A feature-length documentary, Who Killed Lawrence of Arabia? provides an in-depth investigation into the motorcycle crash which ended the life of T E Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, in 1935.
Written and directed by Mark J T Griffin, the film uncovers compelling evidence he claims proves Lawrence’s crash was no accident but an assassination.
Expert input is provided by historians and investigators and the documentary is narrated by Russell Biles.
To support the story, it includes drama footage from Lawrence: After Arabia, a full-length feature film, shot in Dorset, which was released in October 2021. The film starred Hugh Fraser, Michael Maloney, Nicole Cox and Tom Barber Duffy, with the voice of Brian Cox. The film won 32 awards at 20 festivals including Best Picture, Audience Award, Special Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Song and Best Soundtrack. The documentary is made by the same filmmakers.
The documentary investigates Lawrence’s fatal crash, his death and the aftermath. Through investigation and document examination it reveals a plethora of evidence for an assassination but none for an accident – challenging the official story.
As Mark J T Griffin outlines in this interview, the documentary is contemporary and relevant, directly connecting Lawrence’s military campaign a century ago in the Middle East to the current ongoing conflict.
I understand this is a project that you’ve been working on for some years.
Yes, I became interested in T E Lawrence when I was very young – I read about him and visited the places he was connected to around Dorset. Of course, I saw David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia with Peter O’Toole and some years later Dangerous Man with Ralph Fiennes. I always felt the mystery of his death had never been explored.
The mystery of his death?
Yes, he was involved in a motorcycle accident on his Brough Superior and died six days later. At the inquest a witness described seeing a black car just before Lawrence lost control of his bike which then careered into two boys on bikes. The more I researched this incident it seemed to me there had been a cover up – a conspiracy to get rid of Lawrence. He had been involved in infiltrating Moseley and the blackshirts, was in contact with King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan about an Arab uprising and was possibly being groomed for a job to reinvigorate the Secret Service.
You originally wrote a non-fiction book?
Yes, also titled Who Killed Lawrence of Arabia? it was written over ten years collating all the information we’d gathered in investigation. Our key challenge were missing documents including accident records, autopsy and hospital records. The book was published in August 2022, it delves deeply into the crash approaching the death as a murder – who would benefit and who had the means, motive and opportunity to remove Lawrence?
And the documentary follows the film?
Yes. Inevitably the film could only spend a few minutes on the crash and could not explore means, motive and opportunity – why Lawrence might want to be removed. The documentary over 100 minutes is easily able to do this.
You’ve also gathered experts to provide comment and input.
Expert input is provided by historians and investigators Andrew Gough, Rev Lionel Fanthorpe, Niall Cooper, motorcycle expert Julian Amos, probability expert Paul Swift, writer and T E Lawrence expert Jan Woolf and senior lecturer in Arab Studies, Feras Alkabani from East Sussex University. We were able to shoot all the interviews in the T E Lawrence Room – his old bedroom – at Jesus College Oxford where he studied.
You played me some of the sound-track music earlier and it sounds very good.
Thank you. The majority of the soundtrack has been created by John Piper – I especially love the End Titles Theme. Sublime.
And the next step?
Well, we’re going to screen the documentary at selected venues around the UK including London, Oxford, Poole and Moreton – all the dates are on our www.lawrenceafterarabia.co.uk/events page.
I understand the documentary has already won awards?
Yes, we’ve won five Best Feature Documentary awards including Milan, Paris, Florence and London so we’re very proud.
:: Who Killed Lawrence of Arabia? shows at Lighthouse on Tuesday 12 November. Tickets available here Who Killed Lawrence of Arabia? – Lighthouse (lighthousepoole.co.uk)