I was quite impressed with how Lean assembled all those extras out there in the desert for scenes that would most likely be assembled via CGI technology today. (Yeah, “Avengers: Endgame” had a triumphant climax, but you knew damn well all those people weren’t there in the same scene.) If anything, watching “Lawrence” in 70mm reminds you how realistic the filmmaking was back in the day. You can tell there are people all over the action set pieces.
The (mostly middle-aged) audience was quite respectful throughout the whole thing—no talking, no loud eating, no cellphone-related nonsense. They all had their full attention on the screen, laughing during the funny moments and quiet during the suspenseful moments. They applauded twice—when the movie ended and when the mid-movie intermission started. (During that intermission, as people were stretching their legs/getting more snacks/heading to the bathroom, I sat in my seat as two fortysomething, white guys were behind me talking about all the concerts they’ve been to recently. They sounded like they were trying to outhip each other.)
All through the movie, I kept wondering how younger, more woke audiences would respond to this film. After all, even though it’s a film about a British Army lieutenant who damn near thinks he’s Jesus, there’s not a superhero in sight. Not to mention that some of the Arab cast members aren’t played by people of Arabian descent. (Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn did crush their performances though.) Would they roll with it, or would they find it too problematic? Would they be bored?
It’s been a couple weeks since my L.A. trip and, as bizarre as this sounds, I’m still wondering if it was all worth it. Truth be told, I couldn’t get myself to fully relax and enjoy everything for most of the weekend. Even while watching “Lawrence,” I was still mentally kicking myself for not having my vaccination card. I was even more upset at myself the following day, when I tried to see a 35mm screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (the 1956 version with Jimmy Stewart, BTW) at the Academy Museum and I couldn’t get in because of my lack of vaccination credentials. At that point, I just wanted to get out of L.A. After that, I holed myself up in the guest room, writing another piece until I could doze off and wake up the next morning to hop back on a plane back home. Before I left, I apologized to my understanding host for not being more open and outgoing. “I’m sorry,” I told her, “but these past few years have destroyed me.”
It does seem that the older I get, the more difficult it is to enjoy stuff. (The week before I took off to L.A., I quietly celebrated a birthday.) The first time I went to L.A. so many years ago, I was very enthusiastic about it, seeing a bunch of places and hanging out with people I’ve always wanted to hang out with. Now that I’m a bitter, semi-sober old man, getting excited about things is a rarity.
I will say if you are a cinephile who hasn’t been damaged into preferring solitude over the last few years, and fortunate enough to live in a part of the world where there’s a 70mm “Lawrence of Arabia” screening playing, go see it! Even if you don’t dig it, at least you can tell people you saw this epic film the way God intended it. And now I have too.