Based on the former British Army Royal Air Force Colonel T.E. Lawrence’s autobiography Seven Pillars of Wisdom, this film was made in 1962 by David Lean, famed filmmaker of The Bridge on the River Kwai and Doctor Zhivago. Dispatched to an Arab region during the 1st World War, Lawrence fought for the integration and independence of the Arabic world. His dedication earned him the title, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, but the film also depicts Lawrence’s dilemma as he was caught between the fierce interests of the Western imperialist world and the turbulent Arabic world. Like the book’s superb presentation of nature, Lean’s sophisticated direction turned Jordan’s Wadirum Desert into another main character in the film. (YOO Sun-hee)