[twelve] “Life Lies” + Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

During the class discussion of “life lies” and whether one should side with Dr. Relling’s or Gregers’ point of view, I thought of some movies that made interesting parallels to the ideas of “life lies” brought up in Ibsen’s play “The Wild Duck”.

Arab National Council—Peter O’Toole as Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence (white robes) and Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali, (sitting to the right of O’Toole) http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.com/?p=7576

The film I thought of was Lawrence of Arabia (1962) starring the likes of Peter O’Toole (as British lieutenant T.E. Lawrence), Alec Guiness (as Prince Feisal) and Omar Sharif (as Sherif Ali). In the film, lieutenant Lawrence is sent from his Egyptian post to aid Prince Feisal and the Arab Revolt in their campaign to overthrow the Ottoman Turks during World War I. Lawrence soon becomes a close friend and advisor to Prince Feisal, as well as a strong allegiance to the Arabs and their struggle for freedom. When asked by American journalist Jackson Bentley, (played by Arthur Kennedy), “what the Arabs hope to accomplish from their fight,” Lawrence replies, “They hope to gain their freedom. They’re going to get it Mr. Bentley. I’m going to give it to them.” Sadly, Lawrence’s efforts to create a “free Arabia” prove unsuccessful because of larger international, political movements that sweep through the region. In the words of Prince Feisal, “the English have a great hunger for desolate places. I fear they hunger for Arabia.” In the film, O’Toole seems ignorant of brewing international movement towards Arabia until the end of the movie, but many biographers of the real life T.E. Lawrence believe that he likely knew about the secretly drafted Sykes–Picot Agreement during his campaign with the Arab Revolt and Prince Feisal. Like Dr. Relling, Lawrence chose to not inform the Arabs of “the truth”—that their war to wrestle their freedom from the hands of the Turks and later Britain and France was most likely futile and instead became one of their greatest supporters.

*(The Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916 was the treaty between England and France on how to “divide the spoils” of Arabia after their inevitable defeat of the Ottoman Turks. The secretly drafted Sykes–Picot Agreement helped influence the modern boundaries that characterize the Middle East today).

Near the end of the film, Lawrence speaks with his “supposed” friend, Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains), one of the master architects behind the final peace treaty between Britain, France and Prince Feisal. In their conversation, Mr. Dryden explains to Lawrence that his work for the Arab Revolt and his promises of “Arab Freedom” were in vain. The Arabs will not have their independent Arabia but one divided and controlled by English and French interests under the Sykes–Picot Agreement .Dryden tells Lawrence, “You've been telling half truths. One who tells lies [like me] hides the truth but when telling half truths, you've forgotten where you've put it.”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056172/quotes