How I Miss These Guys & Their Like!
Guys, that is, like the British actor Peter O’Toole (1932 - 2013) — and his peers in the British film world, for their carefree derring-do and their quick and always-clever wit.
Today, no one tells the kind of stories that they used to. The culture, the education, experiences and expectations were all so different to those today.
Back then, that generation of men threw caution to the winds and took risks (especially physical ones, but also behavioral and attitudinal types as well). They did not take themselves all that seriously, and wanted to have fun (almost a bad word today) all while making these fantabulous films.
They also took responsibility for whatever mishaps might have arisen from such venturesome actions. None of that “I’ll sue them for this and that” nonsense if something went awry.
(Of course, as a practical matter, the more dangerous actions in the script were done by professional stunt men; the studio executives did not choose this out of concern for the actors’ health and safety, of course — it was all to protect their money-drawing property, much like an owner would regard his beautiful, trophy-winning thoroughbred.)
Some fascinating and fun factoids are revealed in this interview with O’Toole, who embodied the screen version of British adventurer Thomas Edward (T. E.) Lawrence, a.k.a. “Lawrence of Arabia,” to become the cinematic icon of the man known as a “British archaeologist, officer, diplomat and writer” (per his Wikipedia profile) for all time.
“Nobody can ride a camel — nobody! — not even the greatest Bedouin riders — nobody can ride a camel.
You just sit on top of the damn thing and hope to God he doesn’t fling you off!”
— Peter O’Toole, recalling his camel-riding adventures for Lawrence of Arabia
And what was his nickname for Omar Sharif? (Haha!)
He has some entertaining anecdotes to tell about his co-stars, including Omar, Alex Guinness, Claude Rains, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Quayle, Jose Ferrer, Jack Hawkins, even the Director of Photography, and of course, director David Lean.
One can’t help but smile as O’Toole punctuates his storytelling with that bright-eyed smile and a jolly laugh.
It’s time, I think, to re-watch this magnificent film epic once more. It’s been so long since I last did.
It was my dad’s favorite film, and we grew up having such admiration for O’Toole and Lawrence in equal measure. (And perhaps, it’s time to take a gander at Lawrence’s The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.)
When you view this classic film masterpiece for yourself (or if you’ve already seen it), do share your thoughts on it below, if you will.
(So, gloom-doomsayers may want to shoot me for having a bit of old-fashioned fun with an old-fashioned actor! Oh, well. But I hope it isn’t so.)