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Since this movie took about 4 hours to watch, I will only take 4 minutes to write a review.
I failed to see the reported greatness of this 1962 Best Picture Winner.
I felt that it was slow and hard to follow. A few things were interesting or captivating, but overall I would have rather spent my time watching something else.
Note that this was directed by David Lean, the same director as 1957's Bridge on the River Kwai.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the points is that it is supposed to feel unbearably slow at some points. Those long shots of the desert are supposed to make you feel the barrenness and isolation of the terrain, which in some ways acts as another character.
The desert is important because much of the theme is about identity, particularly in reference to the larger culture. Lawrence is in some ways most "at home" in a culture in which he is aware that he will always ultimately be an outsider.
Compare the isolation of the terrain to the isolation of the individual as "estranger", as Camus might put it. Lawrence personal sense of isolation allows him to consider tactics that are successful specifically because they are outside the realm of what others (even the locals) would consider reasonable. As a result, Lawrence is celebrated, but even then he is not a full member of the group.
As he says in one scene, "Yes...I am extra-ordinary."
Historically it is interesting, in that the British action in the middle east in WWI directly led to the partitioning and imposed nationhood that exists today.
Anyhoo....
Steven, thanks for your thoughts!! I feel like this go-around I am watching movies for the entertainment factor. But I do want to study about these classics to find out why they are considered to be great.
ReplyDeleteI liken it to a baseball game. Most people would like to see a high scoring game. Some people might like a 1-0 game and consider it to be a classic because they are studying the pitches and other strategies. The entertainment factor of the game for most people would be fairly low.
So I guess that's my thinking about Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane, and On the Waterfront. All considered to be great movies, but not my favorites to watch.
One definitely has to be in a certain frame of mind for any 3, much less 4, hour movie.
ReplyDeleteThere's definitely certain parts where Lawrence, for example, is clearly meant to be seen on a big screen. My edition even has the part where, I guess, people would still be sitting down. Lean had a specific soundtrack that he wanted playing for several minutes before anything else. In a theater, you're more likely to be planted there, for the "experience", while at home one is less likely to be solely focused on the movie.
Another aspect is that sometimes it's hard to realize some of the influence of films like Lawrence or Citizen Kane, because afterward some of the unique things they did become common practice. Like the handheld camera look that started on tv with the show Homicide (borrowed from documentary films that had that look out of necessity); at first it was jarring and even distracting, but now it's used so commonly that we usually think nothing of it.
Interesting conversation, Dan & Steven!
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