3rd most-quoted character in Lawrence of Arabia (1962): in 6 of its 28 quotes
Most scenes with: Feisal (4), Lawrence (2)
Scenes with Bentley
6 scenes
Bentley Watch out for Allenby. He's a slim customer.
Bentley A clever man.
'Slim customer.' It's very good. I will certainly watch out for him. You are being very sympathetic, Mr. Bentley.
Bentley Your Highness. We Americans were once a colonial people, and we naturally feel sympathetic to any people anywhere who are struggling for their freedom.
Bentley Also, my interests are the same as yours. You want your story told. I badly want a story to tell.
Since starting this campaign four months ago, we have lost 37 wounded, 156 dead. Do you remark at this proportion between our dead and wounded?
Bentley Yeah. Four times as many.
That's because those too badly wounded to bring away we ourselves kill. We leave no wounded for the Turks.
Bentley You mean...
I mean we leave no wounded for the Turks. In their eyes, we are not soldiers, but rebels. And rebels, wounded or whole, are not protected by the Geneva Code and are treated harshly.
Bentley How harshly?
More harshly than I hope you can imagine.
Bentley I heard in Cairo that Major Lawrence has a horror of bloodshed.
That is exactly so. With Major Lawrence, mercy is a passion. With me, it is merely good manners. You may judge which motive is the more reliable.
Bentley It's very simple, sir. I'm looking for a hero...certain influential men back home believe that the time has come for America to lend her weight to the patriotic struggle against Germany, uh, and Turkey. Now I've been sent to find material which will show our people that this war is, uh...
Bentley Oh, hardly that, sir. But to show them its more adventurous aspects.
And you are looking for a figure who will draw your country towards war.
Bentley All right. Yes.
Bentley What, in your opinion, do these people hope to gain from this war?
They hope to gain their freedom. Freedom.
Bentley They hope to gain their freedom. There's one born every minute.
They're gonna get it, Mr. Bentley. I'm going to give it to them.
Bentley What is it, Major Lawrence, that attracts you personally to the desert?
Bentley Well, now, that's a very illuminating answer.
Other characters in Lawrence of Arabia
