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It was exciting to finally see ABDUL THE DAMNED,
the British film directed by Karl Grune. I had finally found out the identity
of photographs reproduced in one of the few "Turk" related books
from my dad's collection, "Grand Turk"; they happened to be
from this film. Furthermore, although we can determine from the title that the
topic of Turks was going to get the usual "Turks are bad" treatment,
ABDUL THE DAMNED is perhaps the only Western film that spotlighted Turkish
history as the main subject, and for that the British studio and filmmakers
deserve much credit.
In defense of the filmmakers, it's perfectly understandable that the Turks
were going to look "bad." British and other Western audiences the
film was geared toward had been raised with harrowing tales of the Terrible
Turk, and it was perfectly natural to give 'em what they wanted, that Turks
make wonderful tyrants and killers, along with a splash of lustfulness.
With all of the "Bloody Sultan" propaganda from the 19th and 20th
centuries, we also knew we were in for Abdul's depiction as a despot... and no
one is saying Abdul was an angel, although this general one-dimensional comic
book portrayal (there are commendable shades of gray in the film) of the last
major sultan is certainly not in tune with the reality. However, in light of
these expectations where the Turks were going to be dealt dirt, it was very
nice that the filmmakers tried to be fair, as well. Consider:
1) The hero, Talak Pasha, a captain of the Ottoman army (the film always says
"Turkish"), who goes on to become the leader of the Young Turks, is
very conscientious. Furthermore, his fiancée is the heroine, Therèse, the
Viennese operetta star... a Westerner!
2) Sultan Abdul Hamid II is actually treated rather sympathetically. There is
one scene where we even get an idea why he is forced to become the cruel
tyrant the West loved and still loves to depict him as.
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A
menacing pose by Nils Asther was selected here
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3) The chief of police, Kadar Pasha, who does the
sultan's dirty work, is extremely charming, and played by a Swedish actor
described in the DVD extras as "unbearably handsome," and once known
as "the male Greta Garbo," Nils Asther. Now that was really nice!
For example, the Turkish officer in the Australian film, THE LIGHTHORSEMEN,
was also treated sympathetically, but the actor was given dark make-up and a
terribly sinister scar. In point of fact, many of the Turkish characters in
ABDUL THE DAMNED were portrayed by handsome men. (The producers could have
easily engaged in an "ugly" casting call, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS-style; if
you recall, the only good-looking people in that one were Westerners.)
(By the way, the leads are mainly played by non-Briton foreigners, including
the heroine, who was an American. This might have been the way for the
filmmakers to put over on British audiences that the characters come from
different parts of the world, minimizing the English accent as much as
possible.)
Despite these "nice" gestures, the script will slip in several of
the usual digs, reminding the audience that "Turks are bad," going
beyond the badness of the villainous sultan himself.
The film sets us up with the following scroll:
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In the Christian year of 1908, the Moslem Empire of Turkey was ruled by Abdul Hamid
II......
ABDUL THE DAMNED.
Last of the absolute monarchs, his people had lived in cruel oppression. At last they have
broken into revolt, led by Hilmi Pasha, founder of the Young Turk party, distinguished
from the old order by their white fez. Fearing their rising power, the Sultan promised to
sign a new constitution guaranteeing liberty and civil rights to all...
Naturally, historic films are permitted license to distort events, for the sake of
dramatic flow. For example, the plot will require for Young Turks to be distinguished from
"old Turks," and thus it became necessary to create the "white fez"
device for the Young Turks. In addition, the sultan had already come up with that
constitution back in the 19th century, but suspended it. When the Young Turks came to
power, they simply dusted off this constitution. And that "cruel oppression"
term is the standard Western way of looking at the picture; compared to the ways of
another absolute monarch, the Russian czar, the common people of the Ottoman Empire were
living in a practical utopia. So we're not going to harp too much on historical
inconsistencies.
A rousing "one for all, all for one" anthem was needed to symbolize the liberty
represented by the Young Turks, indeed the running theme for the whole movie. While the
British filmmakers performed a commendable job with their attention to period detail (even
if they got carried away at times; but, hey! It's a movie), they came up with a horrible
song that has "British" written all over it. What a pity the composer lacked the
imagination or ability to put a taste of Oriental twang into the piece. Have a listen.
While we're on the topic of production value, they really went all out. The filmmakers
actually went to Turkey to inject an air of authenticity for the exteriors, just as may be
seen in MIDNIGHT EXPRESS! For example,
as we share the same Point-of-View as characters on the Orient Express, we see a dab of
what "Constantinople" looked like:
And look at the sets they constructed. Pretty lavish!
Actually, the bottom portion from the above photo was the actual set; it's possible their
"special effects" department prepared a glass painting or something for the
rest. But the producers' hearts were in the right place. One "neat trick" was a
shot of the "real thing," probably from Dolmabahce Palace, dissolving into the
version (focusing on the sign with Ottoman script) that was built on set:
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Fritz
Kortner
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Abdul Hamid was ably performed by Fritz Kortner
(Fritz Nathan Kohn originally; he escaped Nazi persecution by moving to the USA two
years before this film was made); Kortner also played the role of the sultan's
double, "Kislar, the Actor." We actually are afforded a "sort of
affection" for Abdul Hamid, given the nuances of humor and humanity that
Kortner provided.
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Esmé
Percy plays Ali |
The rest of the cast did a fine job as well, another appealing
performance was that of Ali, the chief eunuch, slimily played by Esmé Percy. (His
skin was darkened, and probably the audience was expected to believe Ali was
"black," since legend has it the eunuchs of the harem had to be black.)
Ali acted as a sort of second-in-command, a role I was not aware was assigned to
eunuchs.
As the film opens, there is a procession in the palace, and the kind of "Ali
Baba and the Forty Thieves" kind of announcement that Westerners have come
to expect is made:
"His majesty, Abdul Hamid the second, shadow of God and slayer of
infidels!"
Ali struts out, however, and declares, "Our imperial master will receive no
one today. At his command, the sublime will is to be indicated by myself."
An official points out "The protests
from the British foreign office," which Ali brushes off with, "File
it with their fifty other protests. And express his majesty's gratitude; it shall
have his earnest and immediate attention." The official also declares, "These
convicted persons are recommended to mercy." Ali sniffs, "His
majesty, fountain of mercy, has granted it. They may choose... their own way of
execution." Thus the film sets the stage for Abdul Hamid's murderous
tyranny.
Okay! We're not going to harp about the history here too much,
but in defense of the "Bloody Sultan," Hamid was known no less for his
leniency. Albeit under pressure from European diplomats, Hamid not only pardoned the
Dashnak maniacs who took over the Ottoman
Bank in 1896 and rained bombs on the public from rooftops, but even those
Armenians who tried to assassinate him in 1905. These unpunished terrorists, such as
Armen Garo, would
return years later to wreak further death and destruction.
The Armenophile Richard Davey served
as a character witness in 1895: "It is impossible to withhold sympathy and
respect for a Sultan of such blameless private life as Abdul Ahmed, who works
incessantly at what he believes to be the welfare of his people. To accuse him, as I
have seen lately, even in respectable English papers, of being a sort of Tackleton
who delights in tormenting his Armenian subjects as that worthy did in scrunching
crickets, is not only unjust but in preposterously bad taste. In the first place,
the Sultan is so free from the spirit of cruelty which disgraced some of his
ancestors, that it is difficult to get him to sign even the death-warrant of a
murderer. He invariably commutes the sentence to imprisonment. He has much to
contend with."
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Whether
Abdul Hamid deserves the black reputation that has been pinned to him is a matter for
debate. If he was “the bloody assassin” and the “red Sultan” to most people,
he was the hard-working, conscientious, much harassed but personally charming ruler to
others. Those who have spoken for him have pointed out that the Sultan felt his Empire
threatened by the Armenians, who, he knew or at least believed, were in league with
the Young Turks, the Greeks, Macedonians, etc. They believe that Abdul Hamid was the
victim of what we moderns call a persecution complex.
William Langer, The Diplomacy of Imperialism, 1968
Thanks largely to the inflammatory rhetoric of the Liberal
leader William Gladstone, who had whipped up the “Bulgarian atrocity’ propaganda
of the 1870s and tried to do the same for the Armenians in the 1890s, the sultan
entered history as Abdul the Damned, Abdul the Assassin
and the Red Sultan. In fact, there was no evidence that Abdulhamit was hostile to the
Armenians on racial, religious or ethnic grounds. There was no evidence of such
animosity towards the Armenians throughout the whole course of Ottoman history but in
the wake of the terrible events occurring in the eastern provinces the sultan was
turned into a convenient architect of a ‘plan of extermination.'
Prof. Jeremy Salt, "The Narrative Gap in Ottoman Armenian History," Middle
Eastern Studies, Vo1.39. No.1, January 2003, p. 25 |
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Talak reads
the order signed by sultan, as Hilmi looks
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Hilmi Pasha (Charles Carson), leader of the Young
Turks, is on his way to Istanbul, having been invited from a five-year exile by the
sultan, to serve as Grand Vizier. No one is aware of his arrival, and the Orient Express
is stopped by Captain Talak, the hero Turk of the film.
Now Talak is an interesting character in his own right. Played by John Stuart, he will go
on to lead the Young Turks after Hamid will play a dirty trick on Hilmi later in the fim.
Talak is a blend between the two most famous Young Turks, Talat Pasha (resembling the
name) and Enver Pasha (resembling the man); note that he is a fairly good match:
 
Isn't it ironic that the two men designated as among history's worst villains, thanks to
overwhelming pro-Armenian propaganda, would be relegated to such heroic roles in this
film?
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Therèse
(Adrienne Ames) is at right; the actress was a
debutante (her first two husbands were millionaires), and died of cancer at forty.
She was twenty-eight here. |
The script has nice touches of humor throughout; also on the train
we meet the heroine, Therèse, the Austrian opera singer whose troupe is on the way to
perform in Istanbul. Sitting with an older woman (Annie Esmond), Therèse compliments the
Turks: "Everyone seems very polite." The not very attractive woman
replies, "Oh you will be quite safe in Turkey. I've been in Constantinople six
times and I have never been accosted once."
But the old lady makes sure to tell Therèse (and us) that the land they are headed for
leaves much to be desired. The nation is ruled by a heartless tyrant:
"Abdul the Damned is what they call him; ...the things that go on in that palace!
He frowns, and men die like flies. He smiles, and they recover. Not the same ones, of
course."
And the nation itself is not far from a hellhole:
"Constantinople: a wonderful city. But like everything in Turkey... beautiful; but
very, very cruel."
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Therèse
listens as Talak expresses patriotic fury
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Talak notices Therèse on the train, and as he
was once stationed in Austria, we learn they have fallen in love and are engaged. A
few scenes later, as Hilmi Pasha gives a speech regarding the new liberty, Talak
angrily tells his wife-to-be that the cheering crowd is "drunk":
"Ideas they don't even understand. They want to borrow a parliament from
England; an army from Germany; and a language from France. Everything that isn't
Turkish."
Pro-Armenians might conclude "Talak-Enver" was into
"pan-Turkism," but even this film gives the idea that what the concept
meant, particularly in the hands of Ziya Gokalp, had everything to do with Turkish culture,
and not Turkish ethnicity. Since the system was broken, the desperate
Ottomans were looking for answers from "superior" Europeans, sacrificing,
in essence, their soul.
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| Mention of "Armenian Atrocities" |
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The
ambassadors
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Finally, Abdul Hamid makes an appearance during
another palace ceremony. The foreign ambassadors chatter between themselves:
Diplomat 1: "Abdul certainly looked the part. But I thought at least he
would make a speech."
Diplomat 2: "He dislikes speaking in public. His mother tongue is
Armenian."
Diplomat 3: "A-ha... the Armenian atrocities become understandable: a family
affair."
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Malik
takes a potshot, ensuring the
admiration of Armenians for
generations to come. |
That's it for reference to Armenians in the
film, but an assassin takes a shot at the sultan soon afterwards, wounding the
double. While questioned, he doesn't reveal his background, only saying that he will
die for freedom, as thousands hate Abdul Hamid. In the credits, however, there is a
character named "Malik, a spy." (Henry Peterson.) What do you think? There
was no spy in the film, so this listing was likely for the assassin character. Looks
like this character was meant to be an Armenian, a play on the real-life assassins
from 1905.
There is a marvelous scene between Kadar and Hamid, where both cackle over the
prospect of the lovely Austrian singer. ("By the way... ha ha ha ha... she
has a very lovely voice... too!") At one nicely understated moment, Hamid
turns to Ali who is also sharing in the merriment, and asks, "What are you
grinning at," at which Ali quickly changes expression. Here is a representation
of "The Lustful Turk,"
which certainly had no bearing on reality given the elder Abdul Hamid of 1908, but
was an irresistible notion for British and Western audiences.
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The
doctor gets the point
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The doctor (Clifford Heatherley) operating on
what he thinks is the wounded sultan tells Abdul Hamid to stay back. After learning
that the one he treated so disrespectfully was the real sultan, the doctor begins to
shake with fear. The sultan orders the doctor to forget what he has seen, but he is
already a marked man.
Kadar Pasha is called in for the questioning of the suspect, stating that the
interrogators have hopefully not performed torture, as the new constitution forbids
it. The sarcasm becomes apparent when Malik does not survive Kadar's techniques.
Hilmi Pasha is unnerved when he learns of the sultan continuing with his old
despotic ways.
After Hilmi leaves, the sultan asks Ali: "How did Hilmi know about the
examination?" Ali replies, "The night has a million eyes."
The sultan then declares, "Find out which eye, and put it out."
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The sultan and his top cop conspire on a murderous plot |
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Talak is
shot. Aside from harem girls, the above miss is the only depiction of a Turkish
woman in the entire film.
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At the sultan's command, Kadar murders an Ottoman
official so that the Young Turks could get the blame (here is where the plot device of the
"white fez" becomes necessary; Kadar makes sure to wear a white fez), and he
also shoots Talak, who happens to be with the victim at the time. Here, the character's
resemblance to Talat Pasha surfaces, as Talat too was shot around 1915, but the tough Turk
quickly recovered. (Talat wasn't tough enough to survive a bullet through the back of the head years later, however.) The Talak of
the film proves to be superhuman; the bullet has no seeming effect on him, whatsoever.
(When he tells his lover that he had been shot, she does not even bat an eyelash.)
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Therèse prepares
to give a show to the sultan
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Kadar
tries to get Therèse to accept his offer. |
After Therèse wows the sultan with her
performance, her maid hands the singer a note in the dressing room afterwards,
adding the words, "There's
one of those unspeakable Turks outside, Miss." The Turk in question
happens to be the tall and handsome Kadar Pasha, so we can only gather the maid must
be related to William Gladstone, or
that the screenwriter had to get the phrase "unspeakable Turk" in the
script somehow! Kadar enters, and tries to cajole the lady to accept a private
invitation. She refuses, and while on his way out, Kadar runs into Talak paying a
visit to his lady love.
There is a round-up of Young Turks afterwards, and Kadar makes sure to add Talak to
the ones to be arrested.
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| "Nightmare
country" |
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Talak: putty
in Therèse's hands
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Therèse and Talak have this following exchange, as we
hear Muslim prayers in the background:
—No more politics. Nothing must keep us apart now. There's a boat sailing for France
this evening.
—France?
—Yes. I have friends there. And everything is kind, and real, and secure. Not like this
country. Full of smiles and treachery. Where even loveliness is a mask of evil. Let's go
together; out of this nightmare country.
—You're right!
(Some patriot Talak turned out to be!)
But their plans go to pot when Talak gets arrested, and when Therèse pays a visit to
Kadar, she learns her refusal of the sultan's "personal" invitation is the
reason why. Kadar then threatens to send a report blaming Talak on his meetings with
Therèse as amounting to espionage or assassination plots. Therèse explodes:
—That would be murder! I'll expose you, I'll make
everything public.
—That would be denied. And you would be certified insane,
young lady.
(It appears Kadar has much faith in getting Westerners to believe what Turks have to say.)
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Kadar has
the lady where he wants her.
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Therèse then begs Kadar not to send the report. "All
you have to do is reconsider the sultan's proposal," the sinister Kadar tells
her. As Therèse's virtue hangs in the balance, she pathetically asks, "Is there
no alternative?" to which Kadar replies curtly, "None."
Boxed into a corner, poor Therèse has no choice but to accept.
But instead of gettng ravaged, the sultan gives instructions for her to be "received
like a queen."
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Therèse gets an
"extreme harem makeover,"
and is welcomed by the chief eunuch
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Looks
like these ladies may be jealous of Therèse?
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Therèse gets trussed up by harem girls, and as
she leaves to be by the sultan's side, the other women follow her with their eyes.
How interesting that there is such a "politically correct" mixture of
different types, in a film as early as this.
As the sultan enters, we are treated to one of the film's
funnier scenes; Hamid fixes the imperfections of the standing guard. When he bumps
into the extended rifle? of one, he takes a sword from one of the other guards, and
is prepared to stab the offender, but changes his mind at the last minute. He's got
a short temper and can kill on a whim, all right.
(Perhaps these guards have taken a tip from the "OH-DEE-YO" guards of the Wicked
Witch from The Wizard of Oz, holding the long spear-like axe-contraptions?)
Therèse is treated
like royalty; not such a bad deal, perhaps
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George
Zucco!
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At the banquet, the alarming sounds of rifle
shots are heard (the firing squad commander is played by the great Greek-Briton,
George Zucco), as the Young Turks are executed. (Since they are singing that
annoying song about liberty and freedom, maybe they halfway deserve it.) But the
violence is too much for Therèse, and she faints. The macho sultan carries her to
the imperial bedroom, but doesn't lay a finger on her as she awakens. He learns the
reason for her angst is the belief that Talak has been murdered, but the sultan
assures her it is not so.
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A
perfect gentleman! |
He understands Talak's predicament was all
Kadar's doing. "Anybody under arrest without my knowledge shall be
released," he declares, at which Therèse gratefully tries to grab his
hand, but he says, "no, no, no," and leaves her with a salute. What
kind of a "Lustful Turk" is this, anyway?
Talak is exiled to Salonica, where the other Young Turks are, and it won't be long
before he presides over the seeds of revolution. In the meantime, the sultan falls
hard for his latest acquisition; he plays the piano, while she sings her operatic
tunes, in a scene reminiscent of "The Phantom of the Opera."
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Come
on, just a little smooch..! (Earlier in the film, we
were told Hamid had three hundred wives. Really,
what is that special about the haughty Therèse?)
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Sultan Abdul Hamid finally makes a play for
Therèse by trying to peck her shoulder, but she will have none of that. (How many
hoops is this poor fella going to need to jump through?) We are then treated to some
important character exposition:
Therèse: "It's strange... but I feel for you something that I've only felt
for your victims. You seem so.... alone. Without friends. Surrounded by enemies. I
feel..."
Hamid: "Sympathy! That's something new for me. Pity. A gentle form of
contempt."
(He had better not invite greater wrath from the Armenians. Doesn't he realize the
Armenians thrive on sympathy?)
Hamid continues:
"There was no pity for me, after the first attempt on my life, when I was a boy
of eight. Ever since I am bound to crush every spark of revolt. That means an army,
money, taxes. Taxes mean revolt. More soldiers to put it down. Bigger taxes. Vicious
circle, you see. The more taxes, the more conspirators who join the white fezes in
Salonica."
And Mel Brooks said, "It's good to be the king."
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film proves it! There was no "genocide" |
One of the good things about ABDUL THE DAMNED is its
avoidance of one-dimensionality. When Kadar's fate becomes known, he is very
gallant, and Therèse expresses her "gentle form of contempt"
toward him as well. How refreshing that the villains are not treated as those
wearing simple black hats.
Kadar's confession inflames the masses, and it's off to the palace, armed with their
cudgels, axes and other crude weapons of brutality. Turks love to massacre, that's
one thing we know. Finally, one finds the sultan behind a curtain, and his minutes
appear numbered.
The mob is off to lop
off some heads
There he is!
However, Talak and the Young Turks arrive in time to
save the sultan's neck. (See this Photo
from "Grand Turk") The sultan says he cannot be deposed,
but one of the Young Turks instructs that he certainly can abdicate:
Talak: Have no fear; your personal safety is guaranteed by the government and the
army. It is the wish of the people; there will be no bloodshed. You may go in peace.
Hamid: I am free? You mean you are not going to...
Talak: No. We are not murderers.
The character that represents Talat and Enver clearly says it: They are not
murderers. There you have it; this movie, made a generation after
"1915," proves there could have been no genocide!
As the sultan drives off in his coach, he presents a poignant look. He strokes his
white cat (in real life, Hamid actually owned a white cat), a gesture that no doubt
inspired Blofeld of SPECTRE (who knew a supervillainous role model when he saw one)
years later.
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