Need a good classic film to watch that will give you your foot into the door of film criticism conversations? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered starting with David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. In the future, I will be adding more reviews and insights on some of the classic films on my watchlist, specifically those included in the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Top 100 Films, aka the best American films of all time. No big deal. These are just really good movies that are a great place to start if you want to talk about game-changers in cinema or just appreciate ridiculously amazing movies.
One of my new favorites, Lawrence of Arabia ranks at #7 of AFI’s 100 Greatest American Films OF ALL TIME and #1 in their Top 10 Epic Films. Oh, and it won 7 Oscars including 1963’s Best Picture among numerous other awards. Maybe numbers don’t matter…but those say quite a bit.
Lawrence of Arabia centers around the life of conquests, victories, and defeats of small-time British lieutenant, T. E. Lawrence, turned Arab revolt leader who bands together various Arab tribes against the reigning Turks during WWI. Just the fact that this is based around a true story is remarkable in itself. But to turn it into one of the most powerful pieces of film makes it still worthy of attention.
I’d even say that that no modern-day epic before or since Lawrence even comes close to it. I’d be willing to hear your arguments for a worthy opponent, but these are mine in favor of it as the greatest epic.
The Sets, Scenery, and Entire Mise en Scéne
An epic film requires a production set of grandiose proportions. For many classic films, that means creating a large set on a studio in Hollywood. But I appreciate how much of Lawrence is filmed, maybe not always onsite where Lawrence walked, but as close as production could be to that.
epic (noun)
A word which here means a large-scale movie production depicting grand events or persons, often over a long period of time.
Such desert scenery makes this epic feel much more authentic. You get a sense of what Lawrence experienced in this new world. You see just how valuable a well of water can be in endless miles of sand.
I’m only touching the surface here, but the crew behind Lawrence took thought of everything that went into each shot. Lawrence’s iconic Arab clothing, the vast nothingness of wide desert shots, the intimate details of scenes in the camps–everything had its purpose to show, not tell the story.
The Camera Work
It’s no wonder that Lawrence of Arabia won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. All of the camera work in the film screams epic masterpiece.
Some of the more referred to elements are that classic “match” cut and how most of the camera pans and character movements within the film go from the left of the scene to the right. These aren’t just cool shots, again they show the story. They show the epic journey that Lawrence goes through to become the man that he was and the place that he loved. And they do so brilliantly, in a way that modern cinematography still gleans from.
The Phenomenal Acting
In telling the life of a real person, one would think that would leave little room for cinematic interpretation of T. E. Lawrence’s character. But right from the get-go, the audience is reminded that we don’t really know the man Lawrence at all, only parts of him through various lens. At his funeral in London’s St. Paul’s, various men claim to know Lawrence, and some come close. But by the end of the movie, we realize that none of them knew of his character as his people among the Arab tribes knew him. He’s almost more a part of them than part of his British homeland, which makes his fall from grace even more poetic.
This is what sells the movie for me. Peter O’Toole‘s unparalleled performance as Lawrence of Arabia. I wonder if anyone else could have sold this giddy and morally pure officer running around in his new clothes just as well as they sold him years later, a broken man, dirtied and defeated in the movie’s final ambush, despite the apparent “victory.” O’Toole’s range of acting and the script and directing that supported him are a masterclass in epic cinema, not to mention the other incredible performances we haven’t seen the likes of in ages.
Life after Lawrence of Arabia: Where Do Epic Films Go from Here?
AFI narrows down the epic genre to “large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past.” hat I believe we’re seeing in modern-day attempts at the epic are more works of pure fiction and imagination that could also fall into other genres such as sci-fi and fantasy.
Honestly, I think it’s a good way to branch out the epic genre with these vast stories of heroism and other falls from grace that are ambitious, monumental, and, well, epic. The closest we may be getting in pop culture to similar-style epics may even be the Marvel movies and TV series like Game of Thrones. I appreciate these series playing the long game (see what our very own Madison has to say about this here), and maybe the future of the epic does lie in TV.
But what if movies could get back to the precedence Lawrence of Arabia set? In a world of CGI, would they resort to authentic scenery and storytelling as the backdrop for their grand sets? Could they only adhere to only the highest standard of cinematograpy? Could they see the likes of another Peter O’Toole?
I sure hope so.