As The 100^th Anniversary Of Armistice Day Approaches A Look At The Ottoman Empire (Which Did Not Survive The War)-“The Ottoman Lieutenant” (2017)-A Film Review-Of Sorts

DVD Review

By Laura Perkins

The Ottoman Lieutenant, starring Hera Hilmar, Micheil Huisman, Josh Garnett, 2017  

I asked to be assigned this review of The Ottoman Lieutenant from Greg Green the site manager who these days hands out the assignments according to his lights. I was somewhat surprised when Greg e-mailed that he had granted my request  and that he would sent the DVD ASAP (as soon as possible, which is used a lot around the office coming not from “Internet speak” but a term they learned in the military which really meant you would want you ass off for an eternity) since I had expected fellow reviewer Leslie Dumont to grab the brass ring. She has known Greg for a long time through her film review work at Women Today when he was at American Film Gazette. I had assumed like my reason for wanting to do the assignment that she wanted to comment on the increase in strong women roles among the younger set of female Hollywood actors.

I will get to that in a minute but please be aware that I did not create the title for the piece but it was written by Greg who wanted to use the opportunity of a film about World War I to push the 100^th anniversary of Armistice Day that he has had Seth Garth, Sam Lowell, and Si Lannon, all veterans, writing articles on about the significance of that designation. Frankly, when Greg e-mailed me his idea for a title I did not know what he was talking about, did not know that what the guys are trying to do beside commemorate what they, and history, snidely call “the war to end all wars” is return to the originate intent of the day, November 11, 1918 which was to observe the Armistice negotiated for that day. Somewhere along the line, Sam, who in the seemingly current need to mention in the interest of transparency has been my long-time partner, gave me the date of the switchover in America to Veterans Day when who knows who hijacked the significance of the day but I have forgotten it. While the armistice plays no part in this film since it concentrate on the first year or so of the war I am proud to add my two cents worth to return it to its original commemoration as a day of peace and thanksgiving that the war was over.        

As I noted above I took this assignment when I heard from Greta Smythe at The Film Digest that the lead female role, the role of Lillie an American nurse played by Hera Hilmar, was to highlight a strong, independent, thoughtful woman, which fed into my recent feelings that there has been a shift in the roles younger woman actors are asked to play. Sadly, that does not apply in general to older woman roles. Sam, remember long-time companion Sam, and I discussed this issue after we had seen the film together. Sam, a well-known expert in the film review profession for writing the definitive tome on classic film noir, noted that strong roles for women in those times usually meant they were femme fatales, ready to trap any man who crossed their paths, or shrews, butts of male jokes or some other way to reduce the impact of their performances.  I had to laugh at a few of the observations Sam made about particular female actors in the past, but his point was well-taken as we both agreed unfortunately.

The current review is a good example of what a young woman can portray these days and not be tagged with the above pigeonholes. To the contrary Lillie is a well-brought up, well-mannered fashionable member of the Philadelphia Main Line who has a plan, a mission in life after hearing a lecture about a hospital in nowhere Anatolia, then part of the crumbling Ottoman Empire which was servicing those most desperately in need of medical care out in the rugged mountains. Serving Turks, the mainstay of the empire, and locals, meaning Armenians, their generally hated enemies alike. She came on board bringing with her a very useful car and a load of medical supplies as she left the comforts of the Main Line and headed out to do her share in the wide world. Had, additionally, previously trained as a nurse, which made her valuable if in some danger as the war clouds hovers over the world. She gets there after a few off-hand adventures escorted in-country by the young Ottoman lieutenant of the title, Lt. Veli, a Moslem which matters in the film, played by Micheil Huisman. During the length of the movie Lille more than hold her own assisting a resident doctor, Jude, played by Josh Harnett, tending to the wounded, getting the doctor-founder of the hospital, a laudanum junkie well, and a thousand other things as the Turks, now allied with the Germans ready to face the dreaded Russians. Lillie is somebody who has your back and you don’t have to worry about it a trait much appreciated among men-and women these days. 

         Now for the other part, the love interest part, which drives much of the movie once we agree that Lillie is a strong independent woman. There is no contradiction between Lillie being a strongwoman and having an affair, having as many as she would want if it came to that. The problem is that the love interest parts are rather pedestrian and predictable. For starters that doctor whose work she so admired, Jude, figured to have Lillie as his wife once he entered the picture again when she showed up at his door and they do go on in that direction for a while. But what had Lillie all aflutter was that Ottoman lieutenant who swept her away during their journey to the hospital since he acted as military escort to insure her safety. Jude was bitterly jealous but is left by the wayside as she picks a soldier over a doctor, a Muslim over a Christian, and the knowledge that whatever happens she made her choice despite the odds of anything working out in the mix of those stumbling blocks and the impeding war. And they don’t. The dashing heroic lieutenant got wounded trying to save what were not identified but were a small group of Armenians heading to their deaths by hateful Turkish soldiers during what is not officially acknowledged in the film as the Armenian genocide during 1915. Despite that death she continues on at the hospital. Yes, a strong woman indeed.       

   [Postscript: Sam, dear Sam, who watched the film with me and mentioned at the time during the scene of the Turkish soldiers executing what would if left undisturbed every Armenian in the area that represented the unacknowledged Armenian genocide of 1915, was furious at me for not castigating the film-makers for not making a clear stand on what was happening in that scene since to this day the Turkish governments, avidly and persistently deny the events occurred-and attack those who do believe that the events occurred inside and outside Turkey. I, again frankly as with the Armistice Day significance did not know, or knew only vaguely, about the genocide. That said on the question which has to be drawn from that which is whether to recommend anybody to see the film I have to concede that I have to say no and respect the boycott initiated by an Armenian youth organization.

Look I only grabbed this film to look at the strong female lead and that really is all I can vouch for. And do. Having been burned twice I will shortly, Greg Green willing, do another review featuring a strong female role-and avoid the thickets of the dual controversies here.]