The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.
Due to his knowledge of the native Bedouin tribes, British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence is sent to Arabia to find Prince Faisal and serve as a liaison between the Arabs and the British in their fight against the Turks. With the aid of native Sherif Ali, Lawrence rebels against the orders of his superior officer and strikes out on a daring camel journey across the harsh desert to attack a well-guarded Turkish port.—Jwelch5742
A semi-fictional account of the exploits of British military officer T.E. Lawrence during WWI is presented, plus a prologue at his 1935 funeral where his contemporaries remark or don't remark at how they consider him and his military contributions especially to the Great War. Viewed somewhat as an insolent man, he, a lieutenant in intelligence at a desk job in the Cairo bureau, is assigned to go on a reconnaissance mission to the Arabian peninsula to assess Prince Faisal's efforts against the Turks. He is assigned this job in what is considered its low importance in the British still focusing their own efforts directly on the German offensive, and because of his academic knowledge of Arabia. Against the narrow confines of his original orders and advice of ranking officers in the field, Lawrence, befriending many he meets, not only the Prince but most specifically Sherif Ali, bands with the Arabs in being able to coalesce the many disparate tribes which comprise the fighting Bedouins. Things begin to change for Lawrence when the British military as a whole gets more involved in the goings-on in Arabia - they working on the presumed goals of the politicians - and Lawrence himself changes his own outlook as a human being in being caught directly in battle.—Huggo
An inordinately complex man who has been labelled everything from hero, to charlatan, to sadist, T.E. Lawrence blazed his way to glory in the Arabian desert, then sought anonymity as a common soldier under an assumed name. The story opens with the death of Lawrence in a motorcycle accident in Dorset at the age of forty-six, then flashbacks to recount his adventures: as a young intelligence officer in Cairo in 1916, he is given leave to investigate the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I. In the desert, he organizes a guerrilla army and, for two years, leads the Arabs in harassing the Turks with desert raids, train-wrecking, and camel attacks. Eventually, he leads his army northward and helps a British General destroy the power of the Ottoman Empire.—alfiehitchie
The film is presented in two parts, separated by an intermission.
Part IIn 1935, T. E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) is killed in a motorcycle accident. At his memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral, reporters try to gain insights into this remarkable, enigmatic man from those who knew him, with little success.During the First World War, Lawrence is a misfit British Army lieutenant stationed in Cairo, notable only for his insolence and knowledge of the Bedouin. Over the objections of General Murray (Donald Wolfit), he is sent by Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains) of the Arab Bureau to assess the prospects of Prince Faisal (Alec Guinness) in his revolt against the Turks.
On the journey, his Bedouin guide is killed by Sherif Ali Bin El Kharish (Omar Sharif) for drinking from a well without permission. He accuses Ali of being an uncivilized barbarian, and is dismayed to learn that Ali is Faisal's advisor.
Lawrence later meets Colonel Brighton (Anthony Quayle), who orders him to keep quiet, make his assessment of Faisal's camp, and leave. Lawrence promptly ignores Brighton's commands when he meets Faisal. His knowledge and outspokenness pique the prince's interest.
Relations between Britain and the Arabs are polite but tense. While Britain will supply guns to the Arabs, it will not provide artillery, which would make Faisal a power player after the war. Brighton asks Faisal to fall back and help the British defend the Suez Canal. Faisal is impressed by Lawrence's familiarity with the Quran and honesty about British interests in Arabia.
Brighton advises Faisal to retreat after a major defeat, but Lawrence proposes a daring surprise attack on Aqaba which, if successful, would provide a port from which the British could offload much-needed supplies. Ali protests, as Aqaba is protected from land attacks by the harsh Nefud Desert and the local Turkish enforcer, Howeitat tribal leader Auda Abu Tayi.
While strongly fortified against a naval assault, the town is lightly defended on the landward side. He convinces Faisal to provide fifty men, led by a skeptical Sherif Ali. Two teenage orphans, Daud (John Dimech) and Farraj (Michel Ray), attach themselves to Lawrence as his servants.
They cross the Nefud Desert, considered impassable even by the Bedouins, travelling day and night on the last stage to reach water. Gasim (I. S. Johar) succumbs to fatigue and falls off his camel unnoticed during the night. The rest make it to an oasis, but Lawrence turns back for the lost man, risking his own life and winning over Sherif Ali after saving Gasim.The grateful Arabs give Lawrence traditional Arab clothing; Lawrence in turn grows to admire the Arab civilization. In addition, Lawrence convinces Auda to switch sides by promising him a vast Turkish gold hoard at Aqaba. The Arabs begin relying on Lawrence, as an outsider, to arbitrate tribal disputes.
Lawrence persuades Auda Abu Tayi (Anthony Quinn), the leader of the powerful local Howeitat tribe, to turn against the Turks. Lawrence's plan is almost derailed when one of Ali's men kills one of Auda's because of a blood feud. Since Howeitat retaliation would shatter the fragile alliance, Lawrence declares that he will execute the murderer himself. Stunned to discover that the culprit is Gasim, he shoots him anyway.The next morning, the intact alliance overruns the Turkish garrison at Aqaba. But there is no gold. To placate Auda, Lawrence agrees to ask his superiors in Cairo for more money.
Lawrence heads to Cairo to inform Dryden and the new commander, General Allenby (Jack Hawkins), of his victory. During the crossing of the Sinai Desert, Daud dies when he stumbles into quicksand. In Cairo, Lawrence perplexes the British officers with his Arab clothes and his insistence that Farraj be treated with the same respect as a white person.Lawrence is promoted to major and given arms and money to support the Arabs. He is deeply disturbed, confessing that he enjoyed executing Gasim, but Allenby brushes aside his qualms. He asks Allenby whether there is any basis for the Arabs' suspicions that the British have designs on Arabia. To please Lawrence, Allenby lies to him on both counts. He privately worries that Lawrence has "gone native."
Part IILawrence launches a guerrilla war, blowing up trains and harassing the Turks at every turn. American war correspondent Jackson Bentley (Arthur Kennedy) publicizes his exploits, making him world famous. The Americans are looking to highlight the "more adventurous aspects" of war to help draw America into the fight. In reality, Lawrence's recklessness and bloodthirstiness get many of his soldiers killed. Ali urges him to slow down, but Lawrence-who has developed a savior complex-ignores him. On one raid, Farraj is badly injured. Lawrence is forced to kill him to save him from the Turks, who torture their captives.
When Lawrence scouts the enemy-held city of Daraa with Ali, he is taken, along with several Arab residents, to the Turkish Bey (José Ferrer). Lawrence is stripped, ogled and prodded. For striking out at the Bey, he is severely flogged, then thrown out into the street. Ali rescues him and nurses him back to health. The experience leaves Lawrence shaken and humbled. He returns to British Cairo, but does not fit in.
With the Turks on the back foot, Dryden informs Lawrence about the Sykes-Picot Agreement, a secret treaty to partition the Middle East between Britain and France after the war. Allenby urges Lawrence to return to Arabia to support the "big push" on Damascus. Lawrence feels betrayed, but reluctantly complies. He recruits a mercenary army with little interest in Arab liberation. Lawrence hopes that if the Arabs can take Damascus before the British, they will have enough leverage to demand an independent Arab state after the war.
Lawrence's army sights a column of retreating Turkish soldiers who have just massacred the residents of Tafas. One of Lawrence's men is from Tafas and demands no prisoners. Ali insists on proceeding to Damascus, but the man charges alone and is killed. Lawrence takes up the dead man's battle cry, and the Arabs massacre the Turks. After the battle, Lawrence looks at his ownreflection in disbelief, having become the image of the barbarity, he once condemned Ali for.
The Arabs beat the British to Damascus. To protect their independence, Lawrence asks them to run the city without British support. His plan fails. The tribesmen bicker constantly, the public utilities fail, and the understaffed hospitals can barely function. A British medical observer furiously criticizes the situation in front of Lawrence, although he does not recognize him. Faisal coldly discards Lawrence's dream of Arab independence in exchange for British support and a promotion from prince to king.
Lawrence bitterly returns to the British Army, where, ironically, the medical observer greets him as a hero. To get rid of Lawrence, the British promote him to colonel and order him back to Britain. As he leaves the city, he looks longingly at the departing Arabs before his car is passed by a motorcyclist, who leaves a trail of dust in his wake.
