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BFI Film Classics
Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia is widely considered one of the ten greatest films ever made--though more often by film goers and filmmakers than by critics. This study argues that the film is a unique blend of visionary image-making, narrative power, mythopoetic charm and psychological acuteness; far from being a Boy's Own Tale, it is one of popular cinema's greatest tragedies. This volume brings together a critical analysis of the film and an account of its tangled production history--combining these elements with the story of attempts by Alexander Korda and others to bring Lawrence's story to the screen.
- GenresFilmNonfiction
127 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2007
About the author
Kevin Jackson
106 books17 followersThere is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
Kevin Jackson's childhood ambition was to be a vampire but instead he became the last living polymath. His colossal expertise ranged from Seneca to Sugababes, with a special interest in the occult, Ruskin, take-away food, Dante's Inferno and the moose. He was the author of numerous books on numerous subjects, including Fast: Feasting on the Streets of London (Portobello 2006), and reviewed regularly for the Sunday Times.
From: http://portobellobooks.com/3014/Kevin...
Kevin Jackson was an English writer, broadcaster and filmmaker.
He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge. After teaching in the English Department of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, he joined the BBC, first as a producer in radio and then as a director of short documentaries for television. In 1987 he was recruited to the Arts pages of The Independent. He was a freelance writer from the early 1990s and was a regular contributor to BBC radio discussion programmes.
Jackson often collaborated on projects in various media: with, among others, the film-maker Kevin Macdonald, with the cartoonist Hunt Emerson, with the musician and composer Colin Minchin (with whom he wrote lyrics for the rock opera Bite); and with the songwriter Peter Blegvad.
Jackson appears, under his own name, as a semi-fictional character in Iain Sinclair's account of a pedestrian journey around the M25, London Orbital.
Adapted from Wikipedia
Kevin Jackson's childhood ambition was to be a vampire but instead he became the last living polymath. His colossal expertise ranged from Seneca to Sugababes, with a special interest in the occult, Ruskin, take-away food, Dante's Inferno and the moose. He was the author of numerous books on numerous subjects, including Fast: Feasting on the Streets of London (Portobello 2006), and reviewed regularly for the Sunday Times.
From: http://portobellobooks.com/3014/Kevin...
Kevin Jackson was an English writer, broadcaster and filmmaker.
He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge. After teaching in the English Department of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, he joined the BBC, first as a producer in radio and then as a director of short documentaries for television. In 1987 he was recruited to the Arts pages of The Independent. He was a freelance writer from the early 1990s and was a regular contributor to BBC radio discussion programmes.
Jackson often collaborated on projects in various media: with, among others, the film-maker Kevin Macdonald, with the cartoonist Hunt Emerson, with the musician and composer Colin Minchin (with whom he wrote lyrics for the rock opera Bite); and with the songwriter Peter Blegvad.
Jackson appears, under his own name, as a semi-fictional character in Iain Sinclair's account of a pedestrian journey around the M25, London Orbital.
Adapted from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 19, 2017
There's lots of good stuff packed into this short volume. Here are a few of my favorite things I learned about Lawrence
-Laurence Olivier was offered the role of Lawrence but turned it down.
-Lean and the other filmmakers claim they softened their view of Lawrence as production went on. They started from a point of seeing him as fascism romanticized. By the end, they concluded that that was too simplistic - a point the film very much reflects
-Lawrence's white robes apparently become thinner/more gauzy as the film goes on to give the impression that he's fading/turning into a ghost of himself. I'll be watching for that detail on my next viewing
-Oddly, the film's massive success played a role in hampering Lean's subsequent career. Kwai, Lawrence, and Zhivago made him famous as a director of grand epics - a type of film there was increasingly less of a market for
-The script was a work in progress during most of filming and almost wasn't finished. Screen writer Robert Bolt was imprisoned for protesting nuclear proliferation and was unable to write prison as anything he wrote immediately became government property. Sam Spiegel begged him to give into the government, sign a form stating he wouldn't protest again, and be let out. The portion of the film he completed after prison was the second half where Lawrence struggles with his own loss of idealism. The story mirrored Bolt's own feelings on what had happened
-Laurence Olivier was offered the role of Lawrence but turned it down.
-Lean and the other filmmakers claim they softened their view of Lawrence as production went on. They started from a point of seeing him as fascism romanticized. By the end, they concluded that that was too simplistic - a point the film very much reflects
-Lawrence's white robes apparently become thinner/more gauzy as the film goes on to give the impression that he's fading/turning into a ghost of himself. I'll be watching for that detail on my next viewing
-Oddly, the film's massive success played a role in hampering Lean's subsequent career. Kwai, Lawrence, and Zhivago made him famous as a director of grand epics - a type of film there was increasingly less of a market for
-The script was a work in progress during most of filming and almost wasn't finished. Screen writer Robert Bolt was imprisoned for protesting nuclear proliferation and was unable to write prison as anything he wrote immediately became government property. Sam Spiegel begged him to give into the government, sign a form stating he wouldn't protest again, and be let out. The portion of the film he completed after prison was the second half where Lawrence struggles with his own loss of idealism. The story mirrored Bolt's own feelings on what had happened
August 7, 2012
Jackson's book gives very nice historical background information on T. E. Lawrence, as well as the production of the movie. I was a little disappointed in the lack of discussion of the thematic elements of the movie.
April 2, 2026
lindo do início ao fim
February 22, 2012
Its usually nice to read about how favorite films were made to get that bit of extra knowledge and geeky details.
With marauding egos, ideas and competing vision all driven haywire by the lure of success and the calamity of failure its always a wonder that anything coherant gets done. But it does. And in this case the result is the hugely impressive L of A by David Lean.
This enjoyable book breifly charts the making of the film and the history of behind the scenes battles for the legacys and reputations of those depicted. Very interesting.
Did you know that Cairo used Seville as a body double btw.
With marauding egos, ideas and competing vision all driven haywire by the lure of success and the calamity of failure its always a wonder that anything coherant gets done. But it does. And in this case the result is the hugely impressive L of A by David Lean.
This enjoyable book breifly charts the making of the film and the history of behind the scenes battles for the legacys and reputations of those depicted. Very interesting.
Did you know that Cairo used Seville as a body double btw.
January 18, 2018
Straight history: a blow-by-blow account of the making of the epic, but virtually nil discussion of the movie itself. The production of a mammoth film like is bound to be interesting but Jackson scrimps on the political/economic background too. Interesting how issues of masculinity and homoeroticism loom large in a big production with zero speaking roles for women but they aren't discussed either.
May 6, 2025
I was very happy to get this book last Christmas from one of my brothers. This book critiques one of my all-time favorite movies. It's a very nice backstory about the movie and its lasting impact on world cinema. Highly recommended.
May 21, 2024
Lovely little volume that takes you through the major beats of the production and the reception. The TE Lawrence quotes at the start of each chapter are particularly well-chosen.
January 15, 2026
A very cut and dry factual presentation. I like my BFI better when they present ideas.
February 27, 2026
this book was so fun to read, felt like a gossip column, so many fun, juicy nuggets of BTS drama
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews