I'm a long-time fan of the film, Lawrence of Arabia. In fact, that film awakened my love of all things Middle Eastern. Over the years, I've wondered what it was about the film that affected me so strongly. Certainly it's the film score by Maurice Jarre, full of micro-tones, Arab percussion lines, and sweeping melodies in the maqam of hijaz. It's also the scenery, and the spare, yet poetic dialogue. Underneath all that though, the film glows with an incandescent power, fired by Lawrence's affection for the Arabs with whom he fought, and his belief in the Arab army's cause of independence both from the Ottoman Empire and European powers. Even though Lawrence remains an enigmatic and controversial figure in history, the film, and his own life, influenced me a great deal.
I'm less embarrassed about my love of this film ever since I learned that Steven Spielberg decided to become a film director after seeing it. Diane Sawyer has a pillow embroidered with the words 'nothing is written' on her living room sofa. So it's not just me!
This video clip is amazing. It's of a re-enactment and screening of the film in the UK put on by Secret Cinemas. Only in the U.K. could you gather so many Lawrence fans for costumed mini-re-enactments of the film! Enjoy it...with the film score playing throughout.
That is soooo cool!!!!
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