It’s time for another edition of War Movie Mondays Again. This time around we’re taking a look at Director David Lean’s 1962 widescreen epic Lawrence of Arabia, which is one of the greatest films ever made and tied with Dr. Strangelove for my number one favorite film of all time. It’s one of Lean’s most lasting legacies in Hollywood, inspiring such filmmakers as Steven Spielberg, Sam Peckinpah, Martin Scorsese and George Lucas, and is truly one-of-a-kind. The film’s influence can be felt to this day and even inspired sequences of a recent episode of the Disney Plus series The Book of Boba Fett.

I first saw the film at the age of twelve when my father took me to the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City in 1989 for its restored re-release. My father told me it was his favorite film and I was very privileged to see it on the big screen. I will never forget when the lights dimmed and Maurice Jarre’s score played before the opening credits.

It was the first time I can remember my eyes being completely fixed on the screen in fear that if I turned away for a spilt second I might miss a pivotal moment. A memorable experience indeed.

The film chronicles the exploits of T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’ Toole, in his first major role) an officer in the British Army during World War I who became one of history’s most intriguing characters. Stationed in Cairo, Egypt as a member of the general staff, Lawrence is selected by Mr. Dryden (Claude Rains in his final film performance) a member of his majesty’s Arab Bureau, to locate Prince Faisal and to assess his army’s revolt against the Ottoman Turks that have invaded and occupied Arabia in their attempt to expand their vast empire.

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