Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Perhaps the vastest epic of all time.
Presentation:
The amount of cinematic frames in this film are innumerable, making it one of the trickiest films to showcase with my maximum goal of 100 stills. What makes it jaw dropping even for 2024 is due to real vast exotic landscapes of the Jordan desert. Cinema back then actually went places and in great numbers. The film is over 3 and a half hours long with many connections to Dune: Part Two, namely the same desert and themes. However, as this film is a dramatized biographical tale, the realism makes it leagues less entertaining. The story here is still intriguing but there are many lulls in favor of depicting historical accuracy as opposed to Hollywood flair for entertainment. Day for night scenes have an outdated charm, but the shots in the day are vastly breathtaking, though I don’t know if you can really feel the scorch of the desert as lighting feels a bit unnatural with that classic 60s lighting technique. Music is fittingly lush, dramatic and memorable.
Conclusion:
David Lean’s masterpiece, this is exceptional for a biographical/historical story. But the film makes you think it’s more of a fantasy adventure due to its exotic setting. It’s kind of impossible to not expect a Dune or Star Wars tale when you have such a compelling first half. The second half becomes more political, which becomes a mental hurdle to pivot when you’re lead on to perceive this as eye candy. You’ll have to actively be following the dialogue since it requires some background knowledge as I’m pretty sure Turkish and Arabic conflicts are not as well known to western audiences. There’s a lot of magic in this film, but script wise there is something missing to finish the puzzle. It lacks a rewarding purpose to our character like meandering in the desert, though gorgeous, leaves you thirsty.
Recommendations
Bank heists were meant to be done in suits.