Rating: - One of my favorite Errol Flynn Adventures
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).
Rating: - Not even a hint of the old Flynn charm in this dud
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.
Rating: - When I Fall Asleep
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 ... Read More
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