Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence of Arabia…
As a teaser for what’s to come in a few weeks, I’m pleased to share that I recently interviewed Nacho of Nacho Videos, well known among Bowie fans for restoring and creating videos for Bowie songs—and others—that never had official releases. He also makes documentaries. In one, focused on the D.A.M trio and their upcoming “Back to Berlin Tour,” he included footage of himself interviewing Carlos Alomar and George Murray at last year’s David Bowie World Fan Convention. At one point, they turned their attention to… a Nacho video, setting scenes from Lawrence of Arabia (1962) against Bowie’s “The Secret Life of Arabia.” I’ve been thinking about this ever since, not the least reason being that Peter O’Toole as Lawrence looks an awful lot like David Bowie.
It’s probably more accurate to say that Bowie, about 20 years after Lawrence of Arabia, cultivated a look much like O’Toole in that earlier movie. Nowhere is that more striking than in another ‘Lawrence’ movie, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983). While I’ve never come across anything confirming a direct connection between the two films,* the visual and thematic similarities are hard to ignore. The visual resemblance between Peter O’Toole’s T.E. Lawrence and David Bowie’s Major Jack Celliers is difficult to overlook. Both movies are set during wartime. Both Celliers and Lawrence start out as British soldiers but their paths take unexpected turns. Both are stubborn and defiant. Bowie portrays Celliers as an outsider struggling with personal guilt and cultural displacement, mirroring Lawrence’s emotional and moral conflicts. And did I mention that they look alike?
Adding to this network of ties is Nick Roeg, who worked as a cinematographer on Lawrence of Arabia before directing Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), establishing a visual language of alienation that resonates in both films.
Both “Lawrence” films explore issues of identity, including repressed sexuality. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence presents homoerotic undertones more directly, particularly through the character of Captain Yonoi’s fascination with Celliers. In contrast, Lawrence of Arabia conveys hints of repressed sexuality more subtly. Lawrence’s complex relationships with men—especially Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif)—and his detachment from women have led some to interpret his character as grappling with questions of identity and desire within the rigid social norms of his time.
Again, I have never read anything that suggests that Bowie or anyone else involved with Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence was intentionally evoking Lawrence of Arabia. But the visual and thematic parallels are striking. Probably just a coincidence, right? Maybe, but just wait until you see what Nacho does with “The Secret Life of Arabia…”
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* While I have never read that there’s an actual connection between the two films, I am not the first to notice similarities. For instance, click HERE.