Lawrence of Arabia

The theme of loyalty is most apparent. In Lawrence of Arabia, it is evident with Lawrence's inner conflict between his loyalty to the British army and to the Arabs. As he becomes more acclimated with the Arab people and their mission, he becomes one of them, empowered by honorary traditional Arab dress and the trust of the people. As he does this, he leaves some of his British morals behind, but at the same time manipulates his character to display his loyalty and cooperation to the British leaders.

Another theme is the stigma of death, which is a major factor in both plots. In a war oriented setting, death is a necessity for advancement. Bringing history into context, this was to be expected, as the British government operated on military strategy in a war setting, meaning anything goes. Thus, though seemingly brutal and heartless, the deaths in Lawrence of Arabia, were simply result of strategic reasoning.

Lawrence of Arabia was filmed in the broad Arabian desert. Many different scenes were used to illustrate the breadth of Lawrence's expedition and with each new scene came changes in character as the plot inched closer to accomplishing the mission.

Costumes not only brought out the reality of the film, but also helped to reveal a transition in Lawrence. About halfway through, Lawrence was given Arabic wear to symbolize his acceptance as an Arab. Along with abandoning his British uniform, he also abandons many British ideals.