I first saw this movie in Houston, Texas in 1963. Texas petroleum was the only petroleum and more than a few people in the audience were in the oil business. Even though they took quiet consolation in the disorder amongst the Arabs in Damascus at that time, they knew that things were going to change. In fact, OPEC was designed using the Texas Railroad Commission as its model.

The fact is, many of us would not be remotely interested in this part of the world were it not for the oil. At the same time, a lot of people went into the foreign service because of this movie, for it captures the essential mystery of that place and the complicated personality of the man who first brought the Arabs into a joint effort. Like any good tale, the film makers don't let the facts get in the way of a good story, but overall, the movie is a faithful representation.

The restored movie hints at Lawrence's possible homosexuality and probable masochism. There some odd bits here and there. In one scene, Lawrence uses his left hand to eat. He had been in Arabia long enough to have known about this substantial error. Lawrence was quite knowledgeable about the region and had drawn a map of possible countries there which were based upon tribal alliances and joint interests. In another scene, a British officer sits with King Faisal, showing him the soles of his feet, an open insult in that part of the world. Yet, it also established the general misunderstanding of the Arabs by the Europeans. In that same scene, you hear a sweet telling of timeless passages from the Koran, from a time before that book would be used for political purposes.

If you are young and found this movie to be compelling, it is your introduction into a complicated part of the world. Your next step is Thompson & Reischauer's "Modernization of the Arab World" and Lerner's "The Passing of Traditional Society". And along the way, remember Lawrence and the results of getting in too deep with that strange place.