Lawrence of Arabia

Even after a quarter-century of cinema, which has seen sex, violence, dialogue and special effects taken to new limits, it is still easy to agree with Peter Baker's review of 1963: "lt is this utter purity of basic style that gives the film its unity and ultimate strength." Much of this stems from the film's structure, which goes for the long span rather than the short rivet, ruthlessly focusing on just the two years of Lawrence's desert campaigns rather than his later problems and escape into anonymity back in the UK. That structure is hold and confident - and far from today's big-buttoring Attenborough approach. The first part (134') is concerned with just one episode - the taking of Akaba. It is a masterpiece of compression, transposition and pure invention. Structurally it is like a musical exposition, setting out the contrary themes in the story and the man's personality. (Films and Filming, May '89)