Movie: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
“An inordinately complex man who has been labeled everything from hero, to charlatan, to sadist, Thomas Edward Lawrence blazed his way to glory in the Arabian desert, then sought anonymity as a common soldier under an assumed name. The story opens with the death of Lawrence in a motorcycle accident in London at the age of 47, then flashbacks to recount his adventures: as a young intelligence officer in Cairo in 1916, he is given leave to investigate the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I. In the desert, he organizes a guerrilla army and–for two years–leads the Arabs in harassing the Turks with desert raids, train-wrecking and camel attacks. Eventually, he leads his army northward and helps a British General destroy the power of the Ottoman Empire. Written by alfiehitchie”
- Director: David Lean
- Release Date: 30 January 1963 (Canada)
- Run Time: 216 min | UK:228 min (director’s cut) | UK:187 min (1970 re-release) | UK:210 min (original version) | UK:222 min (premiere version) | USA:227 min (restored roadshow version)
- Country: UK
- Genre: Adventure , Biography , Drama , War
Tagline: A Mighty Motion Picture Of Action And Adventure!
Trivia: The film credits list Sir Adrian Boult as the conductor. According to the liner notes on the Varese Sarabande (VSD 5263) release of the original soundtrack, composer Maurice Jarre actually conducted every note of this recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Sir Adrian’s name was listed for contractual reasons, apparently because he was the chief conductor of the orchestra at that time.
Goofs: Factual errors: In the movie, Farraj is mortally wounded by a detonator going off in his clothes, but in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E Lawrence writes that Farraj was wounded by a Turk shooting him while riding on his camel.