Istanbul (1957) User Reviews

Far better than the original

[ashew · 6/10 · 13 January 2006]

Yes, comparisons can be made to Casablanca, but this is not a remake of that movie. It is, however, a remake of "Singapore", starring Fred MacMurray and Ava Gardner. Aside from being left speechless by Ms. Gardner's overwhelming beauty, "Singapore" is a dreadful film. "Istanbul", however, is far more enjoyable for several reasons. 1) Errol Flynn. In spite of being older, slower, and puffy from decades of extremely hard living, the man had a personal charisma, effortless charm, and undeniable star quality that transcends all of the decay he had allowed to occur. I know of very few people who take Errol Flynn seriously as an actor, or think him very talented, but any true film aficionado knows the truth. Mr. Flynn's problem was that his performances were so casual, so effortless, so filled with natural humor, that the response was always "Oh it's just Errol being Errol" (not unlike the fate suffered by Dean Martin). I defy anyone to try and find a film where Mr. Flynn was not 100% honest on screen. Do you know how difficult it is to come across as casual on screen...as if the words you are saying are actually your own and not written in a script? Give the man his due. He is one of the most underrated actors in film history, which is a real crime. 2) Cornell Borcher. I don't recall ever having seen her before, nor since, so I looked her up on IMDb. I saw The Big Lift with Monty Clift, but don't recall her performance. Her other films appear to all be European and I haven't seen any of them. For reasons that are unexplained, she stopped acting in 1959. In my opinion, that is a shame. I thought she was really wonderful in this movie. It is rather startling how similar she is in look to Ingrid Bergman (which I am sure is another reason why there are Casablanca comparisons). I wish she had done more films, as I think her departure from acting was a loss for the movie-going public. 3) John Bentley as the customs agent who hounds Errol Flynn for the smuggled diamonds. Here is another actor who I had not seen before, nor since, but who gives a performance that is very nicely executed. His exchanges with Errol Flynn really help elevate the film. 4) Although a color film, there are many nice noir moments, and noir shots by director Pevney that attempt to generate viewer's interest, along with some very nice location shots of Istanbul that add immensely to the color and flavor of the film. 5) The incomparable Nat King Cole. A previous IMDb reviewer knocked Mr. Cole's acting, but I thought he did a fine job in this film, and there isn't a negative word that can be said about the man's singing. He was a one-of-a-kind.

I am certainly not blinded to the films drawbacks, however. Although under 90 minutes, there are times this film feels very long. Sections drag, and the story could have been tightened up quite a bit, but then I assume they were adding filler to make this movie a respectable length. The script is average, most of the supporting characters are one-dimensional or uninspired (with an obnoxious caricature of a petty thief presented by Hogan's Heroes star, Werner Klemperer). Some might also be expecting more action from a film that has Errol Flynn's name above the title, but one must keep in mind that this is a love story, with the smuggling, suspense, and action being truly secondary.

I think people are much harder on this film than they need to be. It is a flawed film, but that in no way keeps it from being entertaining...and, as I stated in the beginning, it is far better than the film it is intended to remake. A must-see for Errol Flynn fans, and a recommended outing for those interested in the kind of romantic-thriller-set-in-an-exotic-country movie that old Hollywood loved to make.

Beautiful Cinematography highlights old fashioned love story...

[skyboy1999 · 7/10 · 14 August 2001]

By no means a masterpiece, and far from Errol Flynn's best, Istanbul still has much going for it. The locations and beautiful technicolour cinematography, bring us back to a time long since past. Errol Flynn does show moments of his past glory, and is OK as Jim Brennan, a pilot who's past comes back to haunt him. The picture is actually a remake of 1947's "Singapore", and the story seems awfully contrived and cliche' by today's standards. Also many of the supporting cast seem to be simply "going through the motions" in this picture. Many people have also compared it to one of the all time greats, CASABLANCA. While watching the film, I could see many of the similarities, but hey, Casablanca has inspired countless imitators, so take that for what it's worth. In closing, if you are a fan of Flynn, or old fashioned love stories, you might want to give this film a look. Otherwise, I'd recommend Casablanca, or The Maltese Falcon, as a good introduction to some of Hollywood's classics....

Moralist and Dated Love Story with Elements that Slightly Recalls Casablanca

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 19 September 2008]

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")

Hear Nat King Cole Sing

[louis-king · 21 January 2005]

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.

Sub-par late Errol Flynn

[prs-51 · 6/10 · 20 July 2016]

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.

Interesting

[cuteasfunk · 7/10 · 15 February 2015]

Istanbul and the associated reviews are really interesting. Yes it is a bit cliché'd and yes some of the characters are one dimensional. Errol Flynn's acting is unique and there are clearly attempts to refer to film noir (even though this a colour film) and there is an attempt by the film studio to lay this film over the moral dilemma of Casablanca and throw in Nat King Cole and "when I fall in love" as a replacement for Dooley Wilson and Time Goes by. But let us not forget films cost a significant amount of money to make and studios are stupid and they feel that they have to piggy back the film's selling point with another film's Unique selling point...see Altman's The Player....if you need proof.

But actually the pull of this film's USP, namely the love interest's amnesia and Errol Flynn's affection for her are quite striking. The diamond smuggling sub plot works to a degree albeit the villains, as one reviewer says, are rather thinly drawn.

What I found interesting as well was 1950's view of women. There was no depth to the relationship between the lead characters just a suggestion of something deep and intense going on. However floating on a love boat in the Bosphorus was all that explained this "love". Also the potential life after the successful acquisition of the diamonds was hinted without any explanation...and the lead female's new life was ugly to the 21st century mind...a suggestion that she would look after Mr Fielding, (presumably cooking, looking nice and proving oral sex) and in return he would feed and clothe her and take her to places like Istanbul, was contrasted with Marge and her husband, where the husband dished out a black eye because Marge might have been tempted by a Frenchman who would have gone with her to see Hamlet in Turkish was almost risible.

But I stuck with this film to the end and enjoyed the mild threat and laughed at the cloak and dagger stuff........no it's not great but it is worth watching.

Yet Another "Casablanca" Wannabe

[ra-kamal · 7/10 · 5 July 2022]

I critically watched the 1942 super classic "Casablanca" (8.5 on IMDb), and the immemorable 1953 "Flight to Tangier" (5.3 on IMDb); so why not a film highlighting Istanbul?

I expected a flop ala "Flight to Tangier". I was pleasantly surprised.

One of the chief element of the success of "Casablanca" was the star (Humphrey Bogart) painfully, but pragmatically, sacrificing his love (Ingrid Bergman) to another man. Audiences respond favorably to romance dramas with hurt in the endings. You release your love so that she can survive and safely move on. Another example lies in the 1942 super classic "For Whom the Bell Tolls" with Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman. The 1952 super classic "Shane" is yet another example, where the star basically takes on the hurt to save others.

"Istanbul" attempts to do this, but this time with a supporting actor turning over the heroine (Cornell Borchers) back to her original love (Errol Flynn). But, how do we even get there? No spoilers here. Watch it (it's on YouTube) and see what you think.

You will undoubtedly pick up a host of other elements borrowed from "Casablanca", including a cafe that anchors everything together, a Black American piano player (played by Nat King Cole himself - he sings "When I Fall in Love"), and a friendly police officer closely following the events as they unfold. Baddies and diamond smuggling are thrown in for the thrill factor.

Fairly good entertainment for an evening.

Errol Flynn would pass away at the young age of 50, two years after the film was released. I could sense that Flynn came across as sort of tired. To me he looked prematurely aged. See what you think.

Casablanca + Singapore = Istanbul, more or less

[schappe1 · 6/10 · 8 August 2021]

This Flynn in another role that suggests Bogart, although it's actually a remake of the 1947 Fred MacMurray/Ava Gardner film 'Singapore'. The earlier film took place in that title city during World War and shortly afterwards. This one moves the location and moves the time forward to 1951 and then 1956, although Flynn is a war veteran who now flies planes, (not seen in this film), anywhere for a price but who has fallen in love with a woman, (Cornell Borchers, an Ingrid Bergman wannabe of the time). And now wants to settle down. A broach he purchases for her turns out to be full of diamonds, which gets him involved with jewel thieves and results in the apparent death in a fire of his lady love. He's hidden the diamonds but is deported and comes back five years later to retrieve them. He not only encounters the same group of bad guys but is stunned to see Ms. Borchers again, happily married to someone else, (Thorin Thatcher). It turns out she has amnesia and has no idea who she is.

Should he try to re-enter her now happy life? Will he find the diamonds? Will he beat the bad guys? Yes, yes and yes. Someone named Martin Benson plays the head bad guy, an appreciator of the fine things of life who is not above having thugs beat Flynn up. Someone else named John Bentley plays the inevitable police inspector. Of greater interest is Werner Klemperer in what might be described as the Peter Lorre role as an untrustworthy associate of the bad guy.

The film has an obvious Casablanca-like situation at the end except it's Flynn going off in an airplane, which, per a stewardess, has been asked to return to the airport in the very last scene. Would they do that?

When I Fall For Errol

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 4 June 2007]

Istanbul is another one of those expatriate films that Errol Flynn was making in the last decade of his life trying to support his family and stay out of trouble with the IRS. It's a remake of the Fred MacMurray- Ava Gardner film Singapore from a decade ago.

Unlike that studio product, Istanbul has the advantage of that great location cinematography right at the sight of the Golden Horn. But Errol Flynn, who was aging exponentially before the camera in every film, was way too old to be playing these action/adventure types any longer. His scenes with Cornell Borchers really do lack conviction.

As for Cornell, she plays Errol's former sweetheart who through the trauma of being saved from a fire now has amnesia. She both doesn't remember Errol and is now married to Torin Thatcher.

But Errol's got some nasty people led by Martin Benson and Werner Klemperer who are after some diamonds which have come into his possession. Got to deal with them too.

Best reason to see Istanbul is to hear Nat King Cole sing and play the piano. Most people today don't realize that Cole was an accomplished jazz pianist, they only think of him as a singer. Actually he was a pianist first, the singing was an afterthought.

Istanbul is a routine action/adventure film for those who are fans of that type of movie.

Istanbul A Pleasant Sort of Visit

[daoldiges · 6/10 · 25 March 2023]

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.

Istanbul Was Constantinople, Not Casablanca

[boblipton · 5/10 · 15 November 2019]

In a mash-up of various Humphrey Bogart starring vehicles, Errol Flynn is a pilot in Istanbul who falls in love with Cornell Borchers and some smuggled diamonds. Then there's a fire, the diamonds are lost, Miss Borchers is dead and Flynn flies off for half a decade. When he returns, he goes about recovering the diamonds, and runs into Miss Borchers, who's amnesiac and married to Torin Thatcher.

And so it goes. There's a singing piano player -- it's Nat King Cole performing his hit version of "When I Fall in Love", Werner Klemperer as a sociopath who breaks into rooms and crawls when he isn't slinging knives, John Bentley as a Turkish Inspector -- non-corrupt -- and other echoes of Bogey. The one original note in the script is Leif Erickson and Peggy Knudsen as a bickering Ugly American couple, and a welcome change it is, to know that fifteen years after Huston et al. perfected the Bogart persona, there was still something to add to the tales of international intrigue besides some filming in Turkey.

In short, there's certainly nothing wrong with the movie, as had been demonstrated the last fifteen times it had been made.

Worth seeing the film just to see the great Nat King Cole sing "When I Fall in Love"....

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 5 January 2016]

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.

Flynn at half mast

[howardeisman · 5/10 · 24 November 2015]

I always get an unpleasant jolt when I see a movie from the late phase of Errol Flynn's career. He had not gotten fat, but his face had puffed up and seemed vertically scrunched. Worst of all, his youthful roguish smile and impish expressions had become a permanent stone face. His 1930s style mustache seemed an unusual affectation in an era of clean shaven men. His lips barely moved as he let his lines leak out. He looked sad and angry, no matter what emotions the script called for. He certainly had a lot of illnesses, so maybe his perpetually tightly shut mouth was hiding some physical problem.

His female lead, Cornel Borchers, had many closeups as she spoke to Flynn. Her animation and sparkling smile contrasted with Flynn's stone face. Thus, the scenes did not play well. They also seemed to have fallen into devoted, passionate love in a nanosecond, for reasons which are unexplained.

The movie is a mild romantic/adventure story. There is enough in it to keep you watching, but just enough. There is an amnesia thread in the story which belongs in the Three Stooges Handbook of psychiatric practice. Nat Cole sings well, of course.

great movie

[winnetou-16107 · 10/10 · 15 September 2018]

Its somewhat like Casablanca but a great old fashion love story love the music by nat kink cole its sad i cant finf this movie any where on dvd maybe one of your readers know where i can find it

Errol Flynn on a romantic nostalgia adventure in Istanbul.

[clanciai · 8/10 · 24 July 2015]

This must seem like a very superficial second hand plagiarism of "Casablanca" to many, but there is actually much more to it than that, if you bother to look deeper into the story, another fascinating study in a case of amnesia with a lot of question marks, many of which you have to figure out for yourself.

Errol Flynn comes back to Istanbul after five years and remembers the turbulence of his last visit, in which he was involved in some diamond smuggling. He had a great and promising love affair, when everything was brutally interrupted by unforeseen circumstances, and he couldn't come back for five years. On his return he meets again his great love, but she is another person, and he has some trouble in understanding the situation, especially since she is now happily married, or at least so it seems. There is very much in this intrigue of seeming appearances while much more isn't easily told.

The superficial impression and unavoidable associations to "Casablanca" are especially exacerbated by Stephanie's almost irritating likeness with Ingrid Bergman, but there is no Humphrey Bogart here. Instead you have an unusually sober Errol Flynn with almost a stone face, covering up stormy feelings with some difficulty, which must trouble him all the way. But the finale is a wonder of almost metaphysical turnings of a totally unexpected nature, and that's where you have to complete the picture by your own thinking; because Errol Flynn's sober face is never more stony than when he has given up all.

Errol Flynn Sparkles & Shines in this Diamond-Smuggling Tale of Exotic Intrigue

[jackbuckley-05049 · 9/10 · 23 May 2021]

I just watched this film on You Tube. I'm a Flynn fan but had seen this only once before, close to 30 years ago now. My interest in Mr. Flynn lay dormant for many years. His films turned-up rarely, primarily only on TCM, which tended only to air his famous, top-notch swashbucklers. At some point, I decided I couldn't keep watching the same movies over & over. I've recently regained my interest in Flynn, mainly from a You Tube clip of his doing a very-entertaining song-and-dance routine in the British-film "Lilacs in the Spring", aka "Let's Make Up". Seeing this clip made me realize he'd made many additional movies in the 1950's after his last great swashbuckler "The Adventures of Don Juan" in 1948. For the record, I'm a big-fan of "The Master of Ballantrae", too, made in the early-50's. I decided I wanted to see as many of his last-decade of picture-making as I could, "Istanbul" being one of them. I must say, I found Errol rivetting in this movie-drama, released in 1957, just short-of-a-month from my birthday. I've never seen him so appealing, supremely-handsome, to be sure, but more importantly, he seemed just-right in the role---perfectly natural, self-possessed, & self-confident. His emotions & expressions seemed totally on-the-money in every scene. The You Tube print was in sharp, clear color, & featured excellent audio-quality. One of the best things for a Flynn fan like me, is that the actor was in virtually every frame of film. It was a joy to see him in frequent closeups wherein he displayed no-signs of dissolution. In fact, he appeared to be in excellent overall physical-condition, very sleek & slender, exhibiting a calm, natural manliness. There was no air of portraying a vacuous playboy or bon vivant charmer with the ladies; in fact, he was devoted to only one woman in this picture. I won't rehash the plot but it held my interest throughout. Though some have found it slow-moving, I did not, though I think I do recall being slightly bored by it upon 1st-viewing some 25 or 30 years ago. This time, so many years later, I found it quite interesting & compelling, in addition to being so impressed with Errol's appearance & performance. While he'll always be remembered for his classic Hollywood-swashbucklers, "Istanbul" proves what a versatile actor he was. This is a serious, down-to-earth drama & Mr. Flynn pulls-it-off with believable, watchable aplomb---nice ending, too!

Romantic spy thriller

[richsiv · 9/10 · 31 January 2023]

Love this movie. Never can find it on tv however I have an old disc that I got at a flee market and play it over and over just to hear Nat king Cole sing and see Flynn even though he is showing signs of aging but still romantic. It is a romantic and spy thriller. Not as great as Casablanca but same type. I have requested this movie on Turner classics but they claim they never got the rights to Show I don't understand why. I think that Flynn fans would love to see it Hopefully if enough fans request it they would get the necessary RIGHTS. I think Ingrid Bergman also would have been great in the part.