Lawrence of Arabia

Essay by zergling11College, UndergraduateB+, September 2009

download word file, 6 pages 3.0

We remember all the men and women who fought or sacrificed themselves in different ways in world war one. They are remembered for their bravery and determination to help our country. One man is remembered for more than that. He served his country well while trying to stand up for the little guy. T.E. Lawrence is remembered for his sacrifices and bravery while trying to help the Arab people. I think the film review, called "BFI Film Classics- Lawrence of Arabia" said it best when they stated "T.E. Lawrence remains one of the most appealing characters or 'personalities' in twentieth-century British history or one of its greatest poseurs". Even though he loved his country he had a lot of sympathy for the Arabs and wanted what was best for them. This is shown in a spectacular movie called Lawrence of Arabia. This movie uses excellent characterization, along with good acting and directing, to help develop a strong theme about the power of imperialism.

The director shows us different points of view using one character, Lawrence. On one hand he is linked to European imperialism, and even helps it along because he knows what is going on the whole time with the French and the English wanting control over Arabia and he chooses to ignore it. On the other hand he is dedicated to the freedom of the Arab people. Lawrence feels torn between his homeland and its army, and his newfound comrades within the Arab desert tribes. All this helps us to understand the pressures on Lawrence. The major theme of this movie is that even a person with the best intention can let power blind them to what is really going around them. Such as when Lawrence knows what might be going on with the...