Flawrence of Arabia

[my_daroga]

I've now seen Lawrence of Arabia as it was meant to be seen: in 70mm, on a HUGE screen, and with my glasses. It's both more beautiful and more flawed than ever. Flawed, in the sense that now I can see it should be subtitled: THE EYELINER EDITION. Seriously, boys, it's cute, but how much makeup did you take to the desert?

Anyway, I may have Important Things to say about it later, but it was an awesome birthday present--thanks, Cinerama!--and while I can't adequately explain why this movie kills me to you or to the people I dragged along, it left me with a thought, which I've now immortalized:



This leads neatly, via Omar Sharif, to:



This could go on all night, and I need to go to work tomorrow. So if this amuses you, I invite you to submit your own favorites to me here. Whose inappropriate racial casting makes you laugh most?

Comments

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

I can't adequately explain why this movie kills me to you or to the people I dragged along

You know, what the hell is it with that? All I ever get from the people I drag along is at best a raised eyebrow, while my heart is exploding from the sheer goddamn magnificence of it all.

I love all the places it's dumb or wrong, although if they want to re-release it with all the eyeliner Photoshopped out, that would be okay. ;-)

[my_daroga]

You know, what the hell is it with that? All I ever get from the people I drag along is at best a raised eyebrow, while my heart is exploding from the sheer goddamn magnificence of it all.

Quote from last night, as lights go up for intermission: "It's really pretty, and it's a good movie and all, but I don't get why it's you're favorite." Meanwhile, my heart is breaking all over again, for what's happening and what I know will happen.

Argh.

I don't mind the eyeliner. I think it should be adopted by pretty boys at large.

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

"It's really pretty, and it's a good movie and all, but I don't get why it's you're favorite." Meanwhile, my heart is breaking

Maybe it just takes a feeling for him? It's a mystery. I don't know why everybody isn't stunned into reverence for his story --even Leanishly falsified.

*shrug*

I might just be crosswired when it comes to movies, though. Most of them bore the bejesus out of me.

[my_daroga]

I love movies--but I rarely see one that engulfs me so completely. Aside from the makeup issues, it's just *perfect*. Everything is in place. I love the sparsness of the script that says everything it needs to. The cinematography... gah.

But my experience of watching the movie at the Brattle, on the night it became my favorite, also made me fall for Lawrence the man. And I really don't care what was altered for the film: I understand that's not his "true" story, but the movie has a Truth of its own that I find compelling and I either compartmentalize it from Fact or don't care. There are so many "Lawrences" anyway; maybe what I find compelling is the contradiction between each of them, despite their all having a kernel of truth.