Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World – a miniseries in two parts - is a documentary film which premiered on US television (PBS) in 2003.
Here is some basic information about it:
** Writer, producer, and director: James Hawes
** Narrator: Nadim Sawalha
** Historical consultants: Malcolm Brown and Suleiman Mousa
** Run time: 2 x 55 minutes = 110 minutes
The plot
This film about Lawrence of Arabia, whose real name is T. E. Lawrence, covers his life and career from the beginning in 1888 to the end in 1935, but the focus is on his time in the Middle East.
His first visit to this part of the world was in 1909 when he was a student of archaeology. He visited Krak de Chevaliers and other crusader forts in Syria.
During World War One (1914-1918), when he was a soldier in the British Army, he fought with Arab forces against the Ottoman Empire which at the time controlled a large part of the Middle East.
His last visit to this part of the world was in 1920 when he was invited to join the Cairo Conference during which the territories of the Middle East were re-organized by the British government.
This film is a combination of three elements:
# 1. Interviews with several talking heads (from the West and from the Middle East)
# 2. Archive footage in black-and-white
# 3. Dramatized scenes in colour (the role of Lawrence is played by the actor Michael Maloney)
Reviews and ratings
What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 79 percent, which corresponds to a rating of four stars on Amazon.
On Amazon there are at the moment 55 ratings of this product, 49 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.1 stars which corresponds to a rating of 82 percent.
Here are the details:
5 stars = 65 percent
4 stars = 10 percent
3 stars = 9 percent
2 stars = 9 percent
1 star = 8 percent
The majority is positive: 75 percent offer four or five stars. A minority is negative: 17 percent offer only one or two stars. A small group goes for the middle position: 9 percent offer three stars.
If you ask me, both average ratings are quite appropriate.
This film is good but not great.
There are at least two flaws.
Let me explain:
# 1. The history of the manuscript for the famous book Seven Pillars of Wisdom is not covered. The history is long and complicated. I will not offer any details here.
If you google “Lawrence” and “lost manuscript,” you will find some useful references (some of them were written and posted before 2003).
# 2. When we get to the Cairo Conference of 1920, the narrator mentions the man who is in charge: Winston Churchill.
The narrator explains that Lawrence “and other experts” are invited to join the conference and offer their advice. But no other names are mentioned.
This means the film does not mention Gertrude Bell, who had travelled all over the Middle East before and after the war.
There is a historical drama about her life:
Queen of the Desert
(2015)
Unfortunately, this drama is not very good.
There is a documentary film about her life:
Letters from Baghdad
(2016)
While this documentary is not perfect, it is much better than the drama.
Conclusion
I like this film about T. E. Lawrence and the battle for the Arab world and I want to give it a good rating, but as you can see, there are some flaws which cannot be ignored. I have to remove one star because of these flaws.
This is why I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
PS # 1. The famous historical drama Lawrence of Arabia premiered in 1962. The leading role is played by Peter O’Toole (1932-2013).
The sequel from 1992 is not quite as famous: A Dangerous Man: Lawrence after Arabia. The leading role is played by Ralph Fiennes (born 1962).
PS # 2. I was in Syria a few years ago (1996). While I was there, I visited several locations, including Krak de Chevaliers, which Lawrence visited in 1909.
I was in Jordan a few years ago (2011). While I was there, I visited several locations, including the Aqaba Fortress which was the location of an important battle in 1917.
Arab forces advised by Lawrence defeated the Ottoman forces who defended the fortress.
REFERENCES
Churchill’s Folly:
How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq
By Christopher Catherwood
(Hardcover 2004)
(Paperback 2005)
Hero:
The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia
By Michael Korda
(Hardcover 2010)
(Paperback 2011)
Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East
By Scott Anderson
(Hardcover 2013)
(Paperback 2014)
Lawrence of Arabia’s War: The Arabs, the British, and the Remaking of the Middle east in WWI
By Neil Faulkner
(Hardcover 2016)
(Paperback 2017)
*****
T. E. Lawrence
(1888-1935)
*****
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
by T. E. Lawrence
(First published in 1926)
*****
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