--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't imagine David Lean justifying why…" description: "\"I can't imagine David Lean justifying why he went to the desert to shoot 'Lawrence of Arabia.'\" — Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_desert_i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-wh_1468189.jpg" --- # I can't imagine David Lean justifying why he went to the… ![“I can't imagine David Lean justifying why he went to the desert to shoot 'Lawrence of Arabia.'” quote by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_desert_i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-wh_1468189.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_desert_i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-wh_1468189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_desert_i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-wh_1468189.jpg) > “I can't imagine David Lean justifying why he went to the desert to shoot 'Lawrence of Arabia.'” [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker finds it hard to justify David Lean’s artistic choice to film in a desert, questioning the rationale behind the setting. **In simple terms:** Questioning why a desert was chosen for the film. Key Takeaway Consider the purpose of artistic settings. Themes film artistic vision environment creative decisions critique Mood analytical inquisitive Type critical reflective When to use this quote - film analysis - creative workshops - director interviews - location scouting Key Concepts directorial intent location symbolism production challenges Questions to Reflect On - What does setting add to a story? - How does environment affect narrative? A Different Perspective Different artistic visions can coexist; justification may be personal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Lawrence of arabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawrence-of-arabia/) ## Related quotes > [Like so many Boomers, I saw 'Lawrence of Arabia' in 1962 when it was first released and when we were young teenagers. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/like-so-many-boomers-i-saw-lawrence-of-arabia-in-1962-when-it-was/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [I have never connected with 'Gone With the Wind.' 'Lawrence of Arabia' leaves me cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/i-have-never-connected-with-gone-with-the-wind-lawrence-of-arabia/) [Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/) > [I'll never know what my life would have been like if they hadn't made Lawrence of Arabia. What would I be? I would maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-sharif/i-ll-never-know-what-my-life-would-have-been-like-if-they-hadn-t-made/) [Omar Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-sharif/) > [I can't see any reason why a dramatic story can't be in 3-D. I think 'Lawrence of Arabia' would have been fabulous in 3-D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-zemeckis/i-can-t-see-any-reason-why-a-dramatic-story-can-t-be-in-3-d-i-think/) [Robert Zemeckis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-zemeckis/) > [The funny thing is that I'm the girl who no one sees at the beach. Ask anyone who's traveled with me. Normally, I'm in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-wang/the-funny-thing-is-that-i-m-the-girl-who-no-one-sees-at-the-beach-ask/) [Vera Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-wang/) > [I never met Peter O'Toole, but he one was of those rare actors whose success was defined by a single role. His incandescent performance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/i-never-met-peter-o-toole-but-he-one-was-of-those-rare-actors-whose/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/lawrence-of-arabia-british-beatlemania/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > ['Lawrence of Arabia' is a film that anyone wanting to become an actor should watch at least six hundred times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sid-haig/lawrence-of-arabia-is-a-film-that-anyone-wanting-to-become-an-actor/) [Sid Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sid-haig/) > [Lawrence of Arabia is the ultimate movie, deeply cinematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/lawrence-of-arabia-is-the-ultimate-movie-deeply-cinematic/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [I've been on camels before, lumbering slowly through the desert - not hugely exciting, but I enjoyed the 'Lawrence of Arabia' vibe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-bruce/i-ve-been-on-camels-before-lumbering-slowly-through-the-desert-not/) [Fiona Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-bruce/) > [I love to look at The Graduate, or Lawrence of Arabia, or things I had nothing to do with. But you could not get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-katzenberg/i-love-to-look-at-the-graduate-or-lawrence-of-arabia-or-things-i-had/) [Jeffrey Katzenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-katzenberg/) > [They chose me for Lawrence of Arabia because I spoke English, had black hair, black eyes and a moustache. It was all luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-sharif/they-chose-me-for-lawrence-of-arabia-because-i-spoke-english-had/) [Omar Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-sharif/) > [Well, the first thing I wanted to be was a carpenter. Then I wanted to be a painter and then a singer. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pitt/well-the-first-thing-i-wanted-to-be-was-a-carpenter-then-i-wanted-to/) [Michael Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pitt/) > [ For forty days he went out into the desert - and never shot anything \[on Jesus\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osbert-sitwell/for-forty-days-he-went-out-into-the-desert-and-never-shot-anything-on/) [Osbert Sitwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osbert-sitwell/) > [I went into the desert to forget about you. But the sand was the color of your hair. The desert sku was the color…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-went-into-the-desert-to-forget-about-you-but-the-sand-was-the-color/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## More by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/life-and-death-are-illusions-we-are-in-a-constant-state-of/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think the most experimental way to a film is to tell the story the traditional way, because everyone is doing the other thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-the-most-experimental-way-to-a-film-is-to-tell-the-story-the/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Time starts out as a notion. But after you turn fifty, time is not a notion anymore but a fact that you start feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/time-starts-out-as-a-notion-but-after-you-turn-fifty-time-is-not-a/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think bad movies are made around the world, not just in Hollywood. There are as many bad art films in the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-bad-movies-are-made-around-the-world-not-just-in-hollywood/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ How can \[actors\] learn their lines and be honest in front of 30 people and all the lights? It makes me cry sometimes. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/how-can-actors-learn-their-lines-and-be-honest-in-front-of-30-people/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I love the three-act theory. It works and works beautifully. But you don't necessarily have to structure a story that way: Cortazar and Borges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-love-the-three-act-theory-it-works-and-works-beautifully-but-you/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [3D is the way we experience life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/3d-is-the-way-we-experience-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I made commercials for corporations like Volkswagen and Coca-Cola, but I was always the one to write them, too, which was a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-made-commercials-for-corporations-like-volkswagen-and-coca-cola-but/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I like to make films, but the only reason I do is because I'm a very bad musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-like-to-make-films-but-the-only-reason-i-do-is-because-i-m-a-very/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [It's very healthy to be aware of your ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/it-s-very-healthy-to-be-aware-of-your-ego/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I personally can't handle frivolous violence. I overreact to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-personally-can-t-handle-frivolous-violence-i-overreact-to-it/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ I saw what I could \[in Mexico City\], but we rarely got anything other than big, mainstream American films. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-saw-what-i-could-in-mexico-city-but-we-rarely-got-anything-other/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [For the actors, the talent is to serve the demands that I ask of them, to do it with naturality and truth, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/for-the-actors-the-talent-is-to-serve-the-demands-that-i-ask-of-them/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) [Explore all 262 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## More Desert quotes > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“And now you will ask me about the musicians that played for the jackalope wives. Well, if you can find a place where they’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/and-now-you-will-ask-me-about-the-musicians-that-played-for-the/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [Some people are like ants. Give them a warm day and a piece of ground and they start digging. There the similarity ends. Ants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/some-people-are-like-ants-give-them-a-warm-day-and-a-piece-of-ground/) [Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [“The cactus thrives in the desert while the fern thrives in the wetland. The fool will try to plant them in the same flowerbox.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/the-cactus-thrives-in-the-desert-while-the-fern-thrives-in-the/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/there-is-nothing-in-the-desert-and-no-man-needs-nothing/) [David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/) > [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [God hath work to do in this world; and to desert it because of its difficulties and entanglements, is to cast off His authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/god-hath-work-to-do-in-this-world-and-to-desert-it-because-of-its/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [“If you build a road in the desert and then leave it to its fate, the desert sands will swallow that road! The same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-build-a-road-in-the-desert-and-then-leave-it-to-its-fate-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Hulkamania is like a single grain of sand in the Sahara desert that is Nacho Madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macho-man-randy-savage/hulkamania-is-like-a-single-grain-of-sand-in-the-sahara-desert-that/) [Macho Man Randy Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macho-man-randy-savage/) > [“The Estate of Solemnity By right, it reigns in its places- in long beards Of spanish moss hanging from a live oak On a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pattiann-rogers/the-estate-of-solemnity-by-right-it-reigns-in-its-places-in-long/) [Pattiann Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pattiann-rogers/) > [The earth itself assures us it is a living entity. Deep below surface one can hear its slow pulse, feel its vibrant rhythm. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-waters/the-earth-itself-assures-us-it-is-a-living-entity-deep-below-surface/) [Frank Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-waters/) [Browse all 1,675 Desert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desert/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't imagine David Lean justifying why he went to the desert to shoot 'Lawrence of Arabia.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-why-he-went-to-the-desert-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desert" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-why-he-went-to-the-desert-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_desert_i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-wh_1468189.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_desert_i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-wh_1468189.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_desert_i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-wh_1468189.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can't imagine David Lean justifying why he went to the desert to shoot 'Lawrence of Arabia.'” — Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can't imagine David Lean justifying...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-why-he-went-to-the-desert-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-can-t-imagine-david-lean-justifying-why-he-went-to-the-desert-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```