News
73 years ago (May 19th, 1935) Colonel Thomas E. Lawrence died from head injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on a Dorset, England, country road.
Trivia
Release date: December 10, 1962
The movie was shot in: Jordan, Spain, Morocco, London, Surrey and California.
Oscars:
Best Director -> David Lean
Best Music, Score - Substantially Original -> Maurice Jarre
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color
Best Cinematography, Color
Best Film Editing
Best Picture
Best Sound
Oscar nominations:
Best Actor in a Leading Role -> Peter O'Toole
Best Actor in a Supporting Role -> Omar Sharif
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
The Arabic revolt started in 1916
The film originally 222 minutes long, was subsequently cut to 187 minutes and then restored to the original length in 1989.
Initially the title of the movie was Seven pillars of wisdom (the name of T.E. Larence’s book), but Lawrence’s younger brother and literary executor, A. W. Lawrence said that the portrait of his brother was a willful misrepresentation. So the title was changed to Lawrence of Arabia. Source / More (Book)
Marlon Brando would play the part of Lawrence but he changed his mind when he was offered the lead role in Mutiny on the Bounty being filmed in Tahiti instead of the deserts of the Middle East. Source / More (Book)
The film is based on T. E. Lawrence's (1888-1935) own heroic, autobiographical account of his Arabian adventure, published in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. T.E. Lawrence: “In these pages the history is not of the Arab movement, but of me in it.” Source / More (Book)
Lawrence of Arabia stood five feet three inches tall. (1,60 meter)
Lawrence of Arabia ranks number 67 in the American box-office rankings.
Grossing adjusted for inflation -> $354.4 m
Source: www.boxofficemojo.com Source / More (Web)
In 1990 A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia was released. The film does predominantly feature Colonel T. E. Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) and Prince Feisal (Alexander Siddig), and is set directly after the events of Lean’s film.
Peter O’Toole: “It was the charge at ’Aqaba—a mile and a half, and we were in front of five hundred Arab stallions. The day of the shooting, we turned up to the kickoff. And Omar, a gambling man, Omar, worked out the odds of whether he would fall off. So he tied himself to the camel. And I said, I’m going to get drunk. So we both drank milk and brandy, it was terrifying and a mile and a half later, horses, madness, we both finish up in the sea. And Omar was upside down with his head in the water, still tied to the camel.” Source / More (Web)
The film was banned in the Arab countries. They didn’t consider the Arabs were well represented in the film. Omar Sharif arranged for President Nasser to see it. Sharif: “He liked it, fortunately, and ordered the film to be released in Egypt without cuts. It broke all records there”.
For the 1989 re-release, many scenes of dialogue were missing. As a result director David Lean actually had actor Peter O’Toole return and re-record some of his dialogue from over 30 years ago.
Some Arabs dispute that Lawrence led the campaign that freed them from Turkish rule. Jordanian historian Suleiman Mousa: “He did not lead the revolt, it was an Arab revolt. He was one of many” Source / More (Book)
Bibliography
Bio
Peter O'Toole
The only exercise I take is walking behind the coffins of friends who took exercise
Remarkable:
Marlon Brando would play the part of Larence of Arabia but he changed his mind when he was offered the lead role in Mutiny on the Bounty, giving Peter his big break.
Born:
August 2, 1932
Born as:
Peter Seamus O'Toole
Peter was born in Ireland , and was raised in Leeds (U.K.). He left school at an early age and became a journalist. He discovered the theatre and made his stage debut at 17 and acted with the Bristol Old Vic Company from 1955 to 1958 and made his London debut in Shaw 's Major Barbara (1956).
O'Toole was first seen on the screen in 1960 in secondary roles and in 1962 soared to international fame with his performance of Lawrence of
Arabia.
In 1964 he played Henry II in Becket and again in The Lion in Winter (1968).
Personal problems brought on by his drinking contributed to a decline in his popularity during the 1970s. But in the '80s he was back with with The Stunt Man (1980) and My Favorite Year (1982). Peter has maintained his status with performances in independent films (Wings of fame (1989)) and in Blockbusters (Troy (2004)).
Selected Movies:
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- The lion in winter (1968)
- Becket (1964)
- The last emperor (1987)
- My Favorite Year (1982)
- The stunt man (1980)
- The ruling class (1972)
- How to steal a million (1966)
- Troy (2004)
Academy awards:
2003 Honorary Award
1983 Nominated Best Actor for: My favorite year (1982)
1981 Nominated Oscar Best Actor for: The stunt man (1980)
1973 Nominated Oscar Best Actor for: The ruling class (1972)
1970 Nominated Oscar Best Actor for: Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
1969 Nominated Oscar Best Actor for: The lion in winter (1968)
1965 Nominated Oscar Best Actor for: Becket (1964)
1963 Nominated Oscar Best Actor for: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Books:
Peter O'Toole -> Loitering with Intent: The Child (1992)
Peter O'Toole -> Loitering with Intent: The Apprentice (1996)
Lawrence of Arabia is set during World War 1 when the British were trying to stop the Turks from gaining control of the Suez control. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), a lowly British office on assignment in Arabia, receives appointment as a "military observer" to Prince Feisal (Alec Guiness), who is waging war with the Turkish Empire. But Feisel is part of the Bedouin and they are nomads
who travel throughout the large Arabian dessert. Lawrence teams up with a native guide, learns how to ride a camel and is off to find Feisal.
Distrust from Feisal's aide Ali Kharish (Omar Sharif) turns to admiration when Lawrence engineers an attack that weakens the Turkish hold on the waterfront city of Aqaba and paves the way for other Bedouin tribes to band together. Lawrence's larger than life vision of himself and his destiny transforms him into "El Aurens" among the guerrilla warriors who serve with him. As the legend of El Aurens grows
within Arabia and England, he slowly must come to grips with the destiny he has created for himself...and now no longer controls. 
It’s clean
