I first saw Lawrence Of Arabia on the big screen in its premiere year when I was 18. It's still one of the driving inspirations of my life 60 years later.
Now, Not a single film production company in the world can making a movie like this ever again. True organic movie, no CGI, no fakes stunts, no makeshift studios. Brilliantly done 👍❤ thank you
Absolutely no chance. The talent required to make a film set in former times is gone, totally unconvincing characters with their modern dialogue makes any attempt farcical. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings was the last successful production though of course he had to use CGI.
Relentlessly superb work…thank you. I worked on a film called “Flight of the Phoenix” (the 2004 remake) in the Namib desert for a year and we constantly used to joke that we were the slightly cheaper “Tony of Arabia”😂 The desert does pull you in….you do go native and dont want to leave. Things are so simple : we have to get the shot, no negotiations. The studio later admitted that they would never make a film in this way now, we were among the last to ditch vfx and screens and just go to the desert and shoot anamorphic film 35mm, Panavision with some Vistavision plate work. Thanks again❤
Thank you for the insightful comment, it's interesting to hear you talk about going native like Lean was. The desert seems like such a majestic place that sucks you right into, just like a mirage would. I don't think I have ever seen the remake in full, only catching part of it on TV once. Maybe one day I will make a video about the making of that film.
I watched both parts and it is a WONDERFUL documentary about the making of this film. SO thorough and so many tidbits and anecdotes that I was unfamiliar with; especially the quicksand sequence. THANK you! I always wondered how they did that. Thank you for all of your hard work and research in producing this and sharing it with all of us film lovers. "Lawrence of Arabia" is truly a classic but YOU have created the classic companion piece to this film. Being a major fan of film epics from that period, between 1950 and 1970, I would enjoy seeing what you would come up with on "Ben-Hur" and "How the West Was Won". ALSO, speaking of David Lean, I would love to see you do one on the making of "Ryan's Daughter." That film got so hammered by the critics upon its initial release and I personally think it's one of his best. CHEERS to you and WHATEVER you decide to give us next, I will be eagerly awaiting.
Thank you for taking the time to write this thoughtful comment. The golden age of epics was truly between the 50s and the 70s, so many classics were made in those three decades. On the question of Ben-Hur and How the West Was Won, yes, I will be covering both but still need to gather some materials before committing to a video on them. On the question of Ryan's Daughter, currently no, I am waiting for a proper HD or even 4K version to come about before committing. Which could be awhile since annoyingly Warner Bros own the rights to the film. I also agree that it was unfairly hammered by critics when it came out and reading what some of them said, it just comes off as down right hatred for Lean and the film, instead of actual criticism. Its so sad listening to Lean talk about its unfair treatment, it definitely had an effect on him.
You are a superb researcher, writer, editor, and narrator in your own right - bravo et merci beaucoup! I have been looking out for Part 2 for a while, and it has been worth the wait.
Having watched both parts of your excellent documentary (as well as regarding 'Lawrence' as one of my favourite films) I believe I can say that you have composed what I consider to be the most essential, comprehensive and authoritative 'making of' film on the subject. Many congratulations and thank you. I look forward to your film concerning Doctor Zhivago and (I know I have mentioned it before) I would urge you to cover 'Ryan's Daughter', too. Whatever you produce, I look forward to it immensely. Thank you again.
The film IS an epic...and you, sir, have made a 'behind the scenes' worthy of such a classic! It takes one to know one, and I suspect you personally understand the movie and Lean so well because you also possess some of that professionalism, attention to detail and love of your craft that was shown by David Lean. These two videos are excellent, thank you so much!
Thank you for this comment, it means a lot to hear because David Lean is my favourite director ever. Each time I watch one of his films my admiration for him always grows and his films are so well crafted, I don't think I will ever grow tired of watching them.
I can barely believe the director went through all this management and meticulous attention to detail or work to build props and move trees and sand. Thank you.
Thank you for a truly epic documentary on the greatest film ever made. I’m a filmmaker myself and have studied Lean’s work before, but not at the level that you have presented. Bravo
Phenomenal. I though I knew so much about this films production till I watched your videos. This second instalment is even more impressive than the first. The visual beauty, grandeur, and precision of Lean`s directorial eye is awe inspiring, the production seems a miracle in proportion to the movie. Great work, cant wait for your future features on Doctor Zhivago, and hopefully Kurosawa`s Kagemushsa.
Lawrence of Arabia is such a gorgeous film and it has some many good shots that I actually got annoyed that I couldn't use all of them. Thank you for your continued support of my videos.
@@VoidVolken You deserve all our support, I really look forward to your work. Once again, my sincere thanks for the effort you put into making these works, and for their outstanding quality. Cheers.
Wow, outstanding job! Though it's been quite a while since I've seen the film in its entirety now, I've watched it many times, including on the big screen (including the 1988 restored version on its release). And I've long cited this film as being my all-time personal favorite. Because of this admiration, I consider myself fairly knowledgable about its production (and have a book about the making of it), but your two-part documentary still contained many tidbits that were new to me, along with some great behind the scenes footage and photographs I've never seen before either. So bravo for such great research.
Thank you so much for this VERY insightful Part 2! Lawrence Of Arabia is my all time very favorite film and your 2 part behind the scenes documentary makes all the wonder of this marvel of a film even more marvelous!
Been really enjoying your videos and Lawrence of Arabia is one of my favorite movies of all time, so this was extremely interesting! Another epic that I think is worth talking about is Reds (1981). The production for that film was insane as well. Warren Beatty came across the story of John Reed in the 1960's, but didn't have the money to make it at that time. He built up the money during the 70's and there's way more to the behind-the-scenes stories when it came to casting, principle photography, the Witnesses and the editing process. Would love to see a video on that. Keep up the great work!
the original train that Lawrence and his army caused to derail is still there over 100 years being covered by the ever moving sand and yes the composer is the father of the electronic music godfather Jean Michel Jarre
Great work. Thx for giving us a window into the practical issues overcome to create such a masterpiece. Incredible passion and drive to spend such a long time on the project to make such an artwork.
God, what passion and hard work David Lean and his team put into 'Lawrence of Arabia', no wonder even after 65 yrs of its release, 'Lawrence of Arabia' stays as one of the greatest films ever made, as it keeps inspiring young filmmakers and audiences across the world!
Lean regretted not holding the shot of Sharif coming out of the desert for longer, but he lost his nerve. Would it have held audience attention? I think it would. Great vid. Thank you.
I would love to see the full unedited shot of Sharif coming out of the desert but it probably ended up on the cutting room floor. Now sadly lost forever.
Full of interesting information, but I'm afraid that what you say about the music is not entirely accurate. Gerard Schurmann's initial contract on the film was as a co-composer with Jarre. When Spiegel realized that Jarre had no experience of writing for a large orchestra, he asked Gerard if he would give up his co-composer contract and provide arrangements and orchestrations for the film. Gerard already had a reputation as a superb orchestrator, having worked on both "The Vikings" and "Exodus" in that capacity. Realizing it was the only way to get the score written, Gerard agreed. Jarre provided a rudimentary musical outline for all the cues, which Gerard arranged and orchestrated, creating a soundscape that Jarre was never able to equal in his future films.
This series is fantastic and it's always riveting to learn all the things that went into such amazing films. Will you do something similar for Tora Tora Tora?
Thank you. Marvellous videos about probably the greatest film ever made. Funny, we ended up discussing this with some people we had just met who unbelievably (not old but in their twenties and thrirties+) agreed and had great memories about it. A part of our lives.
If LOTR films were released as one big film officially I would probably consider it the greatest epic film ever created but I considered it more as the greatest trilogy of films ever made. The original three Star Wars films are not far behind them.
This was a surprise to hear about Andre de Toth handling 2nd unit. His name isn't listed on the opening credits. For those who don't know, de Toth was an acclaimed Hollywood director in his own right. His work includes "House of Wax", produced during the 3D craze as a Vincent Price vehicle, and after such a visual feast it makes all the sense in the world Lean would trust him. I did, however, know about Nicolas Roeg. He was mentored by Lean, before becoming a huge auteur in the 70s with work that included the sci-fi classic "The Man Who Fell to Earth" starring David Bowie. Eddie Fowlie sounds like the MVP of the actual shooting, having to perform three jobs in one. Speaking as a theatre director, I'll vouch that nothing makes production click quite the way a problem-solver does. You want as many of them on your team as possible.
Another one filmed in Spain. Game of Thrones, also, had a large number of outdoor scenes shot in Spain, although House of the Dragon has gone with many of its outdoor scenes shot in Wales.
Quite a number of films are filmed in Spain surprisingly, not exactly sure why so many are but I guess its has to do with either the landscape or maybe it's just cheap to film there.
@@VoidVolken The landscape definitely helps. I don't think that any other European country has landscapes that look like the American Desert West or the Middle East.
Superb work. I don't know that it necessarily falls into the epic category, I think it does, but The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is easily my favorite representation (and fave film in general).
In reply to your own query, the planes strafing Feisal's camp are DeHavilland Tiger Moths, slightly modified, mainly by a forward fairing on the fin/rudder. The giveaway is the very obvious inverted DeHavilland Gipsy engine, and the x-shape between the wheel struts, formed by the bungee cords which served as shock absorbers. WW1 planes tended to simply have a straight axle on the main wheels, and planes with straight engines like the Rumpler scout (which the movie planes are assumed to be) had the engine cylinders upright and protruding. The movie planes, interestingly, seemed to have wire spoked wheels, and I've not seen that on any present-day Tiger Moths. Nonetheless, for their brief time on camera, they looked quite decent.
I love that as an idea. A mockumentary but with a more serious tone about a frustrated director trying to make his war epic in the desert. You could pull out all the tropes like the female lead and the weekly wages being taken by tribesmen who the director then has to go negotiate with and he negotiates them into participating in his film while giving the leader the role of Auda Abu Tayi. The rest of the arab main characters get filled out with very obvious very white british stage actors. Imagine them having tea with porcelain cups in the desert in their costume and stuff like that. A bit of a Mel Brooks vibe.
Already the personal stories of the crew would make a good movie: Lean having an affair with scriptgirl Barbara Cole, trying to hide it from his then wife, Kind Hussein marrying the telephone switchboard girl, making her queen, Peter O'Toole and Sharif getting totally wasted in Beirut on their days off, gambling away their money. And the scene when Lean and Spiegel were invited to King Hussein's palace and Spiegel insisted on Lean sleeping in his room because he was scared of being murdered by some Arabs...Not to forget how Lean filmed himself with a broom in 70mm and telling Spiegel to get lost, after Spiegel threatened in a telegram to sweep the production team out of Jordan.
I loved this series. I was a projectionist for many years, and I both ran and booked LoA many times. Absolutely a favorite of mine and millions of others. After watching your series--which, by the way, was pretty damned epic in its own right, I truly have a whole new appreciation for the picture. Now: While perhaps not quite an "epic," strictly speaking, but I'd like to suggest that you'd have an absolute BLAST doing a treatment like this on the Robert Zemeckis directed 1980 comedy, "Used Cars." It was produced by Zemeckis's partner Bob Gale, and they also wrote the screenplay. Also producing were John Milius and a young up-and-coming guy in Hollywood at the time named Steven Spielberg. It was the first feature release that Kurt Russell appeared in as an adult, after he had retired from baseball. Shot on location in Arizona [selling point---it's another desert!] with a solid cast including Jack Warden in a dual role as the Fuchs brothers, Luke and Roy L., who are business competitors, with brother Roy L. being the cutthroat of the two. It includes a unique courtroom drama sequence, as well as an "epic" cattle drive across the desert, but with cars instead of cattle. It's only 113 minutes, and I think it would be a fun and relaxing ride that you could refresh with before you get back into the heavy stuff. Please, at least do us both a big favor, and watch the movie for yourself! Thanks a lot for this fine doc on LoA.
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to write a detailed explanation on the film. I had never heard of 'Used Cars' before you mentioned it here but will now check it out. I am open to any film not just epics, some films have crazy production without even being an epic. I do plan to make a couple of other videos that are different from these 'Insane Production Behind' videos as Lawrence really took it out of me and while I like making these types of videos. I also like making videos on other subjects that I enjoy but I have planned another 'Insane Production Behind' video that will be on a film that takes place thousands of years ago.
I saw this film in Leicester Square at the age of 3 1/4 in early 1963. It has haunted and influenced me all my life. I know all the anecdotes and have seen all the clips but you've done a great job compiling the material, well done!. Just some minor quibbles on the pronunciation of Roeg and Jarre repeatedly are a bit Jarre-ing ;). Also the scene showing the breakdown of the Hashemite-Howeitat alliance was of course supposed to be Damascus - not Jerusalem. Looking forward to your take on Dr Zhivago. If you haven't seen it, watch Leans Summertime with Katherine Hepburn, wonderful Venetian photography. I always wish that Lean had directed "The Lion In Winter" -Great script and acting but let down by the sets and photography (IMO)
Thanks for pointing out the mistake about the Hashemite-Howeitat alliance actually being set in Damascus not Jerusalem. It must have slipped me by when writing the script because I was talking about all of the scenes taking place in Jerusalem. It will be corrected when I release part 1&2 together as one big video later down the line.
It has become one of my favorite movies. Yeah theres some things that didn't age well. But on the other hand there are things going on right now in the middle east whose origins can be traced to this time. Thats why Lawrence of Arabia is worth remembering.
"It wasn't until I started researching this film that I understood the lengths that David and his team went to to create this film" I'm gonna go ahead and assume that you've never been in the desert, I'd seen the Lawrence of Arabia on TV when I was a kid in the 70's, but after I saw it for the first time after I'd been in the desert when I was watching it I thought to myself "Good God, how'd they ever do that in a place like that?" Dryden was right, only two kinds of men like the desert, and I'm no TE Lawrence I can assure you of that, being a fiery furnace is only part of it of what makes it so inhospitable.
Yes I have never been to a desert, let alone the deserts of Arabia but one day I hope to visit the deserts of Jordan and go to some of the locations Lean visited.
The planes are modified De Havilland DH2 Tiger moths from the 1930's. Easily identifiable from the nose, undercarriage and the top wing fuel tank. These were commonly used as substitutes for WW1 aircraft in several period moves of the era eg The Blue Max. Real great war planes would have been way to rare, dangerous and flimsy to fly. Convincing replicas using modern materials and engines certainly could have been built as they were for "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" but most people wouldn't have noticed a short scene with the 2 DH's sporting modified vertical stabilisers and an triple alliance paint job.
I wish there was a book with all the brilliant, sometimes comical, often revealing black and white photographs that were taken by Kenneth Danvers during the shooting of this film. Some of them are to be seen in "Lawrence of Arabia: The 30th Anniversary Pictorial History" but there so many more floating around the internet.
Sony Pictures book on the film from the 50th Anniversary Blu Ray set has a good number of black and white, as well as colour photos from the film's production that I didn't end up using. I recommend trying to get a copy of it, if you like that sort of thing.
@@VoidVolken Thanks! I know most of the pics, but I still wish they would be all in one printed book! Still wonder where they all ended up, or if some are amongst Danver's papers at the Science Museum in London. I also recommend "The Making of Lawrence of Arabia", unfortunately only to be bought second hand as the publisher does not exist any more.
It would be great if they made a compilation book of all of the photos they have but I doubt that will ever happen. I would have liked to have a copy of that book but as you have already mentioned, you can only get it second hand which is very annoying. Same goes for Kevin Brownlow's David Lean: A Biography book which is quite pricey second hand.
@@VoidVolken Brownlow is cheap as an ebook, at least. And another crazy film production story is the making of David Lean's "Ryan's Daughter", on which also several books were written and an interesting documentary was made ('A bit of a fillum', which can be found on RUclips). Robert Mitchum and Trevor Howard drinking Ireland dry and Sarah Miles (then wife of Robert Bolt) drugging the male star of the movie, Christopher Jones, because he could not get passionate about her. David Lean really liked a challenge!
Suberb. Bloody hell, Andre De-Toth worked as second unit director. I see from wikipedia he did the same job on Superman (Donner) If you haven't already read it, I recommend Kevin Brownlow's biography of Lean. I would love to see something on The Adventures of Robin Hood. But if that's too old, THe Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.
I would like to read Brownlow's biography on Lean but it's sadly out of print and pretty pricey on the used market, I hope it gets a reprint one day. When it comes to Robinhood I would love to do The Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin Hood (1973) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
$14m adjusted for inflation is around $145m today......The Star Wars TV show The Acolyte cost $180m......Lawrence got a LOT for its budget and money sure does mean something different now in the era of shamelessness (and free-market, monopolising-devolved laundering).
thank you, great video, some excellent behind the scenes footage, i like LOA so much i went to jordan, visited some of the locations and some of the places lawrence stayed and had battles, some of it is so desolate. Algehwerha (spelt wrong i know) is just an odd collection of low houses in the middle of nowhere.. got out off the car in wadi rum and was instantly swatting flies away, the type that instantly go to your mouth, how they filmed there is unbelievable, the effort put in was incredible, no coincidence its probably the best film ever made (and ever will be ) visited lawrence's crash site on a late summers evening, was surreal, like he was stood with me looking at my bike,
I would love to go to Jordan someday and visit some of the same locations Lean used for Lawrence. Now you have mentioned about the files, I'll remember to keep that in mind.
55 is HOT. Right now I am in 40 degree heat and feel like I'm getting hammered. Yes, I have lived in the desert. Yes, I have lived with the bedouin. Yes, I have been in Jordan and even seen a house 'El Lawrence' "lived in". For five days. LOL.
I appreciate your enthusiasm and I have thought about it but I wouldn't be comfortable accepting money unless I was providing some worth back. Right now, if you want to support me, the best way to do that is just by watching my videos.
@@VoidVolken I'd consider doing it man! As a newer channel it's to be expected there won't be anything to necessarily "giving back" but it could help get you on that path to making this a part time gig that provides fulfillment and monetary value, even if it's just a little. Keep up the good work!
Part 1: ruclips.net/video/Xk0ZDiGaipg/видео.html
I first saw Lawrence Of Arabia on the big screen in its premiere year when I was 18. It's still one of the driving inspirations of my life 60 years later.
Now, Not a single film production company in the world can making a movie like this ever again. True organic movie, no CGI, no fakes stunts, no makeshift studios. Brilliantly done 👍❤ thank you
"no fakes" Only the sun. ; )
Absolutely no chance. The talent required to make a film set in former times is gone, totally unconvincing characters with their modern dialogue makes any attempt farcical. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings was the last successful production though of course he had to use CGI.
Relentlessly superb work…thank you. I worked on a film called “Flight of the Phoenix” (the 2004 remake) in the Namib desert for a year and we constantly used to joke that we were the slightly cheaper “Tony of Arabia”😂 The desert does pull you in….you do go native and dont want to leave. Things are so simple : we have to get the shot, no negotiations. The studio later admitted that they would never make a film in this way now, we were among the last to ditch vfx and screens and just go to the desert and shoot anamorphic film 35mm, Panavision with some Vistavision plate work. Thanks again❤
Thank you for the insightful comment, it's interesting to hear you talk about going native like Lean was. The desert seems like such a majestic place that sucks you right into, just like a mirage would. I don't think I have ever seen the remake in full, only catching part of it on TV once. Maybe one day I will make a video about the making of that film.
"It's clean."
I watched both parts and it is a WONDERFUL documentary about the making of this film. SO thorough and so many tidbits and anecdotes that I was unfamiliar with; especially the quicksand sequence. THANK you! I always wondered how they did that. Thank you for all of your hard work and research in producing this and sharing it with all of us film lovers. "Lawrence of Arabia" is truly a classic but YOU have created the classic companion piece to this film. Being a major fan of film epics from that period, between 1950 and 1970, I would enjoy seeing what you would come up with on "Ben-Hur" and "How the West Was Won". ALSO, speaking of David Lean, I would love to see you do one on the making of "Ryan's Daughter." That film got so hammered by the critics upon its initial release and I personally think it's one of his best. CHEERS to you and WHATEVER you decide to give us next, I will be eagerly awaiting.
Thank you for taking the time to write this thoughtful comment. The golden age of epics was truly between the 50s and the 70s, so many classics were made in those three decades. On the question of Ben-Hur and How the West Was Won, yes, I will be covering both but still need to gather some materials before committing to a video on them. On the question of Ryan's Daughter, currently no, I am waiting for a proper HD or even 4K version to come about before committing. Which could be awhile since annoyingly Warner Bros own the rights to the film.
I also agree that it was unfairly hammered by critics when it came out and reading what some of them said, it just comes off as down right hatred for Lean and the film, instead of actual criticism. Its so sad listening to Lean talk about its unfair treatment, it definitely had an effect on him.
You are a superb researcher, writer, editor, and narrator in your own right - bravo et merci beaucoup! I have been looking out for Part 2 for a while, and it has been worth the wait.
Thanks for the huge amount of work you put into this
Thank you so much for the donation, I am glad you enjoyed the video.
These two videos are masterpieces as well. I learnt so much. Great stuff!
Having watched both parts of your excellent documentary (as well as regarding 'Lawrence' as one of my favourite films) I believe I can say that you have composed what I consider to be the most essential, comprehensive and authoritative 'making of' film on the subject. Many congratulations and thank you. I look forward to your film concerning Doctor Zhivago and (I know I have mentioned it before) I would urge you to cover 'Ryan's Daughter', too. Whatever you produce, I look forward to it immensely. Thank you again.
The film IS an epic...and you, sir, have made a 'behind the scenes' worthy of such a classic! It takes one to know one, and I suspect you personally understand the movie and Lean so well because you also possess some of that professionalism, attention to detail and love of your craft that was shown by David Lean. These two videos are excellent, thank you so much!
Thank you for this comment, it means a lot to hear because David Lean is my favourite director ever. Each time I watch one of his films my admiration for him always grows and his films are so well crafted, I don't think I will ever grow tired of watching them.
A labour of love, congratulations. Interesting history, well presented.
I can barely believe the director went through all this management and meticulous attention to detail or work to build props and move trees and sand. Thank you.
A terrific production, mirroring the precision and professionalism of Lean himself. Many thanks.
Thank you for explaining the details of how this masterpiece was made.
Thank you for a truly epic documentary on the greatest film ever made. I’m a filmmaker myself and have studied Lean’s work before, but not at the level that you have presented. Bravo
Phenomenal. I though I knew so much about this films production till I watched your videos. This second instalment is even more impressive than the first. The visual beauty, grandeur, and precision of Lean`s directorial eye is awe inspiring, the production seems a miracle in proportion to the movie. Great work, cant wait for your future features on Doctor Zhivago, and hopefully Kurosawa`s Kagemushsa.
Lawrence of Arabia is such a gorgeous film and it has some many good shots that I actually got annoyed that I couldn't use all of them. Thank you for your continued support of my videos.
@@VoidVolken You deserve all our support, I really look forward to your work. Once again, my sincere thanks for the effort you put into making these works, and for their outstanding quality. Cheers.
This is an incredible video. Thank You ❤
Wow, outstanding job! Though it's been quite a while since I've seen the film in its entirety now, I've watched it many times, including on the big screen (including the 1988 restored version on its release). And I've long cited this film as being my all-time personal favorite. Because of this admiration, I consider myself fairly knowledgable about its production (and have a book about the making of it), but your two-part documentary still contained many tidbits that were new to me, along with some great behind the scenes footage and photographs I've never seen before either. So bravo for such great research.
Thank you so much for this VERY insightful Part 2! Lawrence Of Arabia is my all time very favorite film and your 2 part behind the scenes documentary makes all the wonder of this marvel of a film even more marvelous!
Aptly titled video. Impossible to replicate this movie. The same with John Wayne's Hatari. Very enjoyable, thank you.
Very informative and enjoyable.
Really great stuff, thanks so much for putting this together!
Astounding film ! Astounding documentary about the film ! Both incredibly well done . Thank You !
😊An all time great movie, sobeatifully explained in this video ❤ Thanks for your efforts and superb research!
You did a great job. Well done
Been really enjoying your videos and Lawrence of Arabia is one of my favorite movies of all time, so this was extremely interesting! Another epic that I think is worth talking about is Reds (1981). The production for that film was insane as well. Warren Beatty came across the story of John Reed in the 1960's, but didn't have the money to make it at that time. He built up the money during the 70's and there's way more to the behind-the-scenes stories when it came to casting, principle photography, the Witnesses and the editing process. Would love to see a video on that. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! I have looked into Reds previously but need to get around to actually watching the film.
@@VoidVolken You're welcome! I hope you enjoy it!
the original train that Lawrence and his army caused to derail is still there over 100 years being covered by the ever moving sand
and yes the composer is the father of the electronic music godfather Jean Michel Jarre
Amazing 2 part videos. Many Thanks
You did a brilliant job telling this story of Lawrence. Thank you
long but well done, thanks for the good work
This is very well produced.
Such a good video 🔥
Great work. Thx for giving us a window into the practical issues overcome to create such a masterpiece. Incredible passion and drive to spend such a long time on the project to make such an artwork.
great documentary, thanks
Well done! Parts one and two were outstanding. I liked and subscribed and shared 😊
Thank you.
Bravo. Like the movie, your work and dedication to this epic, on and off the screen, is very impressive.
Been looking forward to part 2....really great work, cheers!
God, what passion and hard work David Lean and his team put into 'Lawrence of Arabia', no wonder even after 65 yrs of its release, 'Lawrence of Arabia' stays as one of the greatest films ever made, as it keeps inspiring young filmmakers and audiences across the world!
Bravo. Great review.
I saw this movie in 1962. It was and still is an extraordinary epic movie and the music was haunting.
Great work!
Wonderful video ! Watching this movie now for the 3rd time. You're right - it's not out of date.
Great job, great vid
Lean regretted not holding the shot of Sharif coming out of the desert for longer, but he lost his nerve. Would it have held audience attention? I think it would. Great vid. Thank you.
I would love to see the full unedited shot of Sharif coming out of the desert but it probably ended up on the cutting room floor. Now sadly lost forever.
Enhorabuena,gran trabajo
Wonderful Summary mate. There is not a bad scene. It's in the top 5 films ever
Thank you so much
Excellent presentation.
Absolutely fascinating. I'll see this movie in a new light from now.
Great movie--great review!
Full of interesting information, but I'm afraid that what you say about the music is not entirely accurate. Gerard Schurmann's initial contract on the film was as a co-composer with Jarre. When Spiegel realized that Jarre had no experience of writing for a large orchestra, he asked Gerard if he would give up his co-composer contract and provide arrangements and orchestrations for the film. Gerard already had a reputation as a superb orchestrator, having worked on both "The Vikings" and "Exodus" in that capacity. Realizing it was the only way to get the score written, Gerard agreed. Jarre provided a rudimentary musical outline for all the cues, which Gerard arranged and orchestrated, creating a soundscape that Jarre was never able to equal in his future films.
Brilliant this. Always wanted to know how they made this masterpiece.
This series is fantastic and it's always riveting to learn all the things that went into such amazing films. Will you do something similar for Tora Tora Tora?
Thank you for your continued support and yes, I have considered doing a video on Tora! Tora! Tora!
Thank you. Marvellous videos about probably the greatest film ever made. Funny, we ended up discussing this with some people we had just met who unbelievably (not old but in their twenties and thrirties+) agreed and had great memories about it. A part of our lives.
This is the greatest film of all time.
Thank you!
Great work mate. The greatest epic of all time, except maybe for LOTR
If LOTR films were released as one big film officially I would probably consider it the greatest epic film ever created but I considered it more as the greatest trilogy of films ever made. The original three Star Wars films are not far behind them.
This was a surprise to hear about Andre de Toth handling 2nd unit. His name isn't listed on the opening credits. For those who don't know, de Toth was an acclaimed Hollywood director in his own right. His work includes "House of Wax", produced during the 3D craze as a Vincent Price vehicle, and after such a visual feast it makes all the sense in the world Lean would trust him.
I did, however, know about Nicolas Roeg. He was mentored by Lean, before becoming a huge auteur in the 70s with work that included the sci-fi classic "The Man Who Fell to Earth" starring David Bowie.
Eddie Fowlie sounds like the MVP of the actual shooting, having to perform three jobs in one. Speaking as a theatre director, I'll vouch that nothing makes production click quite the way a problem-solver does. You want as many of them on your team as possible.
was surprised too. I also found out De Toth did the same job on Donner's Superman.
Huge respect for all the work you put into these two episodes 👏👏. Really enjoyed both, thank you 🙏🏻🙏🏻👍🏻
very nice work.cheers!
Please consider doing a similar bit for "The Good The Bad & The Ugly " another banger from this era .
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly is on the table but I would need to dig further into its production before committing to a video.
Another one filmed in Spain. Game of Thrones, also, had a large number of outdoor scenes shot in Spain, although House of the Dragon has gone with many of its outdoor scenes shot in Wales.
Quite a number of films are filmed in Spain surprisingly, not exactly sure why so many are but I guess its has to do with either the landscape or maybe it's just cheap to film there.
@@VoidVolken The landscape definitely helps. I don't think that any other European country has landscapes that look like the American Desert West or the Middle East.
@@jmchez That's very true, Spain and technically Portugal have a very unique landscape for Europe.
Amazing
Superb work. I don't know that it necessarily falls into the epic category, I think it does, but The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is easily my favorite representation (and fave film in general).
I will have to check out The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, it's been on my radar but I have never made the time to watch it.
wowww..now that's dedication to moviemaking.
5:01 Holy cow, that must be quite a scene to behold in the cinema back then.
It certainly was. I saw it on the big screen in its premiere year when I was 18. It's still one of the most inspiring forces in my life.
I don't like the word 'Insane' to describe this production. There was nothing insane about it. They were all true professionals. That's why it worked.
In reply to your own query, the planes strafing Feisal's camp are DeHavilland Tiger Moths, slightly modified, mainly by a forward fairing on the fin/rudder. The giveaway is the very obvious inverted DeHavilland Gipsy engine, and the x-shape between the wheel struts, formed by the bungee cords which served as shock absorbers. WW1 planes tended to simply have a straight axle on the main wheels, and planes with straight engines like the Rumpler scout (which the movie planes are assumed to be) had the engine cylinders upright and protruding. The movie planes, interestingly, seemed to have wire spoked wheels, and I've not seen that on any present-day Tiger Moths.
Nonetheless, for their brief time on camera, they looked quite decent.
Epic!
We need a movie about making of lawrence of Arabia like Tropic thunder or disaster artist movies about making movies
If I had the money I would do it myself.
I love that as an idea. A mockumentary but with a more serious tone about a frustrated director trying to make his war epic in the desert. You could pull out all the tropes like the female lead and the weekly wages being taken by tribesmen who the director then has to go negotiate with and he negotiates them into participating in his film while giving the leader the role of Auda Abu Tayi.
The rest of the arab main characters get filled out with very obvious very white british stage actors. Imagine them having tea with porcelain cups in the desert in their costume and stuff like that.
A bit of a Mel Brooks vibe.
@@MrTVintro I would definitely come and see your movie,
Already the personal stories of the crew would make a good movie: Lean having an affair with scriptgirl Barbara Cole, trying to hide it from his then wife, Kind Hussein marrying the telephone switchboard girl, making her queen, Peter O'Toole and Sharif getting totally wasted in Beirut on their days off, gambling away their money. And the scene when Lean and Spiegel were invited to King Hussein's palace and Spiegel insisted on Lean sleeping in his room because he was scared of being murdered by some Arabs...Not to forget how Lean filmed himself with a broom in 70mm and telling Spiegel to get lost, after Spiegel threatened in a telegram to sweep the production team out of Jordan.
Please do Spartacus
I do plan to.
I loved this series. I was a projectionist for many years, and I both ran and booked LoA many times. Absolutely a favorite of mine and millions of others. After watching your series--which, by the way, was pretty damned epic in its own right, I truly have a whole new appreciation for the picture.
Now: While perhaps not quite an "epic," strictly speaking, but I'd like to suggest that you'd have an absolute BLAST doing a treatment like this on the Robert Zemeckis directed 1980 comedy, "Used Cars." It was produced by Zemeckis's partner Bob Gale, and they also wrote the screenplay. Also producing were John Milius and a young up-and-coming guy in Hollywood at the time named Steven Spielberg.
It was the first feature release that Kurt Russell appeared in as an adult, after he had retired from baseball. Shot on location in Arizona [selling point---it's another desert!] with a solid cast including Jack Warden in a dual role as the Fuchs brothers, Luke and Roy L., who are business competitors, with brother Roy L. being the cutthroat of the two. It includes a unique courtroom drama sequence, as well as an "epic" cattle drive across the desert, but with cars instead of cattle.
It's only 113 minutes, and I think it would be a fun and relaxing ride that you could refresh with before you get back into the heavy stuff. Please, at least do us both a big favor, and watch the movie for yourself!
Thanks a lot for this fine doc on LoA.
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to write a detailed explanation on the film. I had never heard of 'Used Cars' before you mentioned it here but will now check it out. I am open to any film not just epics, some films have crazy production without even being an epic.
I do plan to make a couple of other videos that are different from these 'Insane Production Behind' videos as Lawrence really took it out of me and while I like making these types of videos. I also like making videos on other subjects that I enjoy but I have planned another 'Insane Production Behind' video that will be on a film that takes place thousands of years ago.
@@VoidVolken I look forward to whatever your next project is, and I know you'll like 'Used Cars.'
This is marvelous in all ways. For the record, the pronunciation of Roeg (Nicholas Roeg) is "roag".
I'd say 'Rogue.' Sacked by DL on Zhivago, replaced by Freddie Young.
I saw this film in Leicester Square at the age of 3 1/4 in early 1963. It has haunted and influenced me all my life. I know all the anecdotes and have seen all the clips but you've done a great job compiling the material, well done!. Just some minor quibbles on the pronunciation of Roeg and Jarre repeatedly are a bit Jarre-ing ;). Also the scene showing the breakdown of the Hashemite-Howeitat alliance was of course supposed to be Damascus - not Jerusalem. Looking forward to your take on Dr Zhivago. If you haven't seen it, watch Leans Summertime with Katherine Hepburn, wonderful Venetian photography. I always wish that Lean had directed "The Lion In Winter" -Great script and acting but let down by the sets and photography (IMO)
Thanks for pointing out the mistake about the Hashemite-Howeitat alliance actually being set in Damascus not Jerusalem. It must have slipped me by when writing the script because I was talking about all of the scenes taking place in Jerusalem. It will be corrected when I release part 1&2 together as one big video later down the line.
Plz do Dr. Zhivago!
Don't worry I certainly will.
It has become one of my favorite movies. Yeah theres some things that didn't age well. But on the other hand there are things going on right now in the middle east whose origins can be traced to this time. Thats why Lawrence of Arabia is worth remembering.
That's the first movie I watched when I got a Netflix subscription on Christmas 2022 (only in the Philippines)
Great movie to start off with.
"It wasn't until I started researching this film that I understood the lengths that David and his team went to to create this film"
I'm gonna go ahead and assume that you've never been in the desert, I'd seen the Lawrence of Arabia on TV when I was a kid in the 70's, but after I saw it for the first time after I'd been in the desert when I was watching it I thought to myself "Good God, how'd they ever do that in a place like that?"
Dryden was right, only two kinds of men like the desert, and I'm no TE Lawrence I can assure you of that, being a fiery furnace is only part of it of what makes it so inhospitable.
Yes I have never been to a desert, let alone the deserts of Arabia but one day I hope to visit the deserts of Jordan and go to some of the locations Lean visited.
Next: the insane production behind John ford's "the battle of midway" :p
That would be interesting to do.
The planes are modified De Havilland DH2 Tiger moths from the 1930's. Easily identifiable from the nose, undercarriage and the top wing fuel tank. These were commonly used as substitutes for WW1 aircraft in several period moves of the era eg The Blue Max. Real great war planes would have been way to rare, dangerous and flimsy to fly. Convincing replicas using modern materials and engines certainly could have been built as they were for "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" but most people wouldn't have noticed a short scene with the 2 DH's sporting modified vertical stabilisers and an triple alliance paint job.
I wish there was a book with all the brilliant, sometimes comical, often revealing black and white photographs that were taken by Kenneth Danvers during the shooting of this film. Some of them are to be seen in "Lawrence of Arabia: The 30th Anniversary Pictorial History" but there so many more floating around the internet.
Sony Pictures book on the film from the 50th Anniversary Blu Ray set has a good number of black and white, as well as colour photos from the film's production that I didn't end up using. I recommend trying to get a copy of it, if you like that sort of thing.
@@VoidVolken Thanks! I know most of the pics, but I still wish they would be all in one printed book! Still wonder where they all ended up, or if some are amongst Danver's papers at the Science Museum in London. I also recommend "The Making of Lawrence of Arabia", unfortunately only to be bought second hand as the publisher does not exist any more.
It would be great if they made a compilation book of all of the photos they have but I doubt that will ever happen. I would have liked to have a copy of that book but as you have already mentioned, you can only get it second hand which is very annoying. Same goes for Kevin Brownlow's David Lean: A Biography book which is quite pricey second hand.
@@VoidVolken Brownlow is cheap as an ebook, at least. And another crazy film production story is the making of David Lean's "Ryan's Daughter", on which also several books were written and an interesting documentary was made ('A bit of a fillum', which can be found on RUclips). Robert Mitchum and Trevor Howard drinking Ireland dry and Sarah Miles (then wife of Robert Bolt) drugging the male star of the movie, Christopher Jones, because he could not get passionate about her. David Lean really liked a challenge!
Suberb.
Bloody hell, Andre De-Toth worked as second unit director. I see from wikipedia he did the same job on Superman (Donner)
If you haven't already read it, I recommend Kevin Brownlow's biography of Lean.
I would love to see something on The Adventures of Robin Hood. But if that's too old, THe Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.
I would like to read Brownlow's biography on Lean but it's sadly out of print and pretty pricey on the used market, I hope it gets a reprint one day. When it comes to Robinhood I would love to do The Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin Hood (1973) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
@@VoidVolken Maybe it is in your library. Well whatever you decide to do next, I'm sure it will more than worth the wait.
$14m adjusted for inflation is around $145m today......The Star Wars TV show The Acolyte cost $180m......Lawrence got a LOT for its budget and money sure does mean something different now in the era of shamelessness (and free-market, monopolising-devolved laundering).
26:50 the inaccurate M1919s in the movie make me cringe so much...
It's always annoyed me when I have watched the film but I understand why they used it.
Think about how lucky WE are !!
In all of David Lean's films you will find Alec Guinness and a train
good bad ugly
thank you, great video, some excellent behind the scenes footage, i like LOA so much i went to jordan, visited some of the locations and some of the places lawrence stayed and had battles, some of it is so desolate. Algehwerha (spelt wrong i know) is just an odd collection of low houses in the middle of nowhere.. got out off the car in wadi rum and was instantly swatting flies away, the type that instantly go to your mouth, how they filmed there is unbelievable, the effort put in was incredible, no coincidence its probably the best film ever made (and ever will be )
visited lawrence's crash site on a late summers evening, was surreal, like he was stood with me looking at my bike,
I would love to go to Jordan someday and visit some of the same locations Lean used for Lawrence. Now you have mentioned about the files, I'll remember to keep that in mind.
55 is HOT. Right now I am in 40 degree heat and feel like I'm getting hammered. Yes, I have lived in the desert. Yes, I have lived with the bedouin. Yes, I have been in Jordan and even seen a house 'El Lawrence' "lived in". For five days. LOL.
PS: Sand sucks. Yes, I have ridden a camel. HATED IT. So horrible.
PS: For Void - very exhaustive research. Well done!
Thank you.
Patreon? Start one up, I'd love to sub
I appreciate your enthusiasm and I have thought about it but I wouldn't be comfortable accepting money unless I was providing some worth back. Right now, if you want to support me, the best way to do that is just by watching my videos.
@@VoidVolken I'd consider doing it man! As a newer channel it's to be expected there won't be anything to necessarily "giving back" but it could help get you on that path to making this a part time gig that provides fulfillment and monetary value, even if it's just a little. Keep up the good work!
Wow, learnt so very much from your videos = phew, filming an epic like Lawrence takes monumental effort and skill,
Great work!