Lawrence of Arabia

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Posted by Adam from spider-wq013.proxy.aol.com on April 25, 2001 at 01:26:37:

In Reply to: He was no homosexual, he couln't stand to touch, even to shake hands, and abhorred the thought of sex... posted by Fedora on April 24, 2001 at 23:34:00:

Several historical sources did suggest that T.E. Lawrence was indeed homosexual. David Lean managed, and quite daringly for 1961-1962, to have many sexual overtones. Robert Bolt elaborated on this subject in much detail in a biographysome years ago. Peter O'Toole, upon Lean's instruction, did try to touch up on this in his dynamic performance.

I have not read the original, full version of Lawrence's Seven Pilliars of Wisdom, but I did read an abridged version back in high school. He himself expressed his own psychological torment as the price he paid for his rise to power.

I've seen this film many, many times ever since 12 or 13, but the first time I felt I TRULY saw it was two years ago when they screened a 70 mm print at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. The screen image is so big, you can see the camels' feet moving and leaving footprints..whereas on TV, the camels are only tiny little dots!

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA was quite a remarkable film for its time -- ahead of its time -- in depicting a lead "hero" who is tormented, vain, and ultimately ruthless. Peter O'Toole became a HUGE star -- though he lost the Oscar to Gregory Peck in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, in what was rumored to be one of the closest Oscar races for that category.

I think ARABIA ranks as one of my greatest films of all time, among the list with CITIZEN KANE, 2001, WIZARD OF OZ, SCHINDLER'S LIST, THE GODFATHER, APOCALYPSE NOW, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and Murnow's SUNRISE.


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