Lawrence of Arabia

Sand. According to the modern Shakespeare it’s coarse, rough, irritating, and gets everywhere. Those of a similar mind should probably avoid the sun-blasted wastes of Arabia, where the dust is plentiful and the cleansing water rare. The only thing that could make these unforgiving deserts worse would be a web of train lines and bridges used by the Ottoman Empire to move supplies and troops to their various fronts in the first World War. We don’t have to worry about these days, however, thanks in part to the exploits of T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, a young British officer who embedded himself in the Arab revolt to assist in the rebellion’s efforts against the Turks. Thanks to a wildly successful P.R. campaign and a vividly written autobiography, Lawrence became a household name and was eventually memorialized in Lawrence of Arabia, a 1962 historical epic directed by David Lean. Lawrence of Arabia is a grand, sweeping film of jaw-dropping scale and scope, the kind of ambitious realization of an imposing historical legend that has largely fallen out of favor in modern Hollywood. Today, then, let’s dive back into the pages of history alongside this illustrious film to see how it’s all aged. Into the desert, my friends!