Lawrence of Arabia

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Read The Seven Pillars and just about anything I can find about T.E Lawrence but never seen the movie. Is it worth the watch?

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Well as long as you don't go into it thinking it's a fact by fact biography of the man yes. It's a sprawling David Lean, Hollywood, old time epic. It's really something else.

View it as that.

David Lean was brilliant. You can see where Spielberg got his influence.

One of my top 5 all time.

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At the end when all the Arabs leave Damascus? Why? Is it because Lawrence could not provide what they were looking for? The Prince comes back and talks of settling peace, but what about his people? Or do they understand that when they have water, they'll have people?

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It was basically a promise of British support that Lawrence couldn't keep - probably unbeknownst to him. As depicted in the movie, uniting the tribes centered on King Faisal as the power in Damascus was under him...and when he fled...it dissolved...after a brief battle. The film doesn't explain this too well...but instead shows the Arabs squabbling as if the British weren't double-dealing. Basically, Lawrence was over-reaching...promising the Arabs something they couldn't have (long-term British support) in exchange for the Arabs help in taking Damascus.

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An independent Kingdom of Syria had recently been proclaimed after an Arab army, which included British colonel T. E. Lawrence, defeated the Ottomans and captured Damascus. However, as a result of negotiations between the western powers at the San Remo conference, and the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement between Britain and France, the French were given a mandate (August 1920) over Syria by the League of Nations, which Faisal and his government refused to recognize. Faisal also refused to recognize Lebanese independence from Greater Syria. The French had set up the republic on the remnants of a former Ottoman Christian-majority autonomous province.

Understanding the futility of opposing the French forces, King Faisal submitted to the French and fled to Iraq where he was made ruler of the Kingdom of Iraq by the British.

However, Syrian defense minister General Yusuf al-Azmah, who was 36 years old at the time, insisted that Syrians could not allow the French to enter unopposed. He led a small force from Damascus, which consisted of a few hundred regular soldiers from the newly formed army and some hastily-summoned citizen volunteers on what was essentially a suicide mission. The French forces under the command of General Mariano Goybet easily defeated the Syrian forces.

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One of my favorite films of all time. I always list it in my Top 4. It's the best epic ever made IMO...beautiful and powerful film.

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PS: One of the greatest movies ever. When they attack that city from the massive desert while all their guns are pointed toward the river = one of the best scenes of all time.

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Agreed. I love the train robberies as well.

filmmaker I have on dvd and have been waiting for the Blu Ray for years.

BTW The Ten Commandments looks awesome in Blu Ray on my 92" 3d tv.

I have still to watch Ben Hur on Blu Ray on it.

Avatar, Kick arse etc all look great in Blu Ray on the 92"