Lawrence Of Arabia Page #6

Arabia's part of his empire.

If he gets out now, he knows

he'll never get back again.

-I wonder who will.

-No one will.

Arabia's for the Arabs now.

That's what I've

told them anyway.

That's what they think.

-That's why they're fighting.

-Oh, surely.

They've only one suspicion.

That we'll let them drive the Turks

out and then move in ourselves.

I've told them that that's false,

that we have no ambitions in Arabia.

Have we?

I'm not a politician, thank God.

Have we any ambition

in Arabia, Dryden?

Difficult question, sir.

I want to know, sir, if I can

tell them in your name

that we've no

ambitions in Arabia.

Certainly.

enough. I need five.

Right.

Money. It'll have to be sovereigns.

They don't like paper.

Right.

-Instructors for the Lewis guns.

-Right.

More money.

-How much more?

-25,000 now. A lot more later.

-Dryden?

-It can be done, sir.

A couple of

armoured cars.

Right.

Field artillery.

Right.

I'm going to give you every blessed

thing I can, Major Lawrence,

because I know you'll use it.

Congratulations and thank you.

Thank you for your

hospitality, gentlemen.

Congratulations!

Are you really going to give

them artillery, sir?

I was wondering that, sir.

Might be deuced difficult

to get it back again.

Give them artillery and

you've made them independent.

Then I can't give

them artillery, can I?

-For you to say, sir.

-No, it's not.

I've got orders

to obey, thank God.

Not like that

poor devil.

He's riding

the whirlwind.

Let's hope we're not.

Excuse me, friend.

Who do these bags belong to?

To Prince Feisal.

You're not Prince Feisal

by any chance?

-No.

-You know him though?

He is my master.

I am his servant.

Um, can you read?

The Chicago Courier is my own

particular paper, but my work

is syndicated throughout America.

I understood so from

your letter, Mr. Bentley.

Now...

-Where can I find Major Lawrence?

-Is that what you have come for?

Not altogether, sir, no.

Well, Mr. Bentley, you will find

Major Lawrence with my army.

That's what I meant, sir.

Where can I find your army?

I don't know.

-Last week they were near El Ghira.

-Ghira?

Oh, yes, I fear you have a long journey.

Can you ride a camel?

-I've never tried.

-Take a mule.

Avoid Mellaha,

the Turks are there.

In Mellaha now?

They move fast.

They do.

But not so fast as we do,

you will find.

Myself...

I am going to Cairo.

-As you know.

-Yes.

There's work for me

there of a different kind.

Yes.

I understand you've

been given no artillery.

-That is so.

-You're handicapped?

It restricts us

to small things.

It's intended to.

Do you know

General Allenby?

Watch out for Allenby.

He's a slim customer.

-Excuse me?

-A clever man.

Slim customer.

It's very good.

I'll certainly watch out for him.

You're being very sympathetic, Mr. Bentley.

Your Highness, we Americans

were once a colonial people,

and we naturally feel

sympathetic to any people

anywhere who are struggling

for their freedom.

Very gratifying.

Also, my interests are the same

as yours. You want your story told.

I badly want a story to tell.

Ah, now you are talking

turkey, are you not?

Well, Mr. Bentley, I will give

you a guide and a letter.

And before I leave here,

ah, which must be presently,

I will have some facts and

figures put on paper for you.

You know, of course, that we are

destroying the Turkish railways.

I do, sir.

Major Lawrence is in charge

of all this, is he?

My army is made up of tribes.

The tribes are led

by the tribal leaders.

Well, your people do think very

highly of Major Lawrence, though?

Oh, yes. And the rightly.

In this country, Mr. Bentley...

the man who gives victory

in battle is prized

beyond every other man.

One figure I can give you

from my head,

because it never

leaves my head.

Since starting this campaign

four months ago, we have lost...

You remark the disproportion

between our dead and wounded.

Yeah.

Four times as many.

That's because those too badly wounded

to bring away, we ourselves kill.

We leave no wounded

for the Turks.

You mean?

I mean we leave

no wounded for the Turks.

In their eyes, we are

not soldiers but rebels.

And rebels, wounded or whole,

are not protected by the Geneva Code

and are treated harshly.

How harshly?

More harshly than

I hope you can imagine.

I see.

Our own prisoners, Mr. Bentley,

are taken care of until the British

can relieve us of them,

according to the Code.

-I should like you to notice that.

-Yes, sir.

Is that the influence

of Major Lawrence?

Why should you

suppose so?

Well, it's just that

I heard in Cairo that

Major Lawrence has

a horror of bloodshed.

That is exactly so.

With Major Lawrence,

mercy is a passion.

With me, it is merely

good manners.

You may judge which

motive is the more reliable.

-And now, perhaps...

-Oh, sure, sure.

Thank you, sir.

Do you think you'd be able

to manage the letter...?

I'll do everything

I have said, Mr. Bentley,

if you will tell me truly

the nature of your interest

in my people and

Major Lawrence.

It's very simple, sir.

I'm looking for a hero.

Indeed? You do not

seem a romantic man.

Oh, no.

But certain influential men back home

believe that the time has come for America

to lend her weight to the patriotic

struggle against Germany.

And Turkey.

Now, I've been sent to find material which

will show our people that this war is...

-Enjoyable?

-Oh, hardly that, sir.

But to show it in its more

adventurous aspects.

You are looking for a figure who will

draw your country towards war.

All right. Yes.

Aurens is your man.

Stop!

Stop it!

Stop it!

Come on, men!

Aurens!

Good, good, good!

Jiminy! Never seen a man

killed with a sword before.

Why don't you

take a picture?

Wish I had.

How is it with thee, Aurens?

-Am I in this?

-Huh?

Did you take his picture?

Yeah.

You are using up your

nine lives very quickly.

Charming company you keep.

Auda?

He's a bit old-fashioned. He thinks

these things will steal his virtue.

He thinks you're

a kind of thief.

It's all right

if I take your picture?

-All right.

-Okay.

Just walk.

Aurens! Aurens!

Aurens! Aurens!

Aurens! Aurens!

Aurens! Aurens!

Aurens! Aurens! Aurens!

Major Lawrence!

Yes, sir, that's my baby.

This looting

has got to stop!

It is customary.

It's theft. And theft

makes thieves.

I would not say that to Auda.

-It is their payment, colonel.

-Payment.

Truly. Are not British

soldiers paid?

They don't go home

when they've been paid.

They are not free to.

Well, there's another lot

you've seen the last of.

They'll come back.

He says they'll come

back. Will they?

Not this year,

Aurens.

Look, Lawrence, how many men

do you think you'll have left? 200?

-Less.

-Well, then?

I said, they'll come back.

You badly hurt?

Not hurt at all.

Didn't you know? They can only

kill me with a golden bullet.

It is for children.

I have set myself to learn again.

-What are you learning from this?

Rate this script:4.5 / 4 votes