Our history is no more than a series
of incredible events.
Every one of us can influence its course.
(dramatic music)
The most infinitesimal of our decisions
can influence the future of humanity.
To know the past is to foresee the future.
The Arabic peninsula 1941, construction site
of the great pipeline Suleiman.
The Turkish overseers push their teams.
The Sultan has demanded that everything
be ready for inspection by the new ally
of the Ottoman empire, Nazi Germany.
25 years earlier, the violent repression
of the Arab Rebellion allowed the Ottoman powers
to maintain control over Arabia.
Since then, the discovering and exploitation
of vast oil fields has re-ignited the economy.
The Ottoman Empire is richer than ever.
In the middle of World War II
the strategic construction of an immense pipeline
will allow Germany to feed its war machine.
But none of this ever happened.
In 1917, a small grain of sand leads to the success
of the Arab Revolt and the storming of Damascus.
June 18th 1909, Thomas Edward Lawrence
leaves his native Great Britain
for an important journey to the Orient.
November 19, '17, in the Arab city of Deraa,
Captain Lawrence is captured
and tortured by Ottoman soldiers.
October 1st, 1918, Prince Faisal enters Damascus.
After 400 years, the holy city
is once again under Arab rule.
These three inextricably linked events are key moments
in the epic adventure of Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence,
also known as Lawrence of Arabia.
September 1908, Mont St. Michel.
After more then 3,500 kilometers,
young Thomas Edward Lawrence
is about to complete his bicycle tour of France.
Passionate about history and medieval forts
he is following in the footsteps of his childhood hero,
the celebrated Richard the Lionheart.
Lawrence has always been an atypical boy.
How many times has he sneaked out of the house
to go on nocturnal escapades.
For this dreamer and adventurer, nothing is worse
than the dreary rigor of traditional schooling,
yet he loves learning, but only the things that he likes
and in the way that he likes.
It is at Oxford University that life places
an exceptional personality on his path,
a reputed archeologist, polyglot, historian
and journalist, the great D.G.Hogarth.
Holding the status of professor in the prestigious
university, this intellectual is also a man of action.
In the shadows, Hogarth works
for the intelligence services of his majesty.
An ideal cover.
On the ground, who would suspect an archeologist
examining ancient stones, of espionage.
And what better position is there than that of a teacher
to discreetly recruit new talent.
Because the secret service constantly needs reliable,
motivated, intelligent, versatile men
with a gift for improvising.
Knowing how to handle a gun is clearly also an advantage.
In other words, the British Empire needs men like Lawrence.
Following the advice of the one who has become his mentor
the young Lawrence quickly learns some rudimentary Arabic
and leaves England to explore the Orient.
There, everything fascinates him.
He wants to see everything, visit everything
and touch everything.
He sets out alone on a long and difficult journey on foot
of more than 1,700 kilometers to cross the immense country
which extends from Constantinople
to the faraway deserts of Arabia, the Ottoman Empire.
Starting in the 15th century, the Ottoman Turks
have already conquered Anatolia
and laid the foundations of their empire.
Their expansion was overwhelming.
In 1453, they storm ancient Constantinople
and make it their new capital.
At its peak the Ottoman Empire spreads over
more than five million square kilometers,
from the Algerian mountains to the sands of Iraq,
from Hungary to the pyramids of Egypt.
Then, over time, the empire starts to decline.
Victim of military defeat and internal conflicts.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ottoman power,
ruined, is weaker than ever.
In 1909, the Sultan is left with only symbolic power.
In Europe, the empire is regarded as a sick old man
and politicians already speculate about its lands.
The British Crown most notably, has every interest
to control all the lands surrounding the Suez Canal.
This strategic zone in the hands of the English
is situated in Egypt,
which was the Ottoman Empire at that time.
Under the pretext of a scientific mission,
England sends two archeologists to make topological surveys.
They can take advantage of it to complete the maps
of the region and anticipate eventual military operations.
Among them, one is named Lawrence.
Welcome to the memory of humanity.
Every historical event, regardless of how small,
is recorded and connected.
You only need to change one to upset all the others.
Here, we are able to control time,
analyze and compare billions of events
in order to rewrite history in infinite ways.
For example, lets take a look
at the Ottoman Empire at its peak.
In the 16th century, the lands of the empire
are based on two continents, Asia and Europe, encompassing
a multitude of people and religious communities.
At the center, the Turks are natives of central Asia
and have progressively adopted Islam.
The Middle East is principally occupied by the Arabs
who speak a Semitic language which is totally different
from their neighbors, the Turks.
This is where Islam was born.
In the European part to the north, the Balkans
are both Muslims and Christians.
The populations mainly speak Latin and Slavic languages.
And yet, even with these differences, the empire
would last more than 600 years before disappearing.
This is a remarkable feat.
December 1914.
Since summer, the nations of Europe
have been engaged in a fight to the death.
A total war.
A world war.
The first one.
At the same time, Lawrence arrives in Cairo, Egypt.
Thanks to Hogarth's connections,
he joins the military intelligence section.
Promoted to staff captain,
he is increasingly interested in local politics.
Lawrence learns one crucial thing, to weaken
the Ottoman powers, the small Arab powers
have to be federated
then placed under the authority of the Hashemite family.
For nine centuries, this prestigious Arab family
is the guardian of the holy places, Mecca and Medina.
Its leader, Sharif Hussein, is a descendant
of the prophet Mohammed, founder of Islam.
Vassal of Ottoman power, he controls and administers
the Hejaz region in the Arabian peninsula.
But secretly the Hashemites aspire to a great Arab nation
in which Hussein would be the Caliph.
For the Ottomans engaged in World War I
on the side of the Germans, the Arabian peninsula
becomes a veritable powder keg.
At the beginning of the hostilities,
the British open up a front in Egypt.
That is when news arrives to change the game.
Oil is delivered in the region of Basra.
To guarantee access to this resource,
the British government secretly negotiates
with its ally, France.
At the end of the conflict, the two European powers
will redraw the frontiers of the Middle East
then share control of it.
This highly confidential redistribution
takes on the names of the two diplomats
who led the negotiations, Sykes and Picot.
Kept secret, these agreements contradict the numerous
promises of independence that are made to the Hashemites.
Pragmatic, the English hedge their bets.
The same territories are promised multiple times.
However, Hussein and his sons
are still convinced of British support.
The Sharif publishes his proclamation of independence.
The birth of the Al-Thawra al-Arabiyya al-Kubra,
the Great Arab Revolution.
Once the revolt begins Lawrence is transferred to the Arab
bureau, a service formed to support the Arab cause.
His first mission, find within Hussein's ranks
someone capable of leading the Arab uprising.
In November 1916, he meets one of his sons, Prince Faisal.
Fascinated by this man who fights with ardor
but without means, Lawrence manages to convince
his superiors Prince Faisal is the man for the job.
The captain is then given a new mission,
become the military councilor of the Prince.
In January 1917, the Bedouin army of Faisal
begins its march, banners flying high.
Riding at his side, fully dressed as a Bedouin, is Lawrence.
Know your weaknesses.
Captain Lawrence understands very quickly
that the Bedouins can not directly confront
the modern Ottoman army.
The nomads, under-equipped, lacking discipline,
unable to hold a line of fire, are unpredictable.
He knows that his army of volunteers is very susceptible
to loss and that it is necessary to preserve as many
of the already inferior number of troops as possible.
He develops a particular concept of warfare.
Faced with a traditional and well-equipped army
they have to respond with light, mobile troops
who have a great deal of autonomy.
Therefore lightning raids and sabotage
are much more effective than suicidal charges.
This tactic circumvents the weaknesses of the troops
and best utilizes their strengths.
The endurance of Arabian camels, solid knowledge
of the nomadic terrain and the complicity of the local
people who provide good information on the enemy.
This is the principle of guerrilla warfare.
June 1917, Desert of Nafud.
Thanks to English gold, Lawrence manages
to rally Chief Auda's clan to the cause.
These precious reinforcements will be appreciated.
In a few days they will make a surprise attack
on the strategic port of Aqaba.
So while the English fleet is pounding on the port's
defenses, all facing the sea, a horde of Bedouin warriors
descend from the mountains where nobody was expecting them.
Before the end of the day,
Aqaba falls into the hands of the Arab rebels.
A shining victory for Lawrence.
His legend established, the Englishman
shares his life with the Bedouins.
He wears their clothes, sleeps under the stars
and endures their thirst.
On the front line, he is in every fight.
The English however, are more impressed
by his tactical results.
His guerrilla method is terribly effective.
He is promoted to major, given more weapons,
ammunition and explosives and sent back to the desert.
September 1917, Mudawwara water point.
To prevent attacks, the Ottomans have begun to shield
their trains, but even with these precautions
it won't put up much resistance
against the explosives that are put on the tracks.
Lawrence rapidly becomes an expert
in railroad demolition and at blowing up convoys.
From then on, the Arabs nickname him Prince Dynamite.
In October, at the demand of the British commander,
Lawrence and the rebels go behind the Ottoman lines
to create a diversion.
The mission is dangerous and several skirmishes go badly.
One evening, Lawrence decides to go
on a reconnaissance mission in Deraa.
The small group marches anonymously in the city
where the enemy supply passes.
That's when they cross an Ottoman patrol.
In spite of his Bedouin clothes, Lawrence's white skin
is noticed by one of the soldiers and he is assumed
to be a deserter from northern Turkey.
He is arrested immediately.
Imprisoned, he is subjected to violent interrogations,
lashes from a whip begin to rain down on him
as does the sexual abuse.
Lawrence resists, but he is beaten and immobilized.
He knows that if one English word escapes him
his torturers will unmask him immediately.
Then the torture ceases.
Lawrence is left on the floor, bleeding.
Dawn is breaking.
Lawrence, broken, gathers his last vestiges of strength
and manages to escape.
We have arrived
at a point of divergence.
A point of divergence is a key moment,
a crossroads in our history where our world
can swing from one side to the other.
With his force and conviction, Lawrence is not the leader
of the rebellion but its catalyst.
The scattered armies reassemble and fight, side by side.
If he had betrayed himself under torture by speaking English
his fate would have been sealed.
The Ottomans would have had
one of the pillars of the Arab revolt.
The rebellion would have lost its unity
and perhaps even some of the English support.
So we can imagine a different outcome for the war.
The British, deprived of their precious Arab allies
would have only kept their initial position in Egypt.
By the end of the conflict in Europe,
the Ottoman armies would have been firmly established
throughout the Arabian peninsula.
Rid of the English and the French,
the Ottoman Empire would have survived World War I,
or at least until World War II.
1918.
In Europe, everything accelerates.
In the Orient, as well.
What was at the beginning just an improvised guerrilla war
is now an essential support for the British army
which is advancing faster than ever
in the Ottoman territory.
Lawrence, who has become lieutenant-colonel
increases the audacious raids.
Going up north, he blows up bridges and railroad tracks.
Everywhere the Ottomans are retreating
fleeing in front of the hoofs of the desert horseman
who are riding at full gallop to conquer their future.
Meanwhile thousands of Bedouins flock towards Damascus.
Others converge on Medina, the holy city.
There is a price put on the heads
of Lawrence and the Arab leaders.
But despite the promise of a huge reward,
no one betrays their legendary leaders.
September 19th, as the British launch a major offensive
Prince Faisal proclaims a general revolt.
There's panic in the Turkish army.
The war seems to be coming to an end on all fronts
and it was time.
On both sides, the massacres are multiplied,
fueled by the fire of vengeance.
Prince Faisal and Colonel Lawrence riding side by side
at the head of their nomadic army
move straight towards Damascus.
October 1st, 1918, the flag of the Arab Revolt
finally flies on the capital.
On the 30th, on their knees, the Ottoman Empire
concedes to its ultimate defeat.
Revolt or revolution?
A revolt is a refusal to obey authority
and it manifest itself by an attempt
at insurrection or mutiny.
A revolution is a brisk reversal of a regime by force.
It involves profound political and social changes.
In 1789, confronted with a popular movement
of great magnitude, the King of France, Louis XVI,
does not measure the extent of this groundswell protest.
In his eyes, it's a simple revolt.
A few years later he is guillotined
and the kingdom of France, carried away by the turmoil
of the revolution become a republic.
The Arab Uprising in 1915, is technically a revolt.
The Arabs want to conquer the power
without changing the society.
For the Arab history books however, it is a revolution.
The difference in semantics might seem insignificant
but it completely changes the point of view
and scope of the event.
November 11th, 1918.
The first world war is over,
but for the Hashemites, the stakes of the Arab Revolt
do not stop with the Ottoman Empire.
Hussein continues to fight for control of the peninsula
and the creation of a great Arab caliphate.
He is not alone.
Ibn Saud, Emir of Nejd, knows how to take advantage
of the chaos to launch a jihad and to enlarge the kingdom.
Carried by his religious conviction
he is a formidable adversary.
Especially since, in the meantime, Hussein has discovered
the existence of the Sykes-Picot agreement,
providing for the Ottoman dismemberment
to benefit England and France.
He knows that he can no longer count on the support
of the British, who were hiding their real intentions
and multiplying fake promises
and commitments that have no future.
Lawrence himself, has known
this heavy secret for a long time.
During his years of fighting in the desert
he was torn between his loyalty to the Crown
and his loyalty towards his new brothers in arms.
He never said a thing.
To ease his conscience, he did everything
for the rebellion to be victorious
and have the best cards in hand to negotiate.
In January 1919, the victors of the Great War are reunited
to redesign the map of Europe and the Middle East.
Lawrence accompanies Prince Faisal
as an interpreter and advisor.
The ultimate battle, a battle much more decisive
than all the ones fought under the sun of the Middle East.
It is in vain, the decision
was already made a long time ago.
Forgetting all promises,
the Sykes-Picot accords are ratified.
The Middle East will be British and French.
The coup de grace is given by France.
July 24th, 1920, a French contingent arrives in Damascus
to take possession, in accordance with the agreement.
Lawrence's old comrade in arms resist.
They are massacred.
The only comfort, Lawrence succeeds
in influencing the British decisions.
The government of Her Majesty offers Faisal
the Iraq throne in replacement of Damascus.
A Sunni leader at the head of a mostly Shiite state.
Disappointed, the Prince reproaches Lawrence
for having betrayed him
and for never really fighting for the Arab cause.
The archeologist turned warlord
falls into a profound depression.
To flee his increasingly invasive fame,
he takes refuge in anonymity.
He is soon no more than a shadow of his former self.
May 19th, 1935, he dies after a motorcycle accident.
He was 47 years old.
In 1924, Ibn Saud invades the kingdom of Hejaz.
Hussein is forced into an exile
from which he will never return.
In 1932, the year when we discovered new petroleum deposits,
the Arabic peninsula is almost entirely
under the control of Ibn Saud.
Later, this country will take the name of its founder
and become Saudi Arabia.
But that is another story.
In 1926, Lawrence publishes his memoirs,
the Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
Within it, he describes most notably his actions
in the Middle East.
This work becomes the bedside book of Che Guevara,
Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill.
We can ask ourselves which parts are true
and which parts are legend.
Who finally was Colonel Lawrence.
He described himself as a pawn on the vast chessboard
of imperial British policy, all things considered,
the summary of his actions is very mitigated.
Hussein during their last meeting, relegated him
to the rank of traitor and had him expelled.
For a number of military colleagues,
he was erratic and far from observing
the behavior that one expected of a British officer.
But one thing is certain, Lawrence became a legendary hero
and an adventurer with an unexpected path.
Highly respected by the Bedouins,
with an unlimited commitment he risked death
a thousand times in the heart of battle, from crossing
the terrible Nafud Desert to dynamite attacks on trains.
From his first night in the desert to epic rides.
It is undeniable that the lieutenant-colonel
has deservedly earned his nickname
Lawrence of Arabia.
(dramatic music)