had accidentally-then-purposefully avoided knowing anything concrete about this movie for years so i could go in blind– i am shocked to learn that it’s essentially Dune. sat in the theater like “hold up. isn’t this the plot of Dune? it’s not 1:1, but Dune is definitely inspired by this right?” and then the man’s eyes glow in the night! extremely Dune-coded. will never know for certain though because i cannot read and will never learn.what an honor to watch this in 70mm! i was expecting a historical epic and a great character piece but i was not expecting it to be so… heartbreaking? the scene where Lawrence partakes in a siege genuinely upset me, and recolors so much of the earlier half in a brilliant way. it’s been said that no war film is truly anti-war (and this movie is definitely not anti-war) but it’s an incredible extension of the white savior trope and the hero’s journey in a way that shows the truly psychotic effect war can have by giving men permission (and adoration) to play God.of course, all of this only works because O’Toole shifts so sharply into incredible notes of trauma after an hour of playing Lawrence like a mischievous little British boy. i mean a real berries-and-cream-ass bitch, one pair of short pants away from Oliver Twist. man rides a camel like he’s stirring soup and enters every room like he’s about to ask mummy for sweets.
