All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that 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. This I did. –T.E. Lawrence

Thomas Edward Lawrence was not an easy man to know. Even those who were close to him were puzzled by his many contradictions. He was a quiet and scholarly man who became renowned as a man of action. A British army officer who fought alongside the Arabs to help free them from the dying carcass of the Ottoman Empire. And ultimately an adventurer who spent the last years of his life as a complete recluse.

So it was only natural that such an enigmatic figure, who left such a large imprint on the course of Middle Eastern history, was bound to get the Hollywood treatment. The first attempt to make a movie on Lawrence’s life and exploits was actually made during the 1920s, only a few years after the actual events had occurred. Then British film producer Alexander Korda had a go at trying to bring his story to the big screen. But even he had to give up after endless problems with production.

A number of scripts also floated around for many years. Lawrence himself is said to have written a script for the movie. Winston Churchill, who knew him well, is also said to have attempted to write a script, but the joke spread around that the problem with Churchill’s draft was that there would have been a battle on every third page.Eventually film producer Sam Spiegel and British director David Lean picked up the baton and started production of the film. The two were at the top of their game after their hugely popular war epic The Bridge on the River Kwai.

A number of actors were in serious consideration for the title role in Lawrence of Arabia, including Marlon Brando and Albert Finney. Eventually the role went to newcomer Peter O’Toole who, as we all now know, immortalised the man.

The film itself was shot on location in Jordan and Morocco for the desert sequences, as well as Spain where the famous charge on Aqaba scene was filmed.Most film historians rank Lawrence of Arabia among the beautifully filmed movies ever made. John Ford’s The Searchers, which incidentally inspired David Lean, is probably the only other film that rivals it for sheer visual beauty. Its one of those movies that simply has to been on as big a screen as possible. The haunting enticement of the desert and Maurice Jarre’s dramatic theme music, go hand in hand in leaving an imprint on the viewers mind.

The story itself deals loosely around the actual events of WWI in which the British recruit the help of the Bedouin Arab tribes to strike a blow against the Turks, Germany’s main ally during the conflict. The film depicts the Middle Eastern campaign of the war which still has resonance in today’s geopolitics.

At the same time, it is also a character study of Lawrence himself, who is at the centre of these historic events. His inner turmoil and rage are presented to us in a sympathetic light. Lawrence knows that although he is ultimately a tool for the British and French attempt to carve up the Middle East, he still wants to fight for the Arab cause. That he ultimately betrays them is not held against him. For all the romanticism that surrounds Lawrence, in the end he is simply a man who has been given a mission to do.

Much of the allure on Lawrence of Arabia must be credited to the wonderful performances in the film. Omar Sharif, in his breakthrough movie, plays Sherif Ali, a figure no less enigmatic then T.E. Lawrence. He is perhaps the only true friend Lawrence has among the Bedouin Arabs. Anthony Quinn plays the wild Auda abu Tayi, the leader of the fierce Howeitat tribe. Quinn himself was so larger-than-life that he had no problem playing the proud desert warrior. Jack Hawkins and Claude Rains were also superb in their depiction of the British officials who guide Lawrence’s exploits from behind the scenes.

But the pole star of the film is Peter O’Toole. He simply is Lawrence of Arabia. His performance in the title role is ranked among the greatest ever committed to film. His haunting blue eyes and flowing robes depict Lawrence in a manner that make it hard to believe anyone else in role. Noel Coward, the English playwright, apparently told Peter O’Toole; “If you had been any prettier, it would have been Florence of Arabia.” The movie was a huge success when it came out in 1962. It won seven Academy Awards, including best picture. The American Film Institute ranked it number one on its list of greatest epic films of all time. It also put it among the 10 greatest films ever made among two polls conducted in 1997, and again in 2007.

Film directors from Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg pay tribute to it as among their favorite films of all time. Spielberg himself helped in the restoration of the film in 1989 and regarded the movie itself as “a miracle.”

Although the film is nearly three and-a-half hours long, it’s still worth the time spent watching. If you want an appreciation for epic movie making or simply become lost in an exotic environment on your television screen, then you can’t get much better than this film.

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Raza Ali Sayeed is a journalist at Dawn.com