... On David Lean's EPIC 'Lawrence of Arabia':
The role of Sherif Ali was originally intended for Horst Buchholz but he was forced to turn it down owing to his commitment to Billy Wilder's movie One, Two, Three. Second choice Alain Delon tested successfully but suffered problems with the brown contact lenses required for the role. Maurice Ronet was then cast but was replaced after difficulties with his French accent and his Arabian dress (Lean complained "He looked like me walking around in drag").
Marlon Brando was signed for the role of T.E. Lawrence in 1960 but dropped out to take the role of Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty. After that, Anthony Perkins was also briefly considered.
While filming, Peter O'Toole bonded with co-star Omar Sharif. Recalls Sharif, "Peter and I were like brothers immediately. He said to me, 'Your name is not Omar Sharif - no one is called Omar Sharif. Your real name is probably Freddy something!' And for the rest of the film and the rest of our lives, he's never called me Omar. He calls me Freddy."
To film Omar Sharif's entrance through a mirage, Freddie Young used a special 482mm lens from Panavision. Panavision still has this lens, and it is known among cinematographers as the "David Lean lens". It was created specifically for this shot and has not been used since.
Peter O'Toole finally mastered his camel-riding technique by adding a layer of sponge rubber under the saddle to ease his bruised backside...a practical innovation quickly adopted by the actual Bedouin tribesmen acting as extras during the desert location filming.
Peter O'Toole is considerably taller and better looking than the real T.E. Lawrence (6'3" to Lawrence's real life height of 5'6"). Noel Coward is rumored to have said, on seeing the premiere, "If he'd been any prettier, they'd have had to call it Florence of Arabia."
Alec Guinness had a life-long interest in T.E. Lawrence, and had played him in a production of Terence Rattigan's play "Ross" on stage. Guinness wanted very much to play Lawrence, but David Lean and Sam Spiegel both told him he was too old. Laurence Olivier was the original choice for Prince Feisal, and Guinness was shifted to that role when Olivier turned it down.
Peter O'Toole was nearly killed during the first take of the Aqaba scene. A gun (used to signal the beginning of the scene) went off prematurely, and O'Toole's camel panicked, throwing him to the ground, while the extras on horseback began charging. Fortunately for O'Toole, his camel stayed still and stood over O'Toole, saving him from being trampled.
The film took longer to make than it did for the real T.E. Lawrence to go from lieutenant to colonel, to see the desert tribes united and tip the balance in the Allies' favor against the Turks in World War I.
Alec Guinness was made up to look like the real Faisal as close as possible. When they were shooting in Jordan, several people who knew the man mistook him for the real thing. Guinness shaved his head for his role.
Anthony Quinn applied his own make-up and would often arrive in real Arab clothes. At one point, David Lean mistook him for a native on the studio lot and so he sent his assistant to tell Quinn that he had replaced by this new arrival.
The film was banned in many Arab countries as they felt they were misrepresented. Omar Sharif arranged with President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt to view the film to show him there was nothing wrong with the way they were portrayed. Nasser loved the film and allowed it to be released in Egypt where it went on to become a monster hit.
Peter O'Toole claimed that he learned more about acting from his few days of filming with José Ferrer than he did in all his years at drama school.
At one point when filming was progressing far too slowly for his liking, producer Sam Spiegel invited William Wyler to visit the set. He wanted Wyler to encourage Lean to rely more on his second units for filming additional scenes, as he had done on Ben-Hur. The visit was to no avail, however, as Lean was too much of a perfectionist to relinquish control.
The film missed out on a 11th Oscar nomination - for Best Costume Design - because someone forgot to submit Phyllis Dalton's name for consideration.
Dalton devised a subtle way to indicate T.E. Lawrence's failing grip. As the film progresses, his robes become thinner and thinner until they are virtually translucent.
Simply brilliant Ruth! That last scene is put together so perfectly; if you notice, her ensemble matches the clouds.
Yes it does indeed. Thanks Aidy. Btw, I left you a comment on your SHAME post but it disappeared, not sure what happened to it, hope you got it.
You’ve touched my heart with this post – love the film and love the sonnet (went out and bought the book of sonnets after I saw it)!!! I got to study Shakespeare, but Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing (in fact, I saw a version of Much Ado, a modern BBC retelling, that uses the same sonnet!!) Love it, love it, love it!
Oh I’m so thrilled to hear it Ruth… this movie never fails to move me no matter how often I’ve seen it. I might do the same and buy the sonnet also, maybe they have a mini version like the one Willoughby has
Was the Much Ado About Nothing part of ShakespeaRe-Told? I’ve only seen the Taming of the Shrew one w/ Rufus Sewell.
Yep. I’ve seen the Much Ado (with Billie Piper as Hero) and the Macbeth one with James McAvoy. Benedick and Beatrice read it together, haha
This is already one of Shakespeare’s most depressing sonnets (added to the fact that we essentially did a post-mortem of it in lit class) but anything is a great excuse for Kate Winslet being awesome in Sense and Sensibility.
Man I’m so jealous that you’re studying it in class. It is depressing isn’t it, it’s more of a sobering look at love instead of a romantic one I think. That’s why it’s so perfect for Marianne’s predicament in S&S. Winslet is just superb here.
Not really a lot ot add here as this is not my cup of tea!! Happy Tuesday!! xxx
Ha..ha.. you should give it a try matey, who knows you might end up falling in love with it
I might have to check this out though it’s probably not really my cup of tea either though. Do love Winslet. That might help. I’m a bit of a simple guy and Baz’s R&J is probably my favourite bit of Shakespeare in film I’m afraid.
If you love Winslet, this is a must-see Pete. She was nominated for an Oscar here and deservedly-so. Her performance is heartbreaking and bonus: Alan Rickman in a role that’s a far cry from Hans Gruber or Severus Snape
And… I have yet to see this movie boo
Boo is right Castor, better get on that
Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
Oh, I adore the movie and that scene! Winslet is really incredible in the movie but that scene was just so tragic and heartbreaking. And then when Brandon rescued her and carried her back my heart skipped a bit
Indeed, Sati. Brandon is my hero… I just LOVE Alan Rickman and his character is so chivalrous and caring… he’s the ultimate quiet hero for me. Forget Willoughby, give me Col. Brandon any day!
Oh, Willoughby is nothing comparing to Brandon ^^ I was so pissed off when Marianne kept ignoring Brandon as soon as Willoughby showed up, so glad she finally started acting sane in the end
I love Shakespeare and love the fact that his work is used in another fantastic author’s famous work. And, while I have yet to sit through Sense and Sensibility, the scenes you uploaded were great. Thanks for sharing!
I think I saw the dvd the other day, but I decided to buy it later. I think I regret that now ha2. Nice tribute, Ruth.
Thanks so much for that from an Austen fan, yes the mighty Jane admired Shakespeare and Cowper as well as Edmund Spenser who was also featured in this film of which I have my own copy. Some complain that the actresses who played the sisters weren’t young enough to play them being 16 and 18 yrs old in the novel but for me it is a favourite for many reasons. The emotion, humour and feeling in this film despite the cuts made to important situations in the books not explored in the film. The dedicated acting of great actors in this film made it as great as it was and much better than the tv version. Being also a fan of Shakespeare I find Austen and Shakespeare make for great companion novels. As his works will be featured at the UK Olympics I leave you with this readup.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3513326.stm
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