Istambul

After reading some moderately positive reviews here I approached watching Istanbul with some optimism. I remembered fondly Errol Flynn's late-career turn as "Mike Campbell" in the film version of Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises". Although too old for the part, he put in a fantastic performance and was the only actor in that film who truly "got" his character from that great novel. Sadly here he is listless throughout whether fighting or romancing or anything. Cornell Borchers plays the love interest done up as Ingrid Bergman but with little of the charisma. As an aside Peggy Knudsen ("Mona Mars" from "The Big Sleep") plays the distaff side of a crass American tourist couple. The roles are played in the manner of Ralph and Alice from "The Honeymooners" and it jars greatly to a modern taste showing yet again that the past is a foreign country. The plot involving lost love and diamond smuggling is ho-hum and the overall entertainment value is passable only.

I think I may have seen one early B&W Errol Flynn film many years ago but not even sure, so I thought I'd check Istanbul out. The film looks nice enough and there are a couple of interesting location shots. Of course, in a film going to a distant land, there is the requisite boorish American couple. Nat King Cole appears and his character sings and interacts with the leads, which is a pleasant touch for sure. The overall story is fine but the script lets us down. The lead is expelled from Turkey for five years for suspected diamond theft/smuggling and when he returns five years later the authorities think he still has the diamonds on him, which of course he does, but why? Most of the performances are just fine. But the worst offense with Istanbul is the very end, literally, the last 60 seconds are so corny and poorly done. Despite the several missteps, it's still mildly pleasant viewing if you're curious to perhaps check it out.

When the pilot James Brennan (Errol Flynn) returns to Istanbul, the local Inspector Nural (John Bentley) questions him in the airport about the objective of his voyage and also about some missing diamonds. James checks in the hotel and asks for his former room 424; however he goes to the bar to drink vodka, where he recalls his love affair with Stephanie Bauer (Cornell Borchers) five years ago. James and Stephanie are in love for each other; when James travels to Cairo with his plane transporting some cargo for a client, he visits his friend Aziz Rakim (Vladimir Sokoloff) to buy a wedding gift for Stephanie since he intends to propose her. Aziz sells an expensive bracelet for US$ 50.00 only, and when James returns to Istanbul, he finds two hundred thousand dollars in diamonds hidden inside the bracelet. But the gang of Mr. Darius (Martin Benson) chases the smuggled diamonds with James, who denies the existence of the stones. The criminals attack Stephanie in her apartment and when her building is on fire, she disappears and her body is never identified. On the present days, while in the hotel trying to retrieve the diamonds hidden in the ventilator of his former room, James sees Stephanie and she claims to be Karen Fielding and well-married with Douglas Fielding (Torin Thatcher). James tries to help Stephanie to recall who she is while Darius's gangsters chase him seeking the diamonds.

"Istanbul" is a moralist and dated love story, but also entertaining. The music score is fantastic, probably the best in this movie, with the awesome Nat King Cole singing "When I fall in Love". The story has many similarities that slightly recall the masterpiece "Casablanca", like for example, the lead character missing a lost love that reappears some time later with another man; a wonderful song (in Casablanca, the stunning "As Time Goes By" by Dooley Wilson); the tickets are replaced by smuggled diamonds; there is an inspector chasing the lead character. Therefore, the story is visibly inspired but without the charming of "Casablanca" and with a conclusion too corny for my taste. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Istambul" ("Istanbul")

Fairly good movie with some similarities to Casablanca including a song comparable to 'As Time Goes By' sung by the leading man's black sidekick.

Nat Cole was one of the greatest song stylists ever, and the way he caresses 'When I Fall In Love' is something to behold. As an actor he was just fair, but when he sings at the piano even Errol Flynn pays him an envious compliment.

Cornell Borchers is pretty but doesn't jump off the screen like Ingrid Bergman. Flynn is good but shows the beginnings of his alcohol induced physical slide that led to his premature death in 1959.

Nat King Cole was one of the greatest singers of all time. This is coming from a guy who generally prefers hard rock to most other music. His voice was so smooth and his style so perfect, you can't help but think he'd have been an even bigger star had he been born at a different time. While he made a few appearances here and there, this is one of the few chances to hear him sing one of his best songs (unlike in "Cat Ballou"). So, whether "Istanbul" is a good film or not, it's well worth watching just to hear and see Cole sing "When I Fall in Love"...a truly beautiful song from a beautiful man.

As to the film, it's one of Errol Flynn's last films. It's not a super-cheapo production like many of his later movies (a few of which are truly embarrassing to watch today) but is more an international film with lovely sets, location shoots and Flynn STILL looking fit and handsome...probably his last film where he didn't look awful due to the ravages of alcoholism. He really looks pretty good for a man in his late 40s. Sadly, he'd be dead at 50...bloated and a shadow of his former self.

Much of the movie is a flashback. As James Brennan (Flynn) nears Istanbul on an airliner, he thinks back to what occurred five years earlier. Back then, he fell in love with Stephanie Bauer (Cornell Borchers) but got pulled into a diamond smuggling affair as well. The end result was that Stephanie apparently died and Brennan left Turkey.

Once Brennan's plane arrives, however, things get weird. Soon he sees Stephanie...his old dead fiancé! But she's alive and now falls herself Karen Fielding. What is going on here?! He also is soon approached by various scum-bags (including Werner Klemperer) and the intrigue begins all over again! See the film and see what Brennan learns about this crazy, mixed up mess!

Along with "The Sun Also Rises", this is the last nice looking and cinematic film. It's in lovely Technicolor, has very good acting, music and enough gloss to make it worth seeing. Thankfully this is not an awful mess like his final film, "Cuban Rebel Girls"--and remembering him for films like "Istanbul" is what I'd much rather do. My only gripe about this one, and it's minor, is the amnesia angle--a plot device best left out of most films. Otherwise, I strongly suggest you see this film if you can...it's worth it.