Customer Reviews

Istanbul [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

1957's ISTANBUL came late in Errol Flynn's career and perhaps that's why I like it. It combines Errol Flynn's tried and true histrionics now tempered with a world-weary demeanor with new cinematic filmmaking of the 1950s including Cinemascope under Joseph Pevney's taught direction and William Daniels evocatively suspenseful cinematography. I truly enjoy the more relaxed pace of this film of mystery and foreign intrigue. Unfortunately this is yet another film that failed to launch the career of Cornell Borchers (NEVER SAY GOODBYE with Rock Hudson).

...with shockingly old Errol Flynn, shockingly cheek-boned Cornell Borchers and shockingly young Nat "King" Cole. Bought this on a whim at a yard sale and the wife and I watched it this morning over breakfast.

This 1996 re-issue of the original 1956 remake of the 1947 original "Singapore" version is nice but actually nothing terribly special (man gets girl and diamonds, man loses girl and hides diamonds, man finds girl and diamonds, man gets girl and loses diamonds) except for the outstanding rendition by Cole of "When I Fall In Love."

But it was a pleasant 85 minutes and a blast from the past. And that song will be going through my head all day.

It's a keeper.

I really felt sorry for Errol watching this movie. He looks so uncomfortable and doesn't seem to know what to do with his hands. Count how many times a double is used for Flynn in even the most routine shots-like walking into a building. They hired a unit to shoot some location stuff but didn't bother to send the cast. I'm starting to yawn just thinking about this deadly dull waste of time. Nat King Cole is great for 5 minutes in Technicolor but the rest of the picture stinks.

Possibly in an attempt to give this sad little epic a "Casablanca" flavor, Nat Cole sings "When I Fall in Love" about sixteen times, while bleary-eyed Errol Flynn tries to get a bead on lost-yet-not-quite-lost love, gorgeous Cornell Borchers (what's with that name? sounds like a Russian sneezing). There's also something about a fire and some lost diamonds, or pearls, or gold... I wasn't really paying attention. If you're looking for Flynn at the end of his tether, try to find a bootleg of the glorious "Big Boodle" or the truly awesome "Cuban Rebel Girls," both filmed in pre-Castro Cuba and both highly enjoyable provided you have enough rum handy.