MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸, 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀.”

Sooooo, fancied something a bit more traditional for Mothers Day this year. Peter O’ Toole looking more magnificent than a Saharan sunset. Omar Sharif becoming utterly iconic. Boxing Day and August bank holiday marathon watches slumped on the sofa. I’m taking on a big challenge here; 268 pages. This is the David Lean epic masterclass; LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

Plot in a nutshell: British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence is sent to Arabia to serve as liaison between the Arabs and the British in their war with the Turks. With the aid of native Sherif Ali, Lawrence rebels against the orders of his superiors and successfully unites, then leads the diverse Arab tribes against the Turks, during World War I.

I simply can’t get the image of Peter O’Toole on the posters (that came out from the 90s onwards) out of my head. He just looks glorious. This is one of those films that has become a historical masterpiece, yet it’s very rarely talked about among current generations. And yet its importance is pivotal to storytelling for the last 60 or so years.

It is a behemoth of a script. Where most scripts start these days, then need cutting down, this thunders on, clearly needing every sentence. But I suspect there’s some real magic here. Let’s see how they do it old school and get stuck into the granddaddy of epics.

So, what did I learn from LAWRENCE OF ARABIA?

1. Dialogue - I believe there is a well worn skill out there for getting people involved in a story and liking characters. If the characters are amiable, fun loving, funny or at least likable in the first 20 or so minutes, then I firmly believe that you embrace those characters and down the line, when the real drama hits, you are fully invested. So with this script, the first 20 or so pages are wonderfully light and actually very funny. The dialogue is zippy, comical and breezy. Considering there's a war on, this could almost border on farce. But there are such delicate underplays of clever witticism, that this really is a treat. Wonderful, wonderful dialogue.

2. Actors - I’m starting to wonder if there’s a pattern here. Action directions that instruct an actor when to blink, walk, speak, bow, et cetera. For those of you haven’t read my other reviews, this was quite normal in scripts over 40 years old, but nowadays hampers an actors performance. Some fantastic clues as to the type of character that you are reading for, but to remember this level of detail in your performance would simply stifle and crush a performance. Have a chat with your director and see what middle ground you can both reach.

3. Action Directions - Book territory again, but there is something magnetic about these action directions. Every glorious little sentence has something in there for the filmmakers and the audience. You can view every frame of the film in your head. No detail is missing. What we suffer for in modern times with losing wonderful descriptions like this, we apparently make up for in brevity of the read. Sigh. But these are some lovely action directions. Beautiful, like an English country garden that’s been well tended.

4. Action Directions 2 - There are two types of script for me; an actors script and a directors script. An actors script barely gives you anything. But the dialogue is so full of promise, that building your character is an utter joy. Then there’s the directors script, technical to the point of being a blueprint. Instructions on where the camera needs to go, who needs to stand where and every practical little item inbetween. This is a technical directors script. It affects the action directions in that some of them go on far too long, lingering on the colour of a spoon or how the wind blows over sand dunes. And the camera setups are everywhere. Unnecessary in a script these days, but for this one piece of historic literature, a window into a past time and to be appreciated for the art that has been created here. But not a recommended path in today’s market.

5. Action Directions 3 - Ha! An intermission written into the script. Fantastic! Those were the days. Of course it’s a no-no these days, but would be welcome during a long Tarantino fest. Look it up if you get chance. Real window into the good old days.

6. Action Directions 4 - There are plenty of written asides by the author of the script (but potentially could also be notes from the director) of how to approach the filming of scenes and what dialogue could be improvised. These are great as notes, but definitely not the content of a script being sent to a producer. in fact, that is all the value these notes have. Historical record and of use to the director. Not really much more. But if you get a little inspiration from them, that’s a good thing.

7. Story - This story begins with the eloquent beauty of a carefully crafted novel. When you announced that the lead character is already dead at the start, you get an idea of where she’s going. Nifty trick and keeps the audiences interest peaked straight away. Where is the writer going with this?

8. Story 2 - This is patient storytelling. This is knowing that there’s a long trip to take and that it needs regular stops, with plenty to feed on. Everything from awkward meetings to brazen battle scenes, keep the story whistling along. Simple note here; if you’re going to write an epic, keep it interesting. Plenty of events.

9. Finale - This is war. This is the bleak, darkened side of battle. No heroism here. Desperation. Death. Finishing what you’ve started, even if it’s wrong. For profit. For gain. For land. For backhand deals. Whereas the central colour for the majority of the campaigns at the start was white (pure, untainted purpose), this finale is pitch black. No worshipping figures. No freeing of innocent peoples or reclamation of land. This is hired killers and slaughter. The true darkness of never ending conquest. Change, painful and sickening, through violence.

10. Finale 2 - As with any battle, there is always aftermath. Here, the void of oppression has been replaced with a people unready for peace. Politicians, knowing full well the opportunities that lie in chaos, gradually seep into the gaping void left by the violence that has given their people supposed freedom. By the time we close on Lawrence, he’s a shadow of a man, barely anything left. Let alone his humanity.

11. Finale 3 - No actual death of Lawrence. The start of the script promises us a scene that never actually happens. I’d long since forgotten it by the time I got to the end, but that feels like a continuity issue. No real resolution. Still, I assume it is of some historical merit. Putting the very end at the start. Still, the only hiccup I could really latch onto by the end.

There is something quite reassuring about this genre of film. Like a welcoming hug from your favourite loving relative or your best spot in the park to watch people coming and going and the swaying of the trees. The historical epic is something to be indulged. To envelop yourself in like a warm blanket. The sub genre of the historical epic (the lone soldier absorbing himself into the community of the natives, that no one else chooses to understand) is often a beautiful and deeply rich source of material. Such incredible examples as Dances With Wolves, Little Big Man and The Last Samurai are similar joys to be experienced. That window into another world where the protagonist is our wary, yet reverent guide. Just so rich with opportunity to explore different subjects, both modern and past.

Yes, it’s a weighty tome and yes, it’s of its time. But such a deeply absorbing story as this is to be appreciated as one would find an oasis in the desert. Necessary.