I love old movies – especially love stories from the 40s and 50s that give you a glimpse into a world that no longer exists. It’s the details… the formality and elegance, the hats, gloves and letters and the lack of modern props – like cell phones and computers.
I watched Joseph Pevney’s classic Istanbul again this weekend. You seen it? Errol Flynn, Cornell Borchers and Nat King Cole. It’s a delicious flick. A remake of a 1937 film called Singapore, set around the Turkish capital, diamond smuggling and a stormy love affair.
Diamonds are Forever?
For those of you who haven’t seen Istanbul, in a nutshell, the story goes like this: An adventurer. James Brennan (played by Errol Flynn) returns to Istanbul after being thrown out five years earlier under suspicion of smuggling diamonds. His imagination rewinds to his last days there before deportation, and his wild love affair with siren Stephanie Bauer (Cornell Borchers).
He also recalls the collection of ill-reputed characters to steal a bracelet he has bought for his sweetheart Stephanie, a trinket that has a hidden compartment filled with…. yep you’ve guessed it. Diamonds. He gives Stephanie the bracelet as a marriage proposal (after stashing the diamonds in his ceiling fan) but surprise, surprise, he isn’t the only one who knows of their existence. Stephanie’s hotel room is set on fire lo and behold; a gesture of love and commitment opens the floodgates to a saga of secrets, lies and murder. Not surprisingly James skips town to avoid the heat. (End of flashback).
Selective Memory
Fast forward and Brennan is back in Istanbul, and Stephanie has suffered amnesia from the fire, changed her name to Karen Fielding and married a wealthy Englishman.
It James’ luck isn’t down and out enough in matters of the heart, two burning questions remain: Where are the diamonds and who else is also trying to get their hands on them?
Will Stephanie/Karen remember who he is and how much she loved him before, or will he be forced to leave Istanbul without rekindling that love - before the bad guys (or the authorities) get to him?
Istanbul is everything a classic love story should be: tumultuous, fiery, gripping, filled with suspense and utterly romantic. It also offers a gorgeous portrait of a stunning city in another time.