‘Lawrence’ one of the all-time greats

If we were to believe modern Hollywood, it would be easy to assume that an ‘epic’ is something along the lines of ‘Gladiator’ or ‘Pearl Harbor.’ Yes, those films had the requisite budgets and running times often associated with the term, but nothing about them compares to the scope of the vision behind David Lean’s 1962 masterpiece, ‘Lawrence of Arabia.’ That film, which won seven Oscars out of 10 nominations, began showing in a new, 70mm print at the Coolidge Corner Theatre last Friday and will end its run this Friday. Although there are only two days left to see it, it is something that should be experienced by anyone who has a serious interest in film.

If the above seems heavy-handed or pretentious to say, then it doesn’t begin to do justice to what Lean accomplished with ‘Lawrence.’ Here is a film made 40 years ago, and over the course of its 216 minutes (there’s an intermission), there is not a single line spoken by a woman and very little in the way of action. Thus, there’s no love story or climactic battle to propel the plot; instead, we get to see lingering shots of the sun rising over a sand dune, or of a tiny speck on the horizon slowly growing larger in the waves of heat until we see it is a man on horseback. What makes this an epic, in part, is the audacity of such images, and that Lean made them work.

It is scenes such as these that make it vital to see ‘Lawrence’ in a theater on a 70mm print. Most films are shot on 35mm and blown up to 70mm, but ‘Lawrence’ was actually shot on 70mm, and the detail of the film itself is a large part of why the movie is so powerful. That quality is lost on a TV screen, where it would be difficult for viewers to appreciate the intended visual impact of the film.

For a 3 1/2-hour movie based on a true story, there isn’t much in the way of plot in ‘Lawrence.’ T.E. Lawrence, played by Peter O’Toole in a star-making turn, is an insolent British officer who is sent to contact Prince Feisel (Alec Guiness), whose Bedouin army is aiding the British in fighting the Turks. Along the way, he leads some Arab warriors across the desert and against the Turkish-controlled cities of Aqaba and Damascus.

Although the details are spare considering the running time, the transformation we witness in the enigmatic Lawrence is remarkable. At the beginning, he is convinced of his ability to do anything, and even begins to convince others of the same, such as when he leads his men across the seemingly impossible Nefud Desert. But, after being captured and tortured by the Turks, his arrogance turns to self-doubt and a thirst for blood. Lawrence is not a conventional hero, and it is his complexity, expertly portrayed by O’Toole, that draws in the audience.

When Lawrence says that a man can do anything or be anyone he wants, it is easy to imagine David Lean thinking the same thing when it came to making this film. On paper, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ sounds almost impossible to make at all, let alone forge into a masterpiece. But, just as Lawrence did, Lean led his men into the desert and somehow came out triumphant on the other side.