Departure of the Raiding Party. I have suggested this to Sam already. I know he doesn't approve. I still think it would work very well under the present circumstances of length trouble.

I would cut straight from Ali saying, "You are mad." to the close shot of the camels feet which now follows Feisal's "In who's name do you ride?" I know there are one or two--what Robert [Bolt] calls "grace notes"--in the Feisal--Lawrence scene but I think the cut would have a real impact and jump the audience forward in an excellent way. Let us ponder this. I think 1% of the audience understand the significance of "In who's name do you ride?". I think the question of whether Lawrence told or did not tell Brighton is unimportant. It's a preparation scene. It's quite a deal of valuable footage. I'm sure--on this occasion--that the actual cut would be most effective plus giving a feeling of speed.

The Anvil. I must start this with a warning note. I am sure that several after-the-fact "editors" will suggest some cuts in the crossings of the Nefud. Again, be warned. It is a delicate balance of near intangibles which can easily be destroyed. I am willing for one cut consisting of one shot in the actual Nefud. It works as I once had it without this particular shot. It's 12 feel long and is the long shot which follows the mirage sequence and immediately precedes the shot of Lawrence shaving. I used an almost exactly similar shot which now follows as a dissolve from the resting during the day sequence (and please don't suggest any monkey business with that sequence.) and leads as a link to the close shot of the stones and camels feet.

The cut I am sure of its in the night crossings so the anvil. (Zinnerman--an expert--remarked on it without prompting from me.) After Ali says to Lawrence, "This is the suns anvil" I would go, as is, to the long shot of the ants going out into the anvil and dissolve to the second night sequence with the long shadows and the boy falling of his camel. This would cut out the 3-shot sequence of Lawrence looking at his watch, Ali catching him yawning, and Lawrence settling down on his saddle.

Again I have already suggested this to Sam and indeed did so originally in the actual cutting stage. His argument was that the audience wouldn't feel that the crossing of the actual anvil wasn't long enough. I don't agree. There is a dissolve form day to night which in itself gives a passage of time. The fact that the boy falls of suggest tiredness, and in the little scene I suggest cutting nothing really worthwhile happens. It's another grace note. As Fred Zinneman said, "Do try and get to Gasim's empty camel as soon as possible." I'm sure of this as a good cut--not so much in footage, but in eliminating a feeling of tedium in the audience. We have seen it before. It gives a feeling of leisurely pace which is surely our enemy.