Lawrence of Arabia | Tragedy of the Conqueror | An Analysis of Identity, Themes, Symbolism & Imagery

Lawrence of Arabia tells the story of British Army Officer T.E. Lawrence and his involvement in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks during WWI. Thematically, Lawrence of Arabia is a profoundly psychological film, dealing with problems of emotion and identity, chronicling Lawrence’s rise and fall, as he becomes consumed by what William James called ‘the Beauty of War’, and consequently loses his identity. He is broken down, remade, and shaped into the image of the desert until he no longer originates from England but from the desert, and belongs to it. He becomes Lawrence of Arabia. In the end he is equal parts hero, monster, and victim. Essentially this film is a tragedy, not of the vanquished, but of the victorious conqueror.
Lawrence of Arabia is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. Being nominated for ten Oscars at the 35th Academy Awards in 1963, it won seven, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama and the BAFTA Awards for Best Film and Outstanding British Film. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 1998, the American Film Institute placed it 5th on their 100 Years...100 Movies list of the greatest American films. In 2004, it was voted the best British film of all time in a Sunday Telegraph poll of Britain's leading filmmakers.
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  • @derhafi
    @derhafi3 жыл бұрын

    That Mosaic shows Phaeton being stricken down by Zeus whilst he lost control over his father’s Sun-Chariot. He got too close to earth and so, according to Greek mythology, created the desert.

  • @PeloquinDavid

    @PeloquinDavid

    3 жыл бұрын

    Good catch! As always, there are hidden visual treasures in every great film, but you need many sets of eyes to see them...

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    I should have known... Thanks for correcting that.

  • @derhafi

    @derhafi

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@EmpireoftheMind Thank you for the great video! The only reason I spotted that, is that I came across Stephen Fry's wondeful book MYTHOS recently.

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@derhafi Then thank God for Stephen Fry.

  • @jonathanrichter4256

    @jonathanrichter4256

    3 жыл бұрын

    That's directing for you. Absolutely perfect metaphor. Great myth, too.

  • @seanmurphy5770
    @seanmurphy57702 жыл бұрын

    T.E.Lawrence wrote in his book the Seven Pillars of Wisdom that ''All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”

  • @phmwu7368

    @phmwu7368

    Жыл бұрын

    A book initially intended as a travel guide about type cities of the East: Cairo, Smyrna, Constantinople, Beirut, Aleppo, Damascus, and Medina. An echo of British art critic John Ruskin's "Seven Lamps of Architecture" first published in 1849, on the demands that good architecture must meet.

  • @ericmarley7060

    @ericmarley7060

    Жыл бұрын

    "This... I did."

  • @psmith9789

    @psmith9789

    Жыл бұрын

    Love it

  • @martyconroy3786

    @martyconroy3786

    7 ай бұрын

    Know who reads it? Every military college, because it's the blueprint for waging an insurgency

  • @martyconroy3786

    @martyconroy3786

    7 ай бұрын

    Read his other book Revolt in the Desert, if you can find it I own first edition copies of both books...they aren't the only books about Lawrence I own, anything in print, I own, and read

  • @98999899
    @989998993 жыл бұрын

    Was awed by the image when I was 5; by the story when I was 20; and then by the history when I was 35. I rewatch this film over and over throughout my entire life !

  • @seofutbol

    @seofutbol

    3 жыл бұрын

    Every year I watch It’s A Wonderful Life the story changes for me. I’m 35 now and I pick up on things I never would have at 18.

  • @QuietVillain

    @QuietVillain

    2 жыл бұрын

    Lol also a obi wan fan you are an interesting fellow.

  • @adamhauskins6407

    @adamhauskins6407

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@seofutbol such as

  • @seofutbol

    @seofutbol

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@adamhauskins6407 when I was 13 I had no idea how banking worked or what a bank run was. I just liked that everyone was happy at the end. When I was 18 I felt like George. Full of P & V and no where to go. At 25 I still felt like George. Like I was missing out on some big adventure. Didn’t see or comprehend what I had at the time. Around 30 I understood banking since I worked at a bank. What George had to do to keep the bank running and how supplying people with homes was a noble goal. 35 now and I empathize with Peter Bailey. He sees Potter and what he stands for as an inevitable wave that is coming and Peter is just trying to make a difference even though he could have sold out long ago. I also understand the frustrations of being a husband, father, and breadwinner. There’s more than a few times I wanted to kick over the model bridge like George did. I decided to rewatch the movie today after your comment. It’s my day off and I needed to clean the house anyway so it’s playing in the background. “Why don’t you kiss her instead of talking her to death?! Youth is wasted on the wrong people!” 35 year old me appreciates that line because I’m on the tail end of my “youth”. Don’t want to waste it.

  • @seofutbol

    @seofutbol

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@adamhauskins6407 I’m a firm moderate in my political beliefs. On the one hand I agree with Potter’s no nonsense approach to business. On the other I adore Peter’s desire to provide affordable housing. And after working at a bank for 5 years I have seen the spectrum of poor to wealthy. I’ve seen some of the choices, work ethic, and opportunities that allow people to be wealthy and I’ve seen unfortunate circumstances and poor choices that drive them into the poverty. This line hits home this particular viewing: “Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so.”

  • @duanerackham9567
    @duanerackham95673 жыл бұрын

    I loved this movie and never caught the change from "none of my friends are murderers" to having literal murderers as friends. Great essay!

  • @ryanfarrar9185

    @ryanfarrar9185

    2 жыл бұрын

    it's quite a long movie, i don't blame you for forgetting lines from the start when you're near the end

  • @ARCtrooperblueleader

    @ARCtrooperblueleader

    10 ай бұрын

    Same.

  • @Beautiful-live

    @Beautiful-live

    6 ай бұрын

    What is happening now in Palestine is the result of what is shown in this film.

  • @moritamikamikara3879

    @moritamikamikara3879

    6 ай бұрын

    @@Beautiful-live Thank you, literally none of us knew that.

  • @mcmofff

    @mcmofff

    4 ай бұрын

    ​Would you elaborate on this?

  • @Wire.scientist
    @Wire.scientist2 жыл бұрын

    That legendary entrance of Omar Sherieff is one of the iconic moments in the history of world cinema

  • @michaeljohnangel6359

    @michaeljohnangel6359

    7 ай бұрын

    Equally iconic is Sharif's exit near the end of the film. He just disappears.

  • @Wire.scientist

    @Wire.scientist

    7 ай бұрын

    @@michaeljohnangel6359 👍 absolutely

  • @mattwillis9173

    @mattwillis9173

    6 ай бұрын

    Excellent review thank you. I feel you may have overlooked the significance of the movie as a piece of cinematography when it was released. David Lean ( Director) deployed the aspect of vast expanses of nothingness to a profound level. Although a lot of the U.K. audiences at the time had experienced similar regions during WW2, it was a depicted as a void of surreal proportions. Dangerous to the homely western european and a place where transformation to wildness and savagery feels impending. Thanks again for a great review; I can’t imagine another movie where another series of extended and extreme long shots of a figure emerging from a shimmer of heat haze could out do this movie.

  • @j0nnyism

    @j0nnyism

    6 ай бұрын

    They were told it was impossible to capture a mirage on film. Tremendously hard film to film in those conditions film the cameras they had then

  • @HolmstromRules

    @HolmstromRules

    6 ай бұрын

    Agreed... and I also love the spoof of it that was in Monty Python and the Holy Grail!

  • @thegunslinger1363
    @thegunslinger13633 жыл бұрын

    Lawrence of Arabia, 2001 A Space Odyssey, The Dollars Trillogy, Dr Strangelove, Once Upon a Time in the West, Psycho, Spartacus, The Longest Day, The Dirty Dozen and others. The 60s was the golden age of Cinematic History.

  • @alexk7046

    @alexk7046

    3 жыл бұрын

    finally another appreciator of The Longest Day!

  • @mizofan

    @mizofan

    3 жыл бұрын

    The Dollars trilogy Hollywood? Some others you mention were part British. The 60s was a golden age for world cinema and development of various national cinemas, not so much Hollywood, i.m.o

  • @mrebel96

    @mrebel96

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@mizofan Not to mention that half the list is either Kubrick or Leone

  • @alexspareone3872

    @alexspareone3872

    3 жыл бұрын

    Almost if not all of those movies were British or Italian.

  • @PedroOrtega1993

    @PedroOrtega1993

    3 жыл бұрын

    How & why are there no Akira Kurosawa movies mentioned...?

  • @jreineke2
    @jreineke22 жыл бұрын

    One thing I noticed is Lawrence and Sarif Ali are connected and mirrored in the story. At the well Lawrence shows compassion for the dead while Ali shows indifference and contempt but at the shelling of the Turk’s, it is Ali is who shows compassion and Lawrence who shows in difference and contempt. It is that point that the trade places. In the end Lawrence is lost to the desert While Ali transcends the Desert. It is Ali’s humbleness and restraint that saves him while it is Lawrences Hubris that destroys him.

  • @juliaprunte9898

    @juliaprunte9898

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you very much for this realistic psychological insight. It seems to me that this is exactly the crucial point: The Arabs and their leaders, here it is King Faisal, are very religious people and therefore really humble in the true sense of humbleness: „There is no God than the ALLMIGHTY GOD.“ Lawrence, on the contrary, had a more or less narcissitic personality disorder . His hybris dropped him down. So he became irrelevant in the end.

  • @juliaprunte9898

    @juliaprunte9898

    3 ай бұрын

    You can also express it in other words: Lawrence was a DOUBLE AGENT. He fought for both: The British Empire and The Arabs - against The Ottoman Empire. It is necessary to mention here, that under the rule of the Ottoman Empire there had been peace in Palestine for 400 Years untill the Big Naqba 1948! Lawrence as a British solider wanted the British to defeat the Turks. On the other side his somehow „schizophrenic“ mind and heart were fascinated by the sincerity and righteousness of the Arabs, whom he therefore „loved“. He put his „love“ into work according to his own somehow grotesk/macabre way.

  • @Klayhamn

    @Klayhamn

    21 күн бұрын

    @@juliaprunte9898 ya, like there was "peace" under any empire - that's a meaningless statement. Of course an empire rules itself, so if the entire middle east is ruled by a single empire obviously it won't be "at war". war happens between different independent entities. this is part of the reason Iran is trying to take over the middle east (via lebanon, syria, yemen, iraq, etc.) sending its "revolutionary guard" to make all these arab entities crumble from within.

  • @Gitfiddle
    @Gitfiddle2 жыл бұрын

    A lightning in a bottle film. A masterclass of visual storytelling. You could edit out all the dialogue and still basically understand the crux of what’s happening. The desert never looked so beautiful than thru the eyes of David Lean and Fred Young.

  • @ellefirogeni4624

    @ellefirogeni4624

    Жыл бұрын

    ..yes, the film aesthetics, a close up on the silent cinematic ideal!

  • @JohnDoe-et8th

    @JohnDoe-et8th

    Жыл бұрын

    That scene near the beginning at night looking up at gazillions of stars . . .

  • @chamberlain323

    @chamberlain323

    27 күн бұрын

    It really is one of the few five star masterpieces in the history of film. Everything is on point. No weaknesses at all. David Lean and company really did themselves proud here. The directing, acting, cinematography, screenplay, production design, editing, locations and wardrobe were all first rate. It’s too bad films of this quality are so seldom produced, but that scarcity makes these cinematic gems all the more valuable.

  • @dionlindsay2

    @dionlindsay2

    15 күн бұрын

    Lawrence of Arabia is a beautiful film, and David Lean and Fred Young did a marvellous job - more a work of art than a "job" really. But I think the idea that the desert never looked so beautiful than through their eyes is a bit steep. Nomadic tribes, generations upon generations of them, and THEIR eyes, their artistic sensibilities? Perhaps it's just a matter of the mot juste - through Lean and Young's CAMERA lenses maybe.

  • @nantarat_pam
    @nantarat_pam3 жыл бұрын

    FINALLY SOMEONE MAKE AN ANALYSIS VIDEO ON THIS MAGNIFICENT MOVIE THANK YOU SO MUCH

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    You’re welcome! It was 100 percent my pleasure.

  • @nicholasharshbarger4454
    @nicholasharshbarger44543 жыл бұрын

    I find it interesting how much Dune by Frank Herbert bears a resemblance to this story.

  • @icook1723

    @icook1723

    3 жыл бұрын

    Frank was heavily influanced by Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

  • @abnerdoon4902

    @abnerdoon4902

    3 жыл бұрын

    Dune also broke Paul at the end of his story.

  • @chowderwhillis9448

    @chowderwhillis9448

    3 жыл бұрын

    Same actor in Dune as this movie the Turkish guy who abused Lawrence

  • @blacknapalm2131

    @blacknapalm2131

    3 жыл бұрын

    There is a scene in Dune where Paul blows up a Harkonnen transport that is obviously a homage of Laurence's attack on the train.

  • @Paradox-dy3ve

    @Paradox-dy3ve

    3 жыл бұрын

    In this rare interview with Herbert kzread.info/dash/bejne/c2GhrriPes6uZ6w.html at 1:16:15 he talks about the influence Lawrence had on his story. It's very interesting, I recommend you check it out.

  • @noco7243
    @noco72433 жыл бұрын

    He went towards the jungle looking for adventure, but found the Heart of Darkness instead.

  • @jemperdiller

    @jemperdiller

    3 жыл бұрын

    He was an intelligence officer on a mission. Stop glorifying spies and professional revolutionaries, effectively falling for propaganda.

  • @VeryPeeved

    @VeryPeeved

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jemperdiller i refuse.

  • @Wolfen443

    @Wolfen443

    3 жыл бұрын

    Interesting point, if he had gone to Damascus, the same problems of keeping the Arabs together could have resulted in failure there too.

  • @jackp492

    @jackp492

    3 жыл бұрын

    Havnt we all

  • @jackp492

    @jackp492

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@jemperdiller I agree with you, but if that's how they see themselves then they will present themselves that way, the most convincing propaganda is spread by those who actually belive it I think

  • @srj04
    @srj043 жыл бұрын

    Excellent analysis - loved the use of Lawrence's own biography throughout. Looking forward to working through some of your other content!

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you enjoy my other stuff as well.

  • @NostalgiNorden

    @NostalgiNorden

    3 жыл бұрын

    Maybe not use the parts that has been proven the have been made up.

  • @matthewsheeran

    @matthewsheeran

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yes! Subscribed!!

  • @samandjoelwheemann
    @samandjoelwheemann9 ай бұрын

    Great analysis. The Suez moment pops off of the screen. A man on a motorcycle crying out loud the existential question formed by desert life and the inner desert of self, "who are you?" Its a brilliant moment built up by Lean and the silence of Lawrence is the devestating answer. After the desert has up ended his idealism, he is no longer certain of what he believes or who he is. He can only hear the question but cannot respond. He is at a crossroads where the modern marvel of the Suez crosses the ancient truth of the desert. What a mind blowing scene.

  • @stevenbrown1225
    @stevenbrown12253 жыл бұрын

    Modern viewers look at O'Tooles performance and say, "Thats a little over the top." However, taking into account the director and the subject matter I can't say there was any better way to do it. Peter O'Toole is a entire class of acting unto himself.

  • @matheus5230

    @matheus5230

    2 жыл бұрын

    Lawrence's character loves to be a larger-than-life figure, the theatrics. Peter O'Toole's perfomance perfectly fits Lawrence

  • @maryannangros8834

    @maryannangros8834

    8 ай бұрын

    YES!!

  • @animula6908

    @animula6908

    6 ай бұрын

    It’s not worthwhile to consider what satisfies a modern audience when discussing anything that doesn’t suck.

  • @StrandEntertainment
    @StrandEntertainment3 жыл бұрын

    This was truly brilliant. Moving analysis. I think the element of grandiosity and extreme Narcissism that was the shadow of Lawrence's genius as caught in the film, does not even begin to qualify the mania that possessed him- both visionary and self-destructive- maybe even subconsciously the heroic need he played out, was far more imperialistic than he could have seen. This is one of the greatest movies we will ever see. You captured the journey, and the arc of transformation here brilliantly. There is something of Hamlet in Lawrence. And Arabia his Parents. How powerful is O'Toole's ability to channel the crestfallen Lawrence, unable to live in the contradictions his journey laid bare. Thank you again for this amazing work you present here.

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    You’re welcome! And thank you for the kind words! It’s such a struggle to put into words everything this film is. There’s so much there.

  • @StrandEntertainment

    @StrandEntertainment

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@EmpireoftheMind there really is it's one of the richest films ever made- focus on Lawrence's arc of transformation was very wise. My pleasure you are doing great work!

  • @Jim-Tuner

    @Jim-Tuner

    2 жыл бұрын

    Its difficult to get any sense of what the real Lawrence was. The Lawrence of Arabia that the world knows is largely the creation of American journalist Lowell Thomas. The man in many respects became the image that Thomas created through his writing.

  • @JohnDoe-et8th

    @JohnDoe-et8th

    Жыл бұрын

    What is exquisite about the concept underlying the film is that Lawrence THINKS he is a total rebel against British colonial values--while ending up as the ultimate agent and manifestation of them. Know thyself and thy ideology, libertarian types.

  • @blacknapalm2131
    @blacknapalm21313 жыл бұрын

    *Nothing shatters one's illusions more expediently than being buggered in a Turkish prison*

  • @MrTubularBalls

    @MrTubularBalls

    2 жыл бұрын

    Are you speaking from experience? They busted your cheeks, huh?

  • @blacknapalm2131

    @blacknapalm2131

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@MrTubularBalls I was bummed and then given a kebab so it wasn't a total loss

  • @badusername9903

    @badusername9903

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@blacknapalm2131 seems a fair exchange to me

  • @RasheedKhan-he6xx

    @RasheedKhan-he6xx

    2 жыл бұрын

    He was equally buggered by the brits on his return, symbolised by reopening his wounds. And probably to more shattering effect than "the defilement" as he put it.

  • @johnhenry4844

    @johnhenry4844

    2 жыл бұрын

    Wasn’t Lawerence just Kinky and that “assault” was more a fantasy on his point

  • @Pincer88
    @Pincer882 жыл бұрын

    I always thought T.E. Lawrence was a bit of a tragic figure, wrestling with deep insecurities and trying to prove himself too hard, ending up as a wandering soul with even more doubt ind possibly remorse. This analysis sheds a whole new light on the man, at least for me. Thank you kindly.

  • @kenoliver8913

    @kenoliver8913

    Жыл бұрын

    The roots of that insecurity are simple. Lawrence was a closet gay in a very homophobic world.

  • @michaeljohnangel6359

    @michaeljohnangel6359

    7 ай бұрын

    As a boy, Lawrence used to dream of knights in armour and imagine himself as them. This critique captures this, and the inevitable, final, Greek-tragedy-like disillusionment. We are not heroic knights; they never existed outside of stories.

  • @artistaprimus7080
    @artistaprimus70802 жыл бұрын

    Ive come to appreciate this movie after watching it again and again as the best film ever made. No CGI, shot on location, great story, director, actors. A work of art.

  • @maryannangros8834

    @maryannangros8834

    8 ай бұрын

    YES!

  • @saadkhatib3456
    @saadkhatib34562 жыл бұрын

    The final scene: As Lawrence passes by his previous source of obsession (the Bedouins and Arabs) the obsession that killed him from inside, he soon passes by his new source of obsession ( the motorcycles) the one that will eventually kill him from outside.

  • @olivefontaine2562
    @olivefontaine25623 жыл бұрын

    Most movies are dull, and some are truly great. But some films, maybe only a handful of those ever made, soar high above the rest. Flawless. Ideal. Godlike. Lawrence of Arabia is one of those films. One of the best parts of it to me is the evolving relationship and rivalry between Lawrence and Sherif Ali. Starting out with hatred and distaste, becoming unwilling partners, then to being each other’s most trusted ally. By the end of the film, they are closer than brothers. Sherif is almost in tears when the other leaves him. He has become soft. Considerate. Lofty, even, in his thinking. He believes in changing things through ideals and now wants to be a politician. Lawrence by that point is disgusted by the change he’s caused in his friend. The journey through the Nefud deserves more attention, as it highlights this relationship and also is a counterpoint the notion that Lawrence is invincible in the first half of the film. He actually struggles in the journey, and almost falls asleep and falls off his camel (as Gasim would eventually do) VERY early in the trip. It is only the constant attention and prodding by Sherif (who sees the narcoleptic episode and judges him harshly for it), that keeps him going. Every time he has a moment of struggle or doubt, Sherif’s hungry, immovable eyes are fixed on him. Proving his Ideals to Sherif makes them more true than they ever were before. And it is the same for Sherif. He is desperate to see Lawrence fail. Why? Because if Lawrence is right and the miracle is possible, then it was always possible before, only none of the Arabs had the mind for it. Also, Lawrence had already dismissed Sherif and his way of life before the journey. If the Englishman fails, then he was wrong, and he was the one who was being unrealistic, and he will pay for his hubris. But if he succeeds, then that destroys Sherif’s identity and lifestyle, and he has to live in a new world. In this way the two keep each other going. Lawrence WASN’T actually as capable as he thought, but he makes himself capable because he can’t bear to see his failure in Sherif’s eyes. This is a prefigurement of Lawrence identity being determined by his image, that was always an aspect of who he was. Lawrence wins the contest, and his actions profoundly impact Sherif Ali who is changed forever. It is because of this that Ali becomes the person most able to appreciate how broken Lawrence is after he abandons his ideals. He is converted to this courageous idealism just in time to watch his new idol be destroyed by the obligations and airs those ideals impose. It’s one of the central mechanisms that makes this film’s tragedy work. Thanks for the video, best wishes.

  • @12classics39

    @12classics39

    Жыл бұрын

    David Lean, the director, actually made it clear in an interview that Lawrence and Ali fell in love during the events of the film - the script was written with that interpretation and O’Toole and Sharif were directed to play their relationship in that way - which adds a whole other layer to the tragedy of the film’s story.

  • @jesuspuente837
    @jesuspuente8373 жыл бұрын

    As Mr Perkins would put it, this video is "Bloody marvellous, Sir. Well done, Sir!"

  • @2011Matz
    @2011Matz3 жыл бұрын

    Lawrence did not capture Damascus, as the film shows. He was under arrest at the time, for being out of uniform. Detachments of the Australian Light Horse captured the city.

  • @joemurphy9549

    @joemurphy9549

    3 жыл бұрын

    Correct. Are you Australian? I am. My grandfather fought in World War I, in Europe.

  • @simonkevnorris

    @simonkevnorris

    2 жыл бұрын

    I came here to post similar (the Light Horse bit). I'm not sure that the bombardment was Jerusalem either.

  • @peggygeren4169

    @peggygeren4169

    2 жыл бұрын

    According to the ultimate source on the Arab Revolt in English - The Arab Awakening - several bands of Arab cavalry reached the southern gates of Damascus about dusk on October 30 even as the last of the Turkish forces were fleeing the northern gates.The Aussies did not arrive until next morning.

  • @kenoliver8913

    @kenoliver8913

    Жыл бұрын

    Silly. The historical inaccuracies of a great psychological study like this are perfectly irrelevant. You don't watch this movie to learn history, especially as it is based on Lawrence's own memoir - a movingly and beautifully written document which tells only a very different kind of truth to a military history.

  • @ComicKelsey
    @ComicKelsey3 жыл бұрын

    Whoa, that was deep! I never saw that when the reporter was around we were seeing the myth. That's brilliant!

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @romanclay1913
    @romanclay19133 жыл бұрын

    In the entire 4 hour film, the word "Oil" is never mentioned.

  • @SFTaYZa

    @SFTaYZa

    3 жыл бұрын

    Cool

  • @im1o1m

    @im1o1m

    3 жыл бұрын

    Well, it's the year 1919, oil was yet to be discovered in Arabia.

  • @kostajovanovic3711

    @kostajovanovic3711

    3 жыл бұрын

    Do you count that as a flaw?

  • @im1o1m

    @im1o1m

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@robertohoraciovines5416 The plot of the movie was centered around north western arabia, a land which didn't have oil and still don't, the talk of oil in eastern Arabia however present it had nothing to do with the revolt, the main goal of the British alliance with the arabs was to kick the ottomans out of the land and stop the forced recruitment of the native population, yes oil played a large part in the latter part of the revolt and the proceeding negotiations, which the movie didn't didn't cover. Reducing Arabia to a desert with oil is wrong. My first point still stands.

  • @silverwolf6964

    @silverwolf6964

    2 жыл бұрын

    So American of you to assume Arabia to be known by Oil instead of it's history

  • @ryaneijkholt4220
    @ryaneijkholt42203 жыл бұрын

    I watched Lawrence of Arabia when I was about 10 to 11 years old. I do not remember precisely whether I loved it or whether I thought it was boring, but a positive fascination for the figure and the triumphant nature of the film has always remained since then. I'm now 19, and I've watched many more films since then, and there is of course much left to watch. Thank you for this wonderful analysis - I remember being a bit disturbed by the second half of the film when I was young, haha. I think I'd consider this one among my favourite films, for the impact it's left, even after nearly a decade. I need to see it again, I hope I won't be let down.

  • @discerningdesign8486
    @discerningdesign84863 жыл бұрын

    Excellent thought provoking analysis. Something else to add: Lawrance is asked "who are you" on both sides of the film arc. First by Prince Faisal (when Lawrance arrives at his camp,) and second by the man on the motorcycle.

  • @robertmowad9169

    @robertmowad9169

    2 жыл бұрын

    Who I believe is the director David Lean

  • @MrSnrubIsRight

    @MrSnrubIsRight

    Ай бұрын

    Lean did the vo

  • @vexus8010
    @vexus80102 жыл бұрын

    I've always felt it would be interesting to see a short follow-up story about his time as an Aircrewman working on seaplanes in the early 30s. Its a little known fact that "Airman Shaw" invented a superior form of motor launch used in rescuing downed pilots out at sea, an invention that went on to save hundreds of lives in WW2. A redemptive post-script, perhaps, that complicates Lawrence's already mythic life.

  • @michaeljohnangel6359

    @michaeljohnangel6359

    7 ай бұрын

    I'm sure you've read "The Mint" by Lawrence.

  • @raywhitehead730

    @raywhitehead730

    19 күн бұрын

    Did you ever wondered why Lawrence, assumed the name Shaw , when he enlisted in the British Air Force?

  • @etherealtb6021
    @etherealtb60213 жыл бұрын

    Finally. Someone talking about the central theme of the movie. The first movie poster literally had a question mark in place of Lawrence's face, so amazing when I've seen some critics say, "But we never find out who he really is"! Er, that's the point of the film! BTW, seen this movie about 20 times, but never thought about the significance of The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo or the Roman busts! Never stop seeing new stuff in this movie.

  • @visorij3374
    @visorij33742 жыл бұрын

    The desert had changed him, it sucked him in and made him think he was something he was not, like the desert showing you illusion of a oasis he showed Lawrence a illusion of his grandeur.

  • @larrywilliams120
    @larrywilliams1203 жыл бұрын

    Excellent commentary. I watched the film last night. I noticed something I had never noticed before. When Lawrence was writing the cheque to Auda Abu Tayi ( Quinn) in Acaba, he wrote from right to left- the way arabic is written. Lean demonstrated absolute perfection in attention to detail!

  • @imrankh68

    @imrankh68

    3 жыл бұрын

    Good catch. I noticed that too.

  • @simpleman7203
    @simpleman72033 жыл бұрын

    I was really enjoying every minute of your video essay. You nailed it!

  • @Steve_Schiffenhaus
    @Steve_Schiffenhaus3 жыл бұрын

    Watched this a few times, amazing, thank you for this and the channel

  • @donmarlon5924
    @donmarlon59243 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful analysis. Thank you so much.

  • @boboONyoutube
    @boboONyoutube3 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely tremendous commentary. Well done.

  • @nahom1318
    @nahom13183 жыл бұрын

    What a wonderful and insightful commentary! Cheers!

  • @Jedizen07
    @Jedizen072 жыл бұрын

    Outstanding video on one of my favorite films! Great job!

  • @camdenmcandrews
    @camdenmcandrews3 жыл бұрын

    Wow. Brilliant analysis of another of my top favorite movies!

  • @johndonaldson3619
    @johndonaldson36193 жыл бұрын

    *WHAT AN AMAZING THESIS - Beautifully written and narrated THANK YOU* (subscribed)

  • @joetheperformer
    @joetheperformer3 жыл бұрын

    Dude...I freaking LOVE your channel. You dive in deep with the analyses. Thanks for what you do!

  • @RebeccaETripp
    @RebeccaETripp3 жыл бұрын

    Your channel is absolutely wonderful! It's rare to find video essays that dare to delve as deeply (and as densely) as this.

  • @rateryte7903
    @rateryte79033 жыл бұрын

    It feels great to finally see a video, let alone one of THIS HIGH QUALITY, about my favorite movie of all time. Thank you so much for this, you’re such a great content creator and seeing this stuff just... EUGH it’s great

  • @ultraparanoia
    @ultraparanoia3 жыл бұрын

    Your love for this film is palpable throughout this video. I've been watching your channel all weekend and it is outstanding. I'm glad that this type of content is present in KZread and look forward to your next video.

  • @danubiodeoliveira6108
    @danubiodeoliveira61083 жыл бұрын

    I have seen such a magnificent analysis like this a few times. It reveals the amount layers of an identidy...

  • @DanDavisHistory
    @DanDavisHistory3 жыл бұрын

    Excellent video, thanks.

  • @travishighbaugh5245
    @travishighbaugh52453 жыл бұрын

    This was an incredibly insightful breakdown.

  • @argonauta249
    @argonauta2493 жыл бұрын

    An absorbing analysis. You have picked out some nuances I hadnt noticed after 56 years of rewatching! Thank You very much!

  • @surprenantzac
    @surprenantzac3 жыл бұрын

    This is probably the best analysis on this movie I have seen. Amazing work!

  • @ops70
    @ops703 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful review! Congratulations!

  • @theboomboomking4935
    @theboomboomking49353 жыл бұрын

    I am absolutely certain that if you continue making brilliant movie analysis videos like this one, your channel is bound to explode one day. The production value of this video is incredible and I wish you the best of luck with your channel and content. Subscribed.

  • @jonathanrichter4256
    @jonathanrichter42563 жыл бұрын

    Great video. I've loved this movie for decades, and have watched it at least a dozen times, but you pointed out number of things I hadn't noticed before. Now I can't wait to go watch it again. Thanks.

  • @Gabriel19671969
    @Gabriel196719693 жыл бұрын

    This is a FANTASTIC video, congratulations!

  • @yashanc
    @yashanc3 жыл бұрын

    Yet another masterful essay on a masterpiece. Loved this, such wonderful work. I would love to see what you would do with a film like Ben Hur or Becket. Thank you again and please keep on going!

  • @raulvito6246
    @raulvito62463 жыл бұрын

    Lawrence of Arabia is also one of my top 5 movies of all time but your breakdown was absolutely incredible expressing ideas I had of Lawrence’s breakdown but never actually put into words how it went, simply fantastic work!

  • @johnthevoice6270
    @johnthevoice62703 жыл бұрын

    I have heard other analyses of this film but I have never heard such a different and yet incredible analysis like yours. Well done! Please do more film analyses, the cinephile community needs videos like these! Thank you!

  • @KarimElHayawan
    @KarimElHayawan3 жыл бұрын

    This is literally perfect. Magnificent analysis.

  • @seanferguson5460
    @seanferguson54603 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful! Masterful! There is poetry in your analysis.

  • @sylvisterling8782
    @sylvisterling87823 жыл бұрын

    Magnificent analysis of one of my all-time favorite movies. One additional point that could have been noted was the conversation between Ali and Lawrence where Ali notes that Lawrence will be "a prince" when his father dies, and Lawrence replies that "He didn't marry my mother." This highlights how outside British society Lawrence has and will be, in a most basic way and, as Ali notes, that by being outside Lawrence can indeed make himself a clan of his own, which, however, in the end is not completely successful either. I love this movie, and watch it again and again, as well as reading other literature on Lawrence and Lawrence's own writings.

  • @muadek
    @muadek3 жыл бұрын

    This channel is climbing to 1 000 000 subs really fast, really soon.

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    That would be incredible.

  • @ulrikkvistnes7617

    @ulrikkvistnes7617

    3 жыл бұрын

    It will, this is so entertaining.

  • @andrewmcneilismcneilis6596

    @andrewmcneilismcneilis6596

    3 жыл бұрын

    The narrator gives us something that has been eroded from wider Society- free thought.

  • @jackp492
    @jackp4923 жыл бұрын

    Havnt looked at any film analysis last few years, your intro reminded me why it's such a rich medium, cheers mate

  • @matthewsheeran
    @matthewsheeran2 жыл бұрын

    An analysis as beautiful as the film. Thankyou!

  • @corcaighrebel
    @corcaighrebel6 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the video, thoughtful insights which will have me look at the film again. Lawrence's rise & fall one of the greats depicted and Peter O'Toole was just marvellous. Never made the connection with the closing motorcycle scene so thanks for bringing that up, so subtle. David Lean......just remarkable depth. Best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪

  • @nudgexs
    @nudgexs Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for making this, I found it really informative. A few days ago I visited Lawrences house in Clouds Hill and have since watched the film and am now going to fetch his book 7 Pillars. Fascinating person

  • @tommyminahan3136
    @tommyminahan31362 жыл бұрын

    Seriously an excellent analysis, keep up the great work man!

  • @spencersoodan9803
    @spencersoodan98033 жыл бұрын

    I can’t explain how happy I am to find a channel like yours. Keep up the quality content!

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    Glad you found it!

  • @HecmarJayam
    @HecmarJayam3 жыл бұрын

    I got goosebumps throughout the video. As with any work of art, interpretation is in the eye of the beholder, and EotM's is beautiful. Thank you.

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @bellamorts
    @bellamorts2 жыл бұрын

    wow what a great analysis! I just watched it for the first time and I am still very impressed and moved by the whole piece

  • @user-pk3kc2xx7t
    @user-pk3kc2xx7t3 жыл бұрын

    It’s so great! I’ve just watched Lawrence of Arabia less than month before This is truly remarkable analysis, probably the best that I’ve seen about this movie. So I am going to check your other ones. Thanks you so much.

  • @dankolevente
    @dankolevente3 жыл бұрын

    Amazing stuff dude, best of luck with your channel. Just came across your Master and commander analysis and subbed right there

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I very much appreciate it.

  • @jbassguy571
    @jbassguy5713 жыл бұрын

    One of my favourite essays on one of my favourite movies of all time. Bravo Sir.

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    You’re too kind! Thank you.

  • @nothankyou418
    @nothankyou4183 жыл бұрын

    truly outstanding analysis. was intrigued by the inclusion of the idea of the simulacrum....very good video!

  • @clintgolub1751
    @clintgolub17512 жыл бұрын

    What timing for your incredible video essay to come out! I purchased the blu-ray boxed set 9 years ago and JUST WATCHED IT a few nights ago. I have no idea why it took me so long, but I’m happy your essay uploaded the same year I finally got around to digesting it. The philosophical themes went deeper than I expected, and I loved it so much I purchased a digital copy on iTunes of the new Dolby Vision 4k/ Dolby Atmos restored version (which is much more vibrant) to watch on our oled. I went to college years ago for my AA in philosophy and this was like the best of my old philosophy club discussions. Our school actually had both the film club, and philosophy club team up several times for screenings of our favorite films at the local library followed by some pretty intense Q&A much like you presented here and I just have commend you on so beautiful a tribute. It is truly timeless. 🙏

  • @karl_3885
    @karl_38853 жыл бұрын

    I was so glad when i recently discovered this true gem of a film among all the BS on netflix. Of course i gave it a rewatch right then and there. Lovely analysis by the way, well done.

  • @scottlewisparsons9551
    @scottlewisparsons95513 жыл бұрын

    You seemed to have summed it up quite well!

  • @Jackjohnjay
    @Jackjohnjay Жыл бұрын

    This is very well done, thank you. I just finished the film for the very first time and was looking for just such a deep analysis.

  • @vks_productions
    @vks_productions3 жыл бұрын

    Excellent video and analysis. Extremely intelligent and well thought out stuff. Great job; actually powerful.

  • @anastasiossarikas5510
    @anastasiossarikas55102 жыл бұрын

    For over 40 years, I have read everything that I could find on Lawrence. To say that he fascinates me is an understatement. I commend you on your very serious and astute analysis of this extraordinary film. Truly "spot on"! Well done. Well done.

  • @freakyfurby7953

    @freakyfurby7953

    6 ай бұрын

    I too have learned everything about lawrence, faisal and the hashemite family and arab revolt as a whole

  • @philippeh3904
    @philippeh39043 жыл бұрын

    New subscriber, loved this analysis. I always found the ending haunting. A man who loved life, the desert and freedom. But by the end, was a broken man who never was the same.

  • @sandradavis9309

    @sandradavis9309

    22 күн бұрын

    The disillusion of youth: the greater the illusion, the greater the disillusion.

  • @Mark-co8gt
    @Mark-co8gt3 жыл бұрын

    This is the peak of film youtube! Watched the video 2 days ago and haven't stopped thinking about it since.

  • @lolshark99b49
    @lolshark99b493 жыл бұрын

    Great video essay about one of the greatest pieces of cinema of all time. Hats off to you

  • @alyseleem2692
    @alyseleem26923 жыл бұрын

    It is quite strange to see the rise and fall of this man when I know that such events made my part of the world what it is today. However, there is always one thing I could understand quite easily. The desert takes many things. That's why most of us prefer the Nile.

  • @JohnDoe-et8th

    @JohnDoe-et8th

    Жыл бұрын

    Egyptians and Bedouins are totally different cultures with different mindsets. Frankly, the Egyptians did better historically. At least, until the discovery of oil.

  • @eldorados_lost_searcher
    @eldorados_lost_searcher3 жыл бұрын

    This is the second video by you that I've watched (the first being your analysis of Master and Commander), and you've gained a subscriber.

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks mate!

  • @laurenhuber7814
    @laurenhuber7814 Жыл бұрын

    Your video essay was amazing. Absolutely wonderful analysis. Lawrence of Arabia is one of my top 10 favorite films. You just gained a new subscriber.

  • @arohanpatla4308
    @arohanpatla4308 Жыл бұрын

    this is really strong work. i’ve always loved this movie but i could never have analyzed or explained it in this way.

  • @Ruylopez778
    @Ruylopez7783 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for your analysis! By coincidence, I watched this movie again just the other day, and you helped articulate my thoughts and expand upon them. I think it's interesting how the terms used to describe him are so varied and often contradictory in the same scene; barmy, clown, half witted, bad mannered, fat, mad, ordinary, extraordinary. In terms of storytelling, it illustrates these descriptions so economically and vividly - as you say with the matches. The visuals, themes and dialogue are so expertly balanced - never on the nose, and never too vague. Another thing I noticed was the way 'young men' and 'old men' are portrayed. When first meeting Prince Faisal, the attitude is, "He's a young man, and young men are passionate" and "before the gardens comes the fighting". Lawrence's idealism is seen as the way forward, a breath of fresh air. And at the end, "Young men make war. Old men make peace. The vices of old men are mistrust and caution. It must be so." It seems to be saying that idealism is needed to shatter the world and move forward, but ultimately caution has to pick up the pieces - without necessarily saying which is right or wrong, or perhaps even saying there is no other way. I wonder if we are to presume that Faisal, Dryden & Allenby see all this coming a mile away - the pragmatism and cynicism of the old man, in the face of Lawrence's spiral into delusion. It's kind of heart breaking when Faisal calls Lawrence "Major" and a good liar. We might say, there was a time and place for Lawrence (in the movie's account) where he served his purpose, both to those in power and those at his side, whom he inspired and united, but ultimately that could only ever be a temporary purpose.

  • @EmpireoftheMind

    @EmpireoftheMind

    3 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic point about old men vs. young men. It is also heartbreaking when Faisal says that they are all glad to be rid of Lawrence. One of the most depressing endings to any movie.

  • @jonsimpson9640
    @jonsimpson96403 жыл бұрын

    Another brilliant analysis, fascinating as ever.

  • @joeneedstosleep
    @joeneedstosleep2 жыл бұрын

    Beautiful analysis as always.

  • @CptMark
    @CptMark3 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful analysis. I watched the film many times and it seems there are always some new layers to uncover.

  • @rameyzamora1018
    @rameyzamora10183 жыл бұрын

    Your analysis completely expanded & enormously enriched my understanding of both Lawrence & the genius of this film. One thing it took me many years to get my head around was how the beautiful Peter O'Toole, 6'2" & twitchy as a cat, was cast in the lead. But O'Toole is exactly how Lawrence saw himself! A gorgeous, golden god. It added another dimension to a movie I saw & was seriously affected by the year it came out. I was 18. Thank you for your work.

  • @JohnDoe-et8th

    @JohnDoe-et8th

    Жыл бұрын

    Ah, yes, one always needs to see the irony of a character's perspective as part of the film. Like taking Amadeus to be historically accurate instead of realizing it's through the eyes of a jealous madman.

  • @milesanddizzy
    @milesanddizzy2 жыл бұрын

    Terrific analysis of one of my fave films… saw this many years ago at college, the person who ran the college media room was ex british army and had been stationed in the middle east. He recounted how the remnants of the rail and trains Lawrence blew up are still to be found in the desert…

  • @NateGerardRealEstateTeam
    @NateGerardRealEstateTeam2 жыл бұрын

    Just discovered your channel today and enjoyed this well done piece on Lawrence of Arabia. I was lucky enough to have the film be a part of the curriculum in my Art of the Film class back in 1989, with all films selected by Dr Custer, who was the granddaughter of the ill fated General of Little Big Horn fame. I wish I had seen your piece to help me in my critique as my assessment of Lawrence was quite a bit more rudimentary. This brings me back to those happy days though and makes me want a fresh viewing with eyes that are a bit more open than they were back then. Thank you! Edit: One final comment is that I often refer to this movie as an example of how the western world still doesn’t understand the more vast history of conflict of the Middle East.

  • @alvanosm
    @alvanosm3 жыл бұрын

    Very well done! An exceptional analysis!

  • @njebei
    @njebei3 жыл бұрын

    I love your work. This is one of my favorite movies as well but you made me rethink some subjects I never considered. Well done. Now it's time for a rewatch.

  • @marksims5338
    @marksims53382 жыл бұрын

    I always believed that the scene of the English soldier on the motorcycle on the edge of the Suiez Canal yelling "Who are you?" was an existential mirror image of Lawrence himself asking the robed, desert wanderer with a young ward (a "Prophet" image to be sure) to make a decision regarding his true self.

  • @ChimozuFu
    @ChimozuFu3 жыл бұрын

    A fantastic and poetic analysis. Bravo Sir, I thoroughly enjoyed

  • @kieranramtohal9645
    @kieranramtohal96456 ай бұрын

    What a great video. Thank you.

  • @ianlacey
    @ianlacey2 жыл бұрын

    I don't know if you will every be able to find a copy, but many years ago when I worked at the Australian Disney Animation Studio (now gone) we were shown a video of a guest lecture Brad Bird had given at the California Studio where he spoke at length about the quality of the symbolism in Lawrence of Arabia. It was brilliant and the first time my eyes were opened to the significance of the film.

  • @ericknudsen98
    @ericknudsen983 жыл бұрын

    Haven't seen all of your content yet. (How could I, I just found you this afternoon. ) But I must say that's its a tragedy you don't have more subscribers. Allow me to add my own.

  • @thelibarr2
    @thelibarr23 жыл бұрын

    Your channel is such a gem! Please keep it up

  • @arivertoeveryone
    @arivertoeveryone2 жыл бұрын

    ive become enchanted with the desert and stories centered around it so your vid was a nice suprise in my recommendations

  • @AM-sw9di
    @AM-sw9di2 жыл бұрын

    Hero/Monster/Victim is very similar to the drama triangle used in psychoanalysis: Rescuer/Perpetrator/Victim! The idea is that we all bounce between these roles, usually we have one that is our primary role, however in Lawrence of Arabia he displays all three! It's very interesting considering when you read Seven Pillars of Wisdom you can see how he can consider himself a great leader, absolutely nothing of any importance, and somewhere in between all on the same page! This is my favourite film ever, and I really love how it tackles his identity/sense of self issues!

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