Lawrence of Arabia

British officer T. E. Lawrence is sent from Cairo to assess Prince Faisal's Arab revolt against Ottoman rule. His desert crossing with Sherif Ali and participation in attacks draw him toward a public role increasingly divided between Arab aspirations and British strategy.

Freddie Young's 70mm horizons, long approaches, and sudden cuts anchor David Lean's attention to sun, wind, and distance until landscape exerts force of its own—O'Toole's Lawrence remains charismatic, theatrical, and increasingly difficult to know.