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Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day, shaped the destiny of Iraq after WWI in ways that still reverberate today.
While Gertrude Bell is certainly very well-known and respected as a highly influential historical figure, her fascinating life story has been utterly neglected by the entertainment industry. To my knowledge, apart from Werner Herzog’s recent under-the-radar Nicole Kidman vehicle “Queen of the Desert” (which currently boasts a 16% rating on RottenTomatoes) and a little-seen early 1990s made-for-TV flick, there’s no film or series depicting Bell’s tumultuous journey. And her journey certainly warrants an epic motion picture, if not several seasons of an HBO binge-watching experience.
One of the most respected women of her – or all – time, Gertrude spoke half of the world’s languages (Arabic, Persian, French, German, Italian and Turkish!), explored and mapped several Middle Eastern territories, witnessed WWI and the Armenian Genocide, played a crucial part in the creation of the modern state of Iraq, investigated archaeological sites, changed the course of female history – and that’s not even skimming the surface. What have YOU done lately?
Filmmakers Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum decided to rectify this abhorrent omission in cinema with “Letters from Baghdad,” a wonderful documentary that sheds more light on the figure than her actions. Tilda Swinton’s eloquent narration as Bell herself infuses the film with a resonant intimacy – to quote the beginning, “This is her story, told in her own words and those of her contemporaries, taken entirely from private letters, secret communiques, and other primary sources.” T.E. Lawrence (THE Lawrence of Arabia), Sgt. Frank Stafford, Sir Percy Fox, and other real-life figures are played by actors, interviewed on camera, the footage made to seem old. This highly stylized approach works in the film’s favor – it flies by.
“The only woman allowed to come up to Baghdad,” the Yorkshire-born Bell’s “swim against the current” started early when she was one of the first women allowed to attend college in Oxford, based solely on her blistering intelligence. After a brief and tragic love affair in Tehran, Gertrude became fixated on “doing all the most impossible peaks in Switzerland.” Though she made some “remarkable ascents,” her “destiny was fixed by that first visit to Persia.” She returned to the East, drawn to its people, culture, and languages.
Bell proceeded to travel hundreds of miles to the Ottoman Empire by foot (and camel), where she was deemed a spy. Her own government turning its back on her, she continued her journey, encountering tribes and taking photos of important historical sites on the way. “Letters” accentuates the highlights of her colorful/tumultuous life: Bell’s solitary confinement, her involvement in the British Red Cross, her travels to Egypt (“She knows more about the Arabs and Arabia than almost any other living Englishman or woman”)… and Baghdad, in the role of Assistant Political Officer, which caused major controversy. But her “knowledge of inter-tribal relationships” became very useful and she “gathered and sourced information” for the British government.
Adored by the Sheikhs, convinced that “no people likes permanently to be governed by another,” she then fought for the transition from British to native rule in Mesopotamia, fighting for an Arab Head of State. The Americans came in, and the great battle for oil commenced. “Oil is the trouble, of course,” Bell bitterly comments. “Detesting stuff. […] We had promised an Arab government with British advisors, and instead, we have a British government with Arab advisors.” Bell’s report caused ripples in England, leading to her role as the “oriental secretary,” and eventually drawing up Iraq’s borders in pursuit of establishing a steady Arab government. We all know how that turned out…
The letters (along with Swinton’s & Co’s narrations) portray Bell as passionate, determined, sophisticated, endlessly curious, fiercely intelligent, but also, at least according to one source, “abrupt and intolerant, snoozy… [and] downright rude,” which made her unpopular outside the elite group with whom she traveled. Magnificent with words, Bell’s letters unsurprisingly provide the film’s best quotes:
- “In the desert, every newcomer is an enemy till you know him to be a friend.”
- “Don’t tell them that the ‘me’ they knew won’t come back in the ‘me’ that returns.”
- “Perhaps there’s just not enough sun to keep us all warm.”
- In the words of another “acquaintance,” “Do read her letters. They are splendid.”
Major kudos to the filmmakers for enlivening the doc with countless absorbing bits. For example, we find out that she “never mastered the art of spelling.” Bell’s deep affection for her father is vividly and touchingly brought to life. Smaller scenes stick out, like Bell’s visit to the ruins of Babylon, or setting up screenings for Arabian women, or Winston Churchill expressing admiration for the woman. The actors all do commendable jobs, giving the film a theatrical flair, but also broadening its scope and entertainment factor. Archival photos come to life, real footage gets seamlessly interweaved with reenactments – all devices that complement Bell’s story and spice up the documentary format’s predictable structure.
If there is a minor flaw, it’s that the doc’s reliance on letters leads to skimming past some important bits of Bell’s life and focusing too much on others (e.g. her love affairs). Some events are displayed in a somewhat choppy manner, hopping from one highlight to another without much context. Quite a great deal of historical knowledge is expected from the viewer in order to fully get all the references… But that’s okay. This is more of a study of a heroic woman who spoke her mind and broke through barriers than a detailed historical account. If you’re curious – go pick up a book. It would be impossible to distill Bell’s life into 90 minutes anyway, as each “episode” could make a captivating feature-length film.
In a society ruled by men comparing a woman writing a paper to a “dog standing on its hind legs,” Bell managed the impossible: “she told the man what she wanted to be done.” Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum’s “Letters from Baghdad” avoids most of the dry documentary trappings, even making its series of testimonials more than palatable. The stylistic techniques they utilize keep things entertaining and original. Now let’s hope David Fincher is deep into Bell’s letters, working on a grand outline as I write this.
Opens at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas Friday, June 16th
