Lawrence Of Arabia

He was the most extraordinary

man I ever knew.

Did you know him well?

I knew him.

Well, nil nisi bonum.

But did he really deserve

a place in here?

Lord Allenby, could you give me

a few words about Colonel Lawrence?

What, more words?

The revolt in the desert

played a decisive part

in the Middle Eastern campaign.

Yes, sir, but about

Colonel Lawrence himself.

No, no. I didn't know

him well, you know.

Now, Mr. Bentley, you must know as much

about Colonel Lawrence as anybody does.

Yes, it was my privilege

to know him.

And to make him

known to the world.

He was a poet, a scholar

and a mighty warrior.

Thank you.

He was also the most shameless

exhibitionist since Barnum and Bailey.

You, sir. Who are you?

My name is

Jackson Bentley.

Well, whoever you are, I overheard

your last remark, and I take the

gravest possible exception.

-He was a very great man.

-Did you know him?

No, I can't claim

to have known him.

I once had the honour

to shake his hand in Damascus.

Knew him?

No, I never knew him.

He had some minor function

on my staff in Cairo.

Michael George Hartley,

this is a nasty,

dark, little room.

That's right.

We are not happy in it.

I am. It's better than

a nasty, dark, little trench.

-Then you're a big noble fellow.

-That's right.

Ah, here is William Potter

with my newspaper.

-Here you are, tosh.

-Thanks.

Would you care for one of

Corporal Hartley's cigarettes?

Ta.

-Is it there?

-Of course.

Headlines.

But I'll bet it isn't

mentioned in the Times.

"Bedouin tribes attack

Turkish stronghold."

And I bet that no one in this whole

headquarters even knows it happened.

Or would care if it did.

Allow me to ignite your cigarette.

-Mr. Lawrence?

-Yes.

-Flimsy, sir.

-Thank you.

You'll do that once too often.

It's only flesh and blood.

Michael George Hartley,

you're a philosopher.

And you're balmy!

Oh!

-It damn well hurts!

-Certainly, it hurts.

Well, what's the trick, then?

The trick, William Potter,

is not minding that it hurts.

Oh, by the way, if Captain Gibbon

should enquire for me,

tell him I've gone for

a chat with the general.

-He's balmy.

-He's all right.

Lawrence.

Yes?

You're supposed to be...

Do you usually wear

your cap in the mess?

Always.

You're supposed to be on duty,

aren't you? Where are you going?

Mustn't talk shop, Freddie,

not in the mess.

Matter of fact, I'm going for

a powwow with the general.

I'm not asking as your superior, Lawrence,

I'm asking as the secretary of this mess.

We don't want chaps in here

who should be on duty.

Where are you going,

please?

I must say, Lawrence!

-Sorry.

-You're a clown, Lawrence.

Ah, well, we can't

all be lion tamers.

Sorry.

It's an intrigue, Dryden.

And I do not propose to let an

overweening, finicky, crass lieutenant

thumb his nose at his general officer

commanding and get away with it.

It doesn't sound as though

he'd be any great loss, sir.

Now don't try that, Dryden.

There's a principle involved.

There is, indeed.

He's of no use here in Cairo.

He might be in Arabia.

He knows his stuff, sir.

Knows the books, you mean.

I've already sent out

Colonel Brighton, who's a soldier.

And if Brighton thinks we should send

them some small arms, then we will.

Well, what more do you want?

That there would be no question

of Lieutenant Lawrence

giving military advice.

By God, I should hope not.

It's just that the Arab Bureau would

like its own man on the spot, sir, to...

To what?

To make our own appraisal

of the situation.

I may as well tell you, it's my

considered opinion and that of my staff

that any time spent on the

Bedouin will be time wasted.

They're a nation

of sheep-stealers.

They did attack Medina.

And the Turks made

mincemeat of them.

We don't know that, sir.

We know that they didn't take it.

A storm in a teacup, Dryden, a sideshow.

If you want my own opinion, this whole

theatre of operations is a sideshow.

The real war's being fought

against the Germans, not the Turks.

And not here, but on the

Western front in the trenches.

Your Bedouin Army,

or whatever it calls itself,

would be a sideshow

of a sideshow.

Big things have

small beginnings, sir.

Does the Arab Bureau

want a big thing in Arabia?

If they rise against the Turks, does

the bureau think they're going to sit

down under us when this war is over?

The bureau thinks the job of the

moment, sir, is to win the war.

Don't tell me my duty,

Mr. Dryden.

-Lawrence, sir.

-Send him in.

Good morning, sir.

Salute.

If you're insubordinate with me,

Lawrence, I shall put you under arrest.

-It's my manner, sir.

-Your what?

My manner, sir. It looks

insubordinate, but it isn't really.

I can't make out whether you're bloody

bad-mannered or just half-witted.

-I have the same problem, sir.

-Shut up.

The Arab Bureau seem to think you would

be of some use to them in Arabia.

Why, I can't imagine.

You don't seem able to perform

your present duties properly.

"I cannot fiddle, but I can make

a great state from a little city."

-What?

-Themistocles, sir.

A Greek philosopher.

I know you've been

well-educated, Lawrence.

It says so in your dossier.

You're the kind of creature

I can't stand, Lawrence.

But I suppose I could be wrong.

All right, Dryden.

You can have him for six weeks.

Who knows? It might even

make a man of him.

Come in!

Yes, what is it?

Navy signal, sir. The convoy will be

in Port Said tomorrow night.

-Is that certain?

-Yes, sir.

There doesn't seem

to be any artillery, sir.

But there must be artillery!

Sir, this is something

of an expedition.

He has to get to Yenbo, find a guide,

find the Arabs and then get back.

He can't do that

in six weeks.

-Two months, then.

-Three.

All right, three. Now, will you

let me do some work, Mr. Dryden?

Thank you, sir.

I'd like to say, sir,

that I am grateful for this.

Shut up and get out.

Sir?

How can I fight a bloody war

without bloody artillery?

How did you do it?

You might better ask

why I bothered to.

-Because I'm the man for the job.

-I just wonder about that.

Of course I'm the man for job.

What is the job, by the way?

Find Prince Feisal.

Good. And when I've found him?

Find out what kind of man he is.

Find out what his intentions are.

I don't mean his immediate intentions.

That is Colonel Brighton's

business, not yours.

I mean, his intentions

in Arabia altogether.

Oh.

That's new.

Where are they now?

Anywhere within

They're Hashemite Bedouins.

They can cross 60 miles

of desert in a day.

Oh, thanks, Dryden.

This is going to be fun.

Lawrence, only two kinds of

creature get fun in the desert:

Bedouins and gods, and you're

neither. Take it from me.

For ordinary men,

it's a burning, fiery furnace.

No, Dryden.

It's going to be fun.

It is recognized that you

have a funny sense of fun.

Here you may drink.

One cup.

You do not drink?

No.

I'll drink when you do.

I am Bedu.

Truly, now, you are

a British officer?

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