, possibly - and created two of my all-time favourites, LoA and Doctor Zhivago.

[Nearly Sane]

Yes, it's far from history but it is stunningly beautiful

[Harrowby Hall]

Yes, far from history. I heard a talk given by a former Middle East diplomat and historian who had tried to retrace Lawrence's claimed exploits in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. He stated that it was probable that, while possibly not a complete fantasist, T E Lawrence certainly embroided the truth.

However, since Lawrence of Arabia was scripted by Robert Bolt, based on Lawrence's own writings, and essentially a British film directed by David Lean it may be a little unfair to call it Hollywoodised twaddle.