Great Moments From Cinema - 35

Mirage In The Sun
Movie: Lawrence Of Arabia (Horizon Pictures II; 1962)
Director: David Lean
Screenplay: T.E. Lawrence (writings) and Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson
Major Cast: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif

Film Synopsis: An epic biography of T. E. Lawrence who united the desert tribes of Arabia against the Turks during WWI

My Favorite Moment: The scorching desert and a tiny figure appearing in the distance

Why I Like It: For anybody who has ever loved cinema, it would almost classify as a crime to watch this movie on a small screen. One feels that even a 10 storey high projection cannot contain the films magnificence. Only when you immerse yourself into the vast expanse of the desert will you appreciate what it means to experience this masterpiece.

‘Lawrence’, played by O’Toole, was a rebellious soldier and who might even have been considered crazy by his peers. He gets sent to Arabia on an innocuous mission, to contact a prince played by Guinness. Once there, he decides to champion the cause of the various tribes who are at war with the Turks, but are being torn apart due to their personal feuds. ‘Lawrence’ unites them and becomes their leader on several missions, some of them almost suicidal. One such mission is crossing an unforgiving desert which, nobody else has ever managed. After several grueling days, all the men are exhausted and desperately hoping to reach a nearby oasis, when ‘Lawrence’ notices that one of the parties is missing. He ignores warning from his comrades and goes back to look for him. His young servant goes back part of the way and waits for his master to return. The scene following this is something which makes movies larger than life itself. The entire screen is engulfed with heat haze from the desert. As the young boy waits for ‘Lawrence’, you can see him being affected by the harsh sun. As he strains his eyes for a sign, Lean points the camera at the horizon and holds it there for several seconds. And then we see him. A small white speck appears in the distance and which slowly takes the form of ‘Lawrence’ riding on the camel, with the rescued person. The boy screams in delight and gallops towards the oncoming hero and as they race towards each other, the music reaches a crescendo. This is virtuoso film-making and a celebration of an inspired directorial vision. This rescue act by ‘Lawrence’ earns him the elusive respect of ‘Ali’: an Arabian warrior, a role made legendary by Omar Sharif, whose entrance in the movie is also an appearance through the desert mirage. In fact, the film which runs almost four hours is full of many such breath-taking images.

Later on, as he becomes like a messiah to the desert people, ‘Lawrence’ transforms into a blood-thirsty warrior who during one of the raids, leads his people with a battle-cry of, “No prisoners! No prisoners!” By the end he has become nothing but a political pawn as British and the Arabian royalty share the spoils. But even though the movie is his biography, it is more than about him or the Arabs. It is about finding beauty in a ruthless environment. If any film deserved its Academy award for grandeur, then this was the one. It can be summed up in two words with which ‘Lawrence’ answers the question about what attracted him towards the desert. He simply says, “It's clean.”