Lawrence of Arabia remains one of the most critically acclaimed and well known movies of all time; however, many people don’t know that it has a sequel starring Ralph Fiennes. Originally released in 1962, Lawrence of Arabia received ten Academy Award nominations, winning seven, including Best Picture and Best Director for David Lean. Receiving several theatrical and home media releases over the years, including a restored director’s cut, Lawrence of Arabia‘s legendarily long run time fluctuates between three and almost four hours, clocking in at 227 minutes on one blu-ray edition.
The historical drama Lawrence of Arabia starred Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence, following the real-life story of the English officer working with Arab tribes in their revolt against the Turks during World War I, as it’s described in his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. The film also featured Star Wars’ Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal (Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi) who would eventually become King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria and then King of Iraq. There have been questions of historical accuracy regarding events and parts of Lawrence’s personal life, but at the very least, it is a gateway into his time in the Ottoman Empire and his involvement with the establishment of the Arab National Council. There was, however, more story to tell.
Almost thirty years later, a follow up to Lawrence of Arabia was made for British television. 1990’s A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia originally aired on ITV and later on PBS around the time the original film was re-released in theaters. This time around, Harry Potter cast member Ralph Fiennes played Lawrence, while Alexander Siddig, star of Game of Thrones and Gotham, took over as Faisal.
The made-for-TV movie depicts Lawrence and Faisal’s time at the Paris Peace Conference following World War I, where decisions were made about territories formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. The two men found their bond tested as they dealt with the British and French governments opposing Arab independence, and the celebrity that fell upon Lawrence as they took their grievances public. While this sequel isn’t nearly as well known as the original, it would prove to be important to the film’s two leads. Ralph Fienne’s portrayal of Lawrence led to his casting in director Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and Siddig (credited as Siddig El Fadil) was asked to audition for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and was eventually cast as Dr. Julian Bashir.
Both T.E. Lawrence and Faisal were complicated men with a complicated relationship that deserved further explanation beyond what was shown in Lawrence of Arabia. It is nearly impossible for A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia to live up to the standards of the original movie, but at least it served as a stepping stone toward success for both Ralph Fiennes and Alexandar Siddig.
