Images of the Desert

    The cinematography in Lawrence of Arabia is breathtaking. It is one of the few films I have encountered that makes one feel as if they are truly there. The human eye can take in so much more information than a camera can, but the cinematography here somehow actually comes close to the real thing. The result is breathtaking and awe-inspiring views.

    The range of tonalities is very realistic in Lawrence. Save for the blue tinting in the night scenes the colors are so vibrant and undistorted that they seem real. There does not appear to be any use of filters. The rate the film is shot at was probably 24 frames per second and was not manipulated for effect; the lens’ focal length is most likely normal as there was no distortion of the image with exaggerated depth or quickly moving occupants. In fact everything seems to move at a very slow pace compared to today’s epic films and with as little distortion and as much realism as possible. Amazingly enough, everything within the lens’ depth of field is usually in focus no matter how close or distant the object is that is the focal point. The only exception to this is when things are supposed to be blurred, as when one views the heat waves coming off the sand, and in this case the waves are still in their own sort of focus, mysteriously shivering of their own volition. Special effects are shunned as light is captured in as real a way as possible: the desert is beautiful enough on its own. The framing in Lawrence is quite distinct: fortunately the aspect ratio on the DVD is 2.2:1 (this is slightly cut down, probably from 2.35:1) which doesn’t lose nearly as much of the framing as the transfer to full screen does. Even when the actors are being focused on the viewer sees large amounts of scenery behind them. In several of the scenes the viewer feels so far away from the individuals who are speaking that they would not have been able to comfortably hear them in reality from such a distance.

    This film leaves as much onscreen as possible: if something offscreen is referred to a new shot directs our full attention to what was just referred to, such as in the scene with the planes flying overhead on the way to Prince Feisal’s camp. The film often fluctuates between straight-on, high, and low angles to suit each scenes needs: none of the shots are canted, but height and distance vary. Some shots are panned (as with the planes), some track (as when Lawrence and Colonel Brighten ride their camels side by side), constantly reframing.

    All of these techniques make Lawrence of Arabia feel less like a movie and more like an artist’s attempt to enable the viewer to feel as if they are really in the desert. The heat and terrain must have made this film difficult to shoot but everything comes across as effortless, a sharp contrast to the harsh reality of the desert. The cinematography of this film is the biggest reason one could call it epic because it lends so much depth to all of the other components. There’s no way this movie could have been successfully filmed on a stage! The desert is a character in itself.