Her charming, listless hands

Martinelli celebrates after sending his nation through to the RO16 | FIFA World Cup 2026, Round of 32, Brazil - Japan, 29.06.2026

"When [Lawrence of Arabia] was in production, screenwriter Michael Wilson was not paying much attention to Lawrence's sexuality. Wilson was more concerned with the theme of colonialism versus nationalism, and Lawrence's scholastic pursuits. This clearly displeased Lean, who wanted to paint more of a controversial character study, albeit on a large canvas, than Wilson had so far achieved. As far as one can judge from Wilson's notes, Lean had two overriding concerns - Lawrence's sexual make-up, and the scene that he would film in Petra. As far as the former is concerned, Wilson noted that Lean had, revealingly, compared the Lawrence-Ali relationship to Brief Encounter, his 1945 film about an unconsummated love affair starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson." - Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema 1930 – 1971 by Stephen Bourne