“Lawrence of Arabia”

Friday, December 26, 2008 was a beautiful day in Kansas. Before the day ended the temperature had reached a record 70 degrees. But the wind changed and by midnight we had rain and the temperature dropped to 30. I walked the dog and took the car in for its regular lube job. When supper was over my wife told me that "Lawrence of Arabia" would be on TCM. I checked the schedule and discovered this was a four-hour movie. I'm always interested in history especially of the Middle East. I also wanted to know more about this legendary figure of World War I.

The film belongs to a genre of movies that are epic in nature. What the director wants to do takes four hours to accomplish and none of the time is wasted. David Lean, who directed "Lawrence of Arabia," produced a number of these epics. They are powerful in their message presented in a powerful fashion. David Lean directed several other movies that have become classics: "Dr. Zhivago," "The Bridge Over the River Kwai," and "Passage to India." Each of these films is epic in nature. I have seen Dr. Zhivago several times. It is a great historical document of what communism did to the intellectual establishment in Russia. Dr. Zhivago is cut off from his life and left at loose ends until he finally disappears.

Both "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dr. Zhivago" begin with a lengthy overture that speaks musically of everything that is to come. The theme songs will be replayed throughout the entire movie.

So when you have a little time on your hands and are tired of the garbage on commercial television, watch these two fine movies.