Lawrence of Arabia Literary Elements

Lawrence of Arabia Literary Elements

Director

David Lean

Leading Actors/Actresses

Peter O'Toole

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif

Genre

War epic, historical epic

Language

English

Awards

Nine Academy Awards : Best Director - David Lean; Best Picture - San Spiegel; Best Cinematography- Freddie Young; Best Art Direction- Box/Stoli/Simoni; Best Sound - John Cox; Best Film Editing - Anne Coates; Best Soundtrack - Maurice Jarre; Best Actor in a Leading Role - Peter O'Toole; Best Supporting Actor - Omar Sharif.

Date of Release

1963

Producer

Sam Spiegel

Setting and Context

World War One , "Arabia" including Turkey and Israel

Narrator and Point of View

Point of view is mainly that of T.E. Lawrence

Tone and Mood

Suspenseful, threatening but also exhibiting the black humor that characterizes the British military

Protagonist and Antagonist

Lawrence is the protagonist, the Turks the antagonists

Major Conflict

The major conflict from a military perspective is between the British and Arabs against the Turks in an effort to take control of the region. The conflict between characters is chiefly between Lawrence and both his British superiors and with Sherif Ali

Climax

The taking of Damascus and the victory of Lawrence's army over the Turks

Foreshadowing

Lawrence's promotion foreshadows his sideways move to a desk job and the return to Britain that he is actually very much opposed to

Understatement

Mr Dryden tells Lawrence that it is recognized to have a funny sense of humor which understated his reputation for being generally different to everyone else in every single way imaginable

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

Lean used a special Panavision lense that was 70mm so that he could get the widest possible shot and accentuate the grandeur of the location. He also filmed the entire movie frozen left to right to give the impression of the film being a journey.

Allusions

There are no major examples of allusion in this film

Paradox

It is Lawrence's abrasive personality and unwillingness to fit into the norms of his position that make him such an outstanding tactician and soldier

Parallelism

Sherif Ali draws a parallel between Lawrence's bravery and Arab bravery, offering to take his army uniform and give him Arab robes.

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