Jackson Bentley is a fictional American
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
appearing in the film ''
Lawrence of Arabia
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...
'' (1962); he is portrayed by
Arthur Kennedy
John Arthur Kennedy (February 17, 1914January 5, 1990) was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the origi ...
. He is based on famed American journalist
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, actor, broadcaster, and traveler, best remembered for publicising T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). He was also involved in promoting the Cinerama widescreen ...
.
Overview
Bentley first appears at the funeral of
T. E. Lawrence
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...
(
Peter O'Toole
Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...
) in 1935. Asked for his opinion about Lawrence by a reporter, he remarks:
:It was my privilege to know him, and to make him known to the world. He was a poet, a scholar, and a mighty warrior.
Then, after the reporter exits, he says to a friend:
:He was also the most shameless exhibitionist since
Barnum and Bailey
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling) is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Ear ...
.
He is then accosted by a British Medical Officer (
Howard Marion-Crawford
Howard Marion-Crawford (17 January 1914 – 24 November 1969), the grandson of writer F. Marion Crawford, was an English character actor, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in the 1954 television adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. In 19 ...
) who protests angrily that Lawrence was "a very great man."
Bentley does not appear in the story proper until the beginning of Act II, when he arrives at Arab- and British-occupied
Aqaba to interview
Prince Faisal (
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
), writing for the ''Chicago Courier''. He admits that he is "looking for a hero" to inspire his country's entry into
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, to which Faisal replies:
:Lawrence is your man.
Bentley covers one of Lawrence's train raids, interviewing Lawrence, Sherif Ali (
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...
), and photographing the event - though
Auda Abu Tayi
Auda Abu Tayeh or Awda Abu Tayih ( ar, عودة أبو تايه 11 January 1874 – 27 December 1924)
was the leader (shaikh) of a section of the Howeitat or Huwaytat tribe of Bedouin Arabs at the time of the Great Arab Revolt during the First W ...
(
Anthony Quinn) takes offense, smashing one of his cameras.
Bentley re-appears as Lawrence returns to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, but is prevented from speaking with Lawrence by Dryden (
Claude Rains
William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as '' ...
). He protests that he has a right to see Lawrence due to his role in his fame. Dryden rebuffs him:
:It's a little clash of temperament that's going on there. Inevitably, one of them's half-mad, and the other - wholly unscrupulous.
Bentley arrives to accompany Lawrence's final campaign against
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
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, but the car he has rented breaks down and he is forced to accompany the main British column with
General Allenby
Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, (23 April 1861 – 14 May 1936) was a senior British Army Officer (armed forces), officer and Imperial Governor. He fought in the Second Boer War and also in the First World ...
(
Jack Hawkins). He arrives in the aftermath of the
Tafas massacre
The Tafas Massacre refers to the slaughter of civilians in the Ottoman Syrian town of Tafas following the retreat of the Ottoman Army in an attempt to demoralize the enemy.
Background
Nearing the end of World War I in the autumn of 1918, a retre ...
, appalled at the carnage he sees, and addresses a blood-soaked, remorseful Lawrence:
:Oh, you rotten man. Let me take your rotten bloody picture. . . for the rotten, bloody newspapers!
Bentley is in his forties, highly cynical of authority, and regards the ambitions of Lawrence, Ali, and Faisal cynically. He and Lawrence seem to have a somewhat antagonistic relationship, but find each other useful for their respective ends.
He has published a very well written novel titled "48 hours - A City of London Thriller"
Inspiration
Bentley is obviously inspired by American journalist and explorer
Lowell Thomas
Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, actor, broadcaster, and traveler, best remembered for publicising T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). He was also involved in promoting the Cinerama widescreen ...
. Thomas, along with cameraman Harry Chase, briefly accompanied Lawrence on his exploits in the
Arab Revolt, visited the archaeological site at
Petra
Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...
, and also spent time with Lawrence, Allenby, and Faisal in Aqaba and Jerusalem (though unlike Bentley, he never met Auda and spent no time on the front lines). After the war (not during it, as the film depicts), he helped make Lawrence a household name with a book and dramatic slide lectures which toured London and New York City. (His being based in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, and his name being Jackson, Thomas's middle name, are other give-aways.) However, Bentley is a middle-aged man, whereas Thomas was in his twenties during the war. There is also no equivalent to Chase in the film.
Lawrence and Thomas in real life had a friendly relationship that only turned sour after Thomas refused to stop his slide lectures in the early 20s, despite personal requests by Lawrence. Thomas seemed to hold Lawrence in high regard, unlike Bentley, though he famously described Lawrence:
:He had a genius of backing into the limelight.
Thomas had approached the film's producer,
Sam Spiegel
Samuel P. Spiegel (November 11, 1901December 31, 1985) was an American independent film producer born in the Galician area of Austria-Hungary. Financially responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed motion pictures of the 20th centur ...
, with a great deal of research material, which was turned down. Thomas enjoyed the film on its own merits, but felt it was a grossly inaccurate depiction of Lawrence and the Arab Revolt.
Michael Wilson's original script was based on ''With Lawrence in Arabia'', Thomas's book on the Arab Revolt, and Thomas served as the film's narrator.
Robert Bolt's revision focused on Lawrence's ''
Seven Pillars of Wisdom'' as its primary source; Thomas's character was scaled down, and his name changed.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Jackson
Fictional characters from Chicago
Fictional war correspondents
Fictional writers