Theeb

Dardanelles, Turkey, 1916. Gallipoli has ended in a resounding ANZAC defeat, but the Ottoman Turks didn't come through unscathed. With casualties numbering in the hundreds of thousands (estimates range between 200,000-251,000), the "sick man of Europe" is on the verge of collapse. It's treasury spent and military exhausted it would only be a few more years before Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his nationalist army would usher in Republican Turkey following their War of Liberation.

Hejaz Province, Arabia, 1916. Perhaps sensing the inevitable, Sherif Hussein bin Ali instigated what would become known as the Arab Revolt. Initially couched under pan-Arab nationalism that called for creating a unified Arab state stretching from Syria to Yemen, bin Ali would later declare the Turks as "impious" and call on all Arab Muslims to his side in sacred rebellion. For their part, the Turks would accuse the rebels of collaborating against the Caliphate with the imperialistic powers of France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and others who wanted to carve up the Ottoman Empire.

While the exploits of T.E. Lawrence and Faisal dominate this time period and geographic region, it's also a period of great change for the traditionally nomadic Bedouin tribes. Traditionally Bedouin guides would escort pilgrims through the desert on the way to Mecca & Medina, but the Hejaz Railway*, constructed by the Ottomans, would put an end to all of that.

* - Beginning in Damascus, the rail line would eventually terminate in Medina. The events of World War I would see the final link to Mecca go uncompleted.

It's against this backdrop that we meet Theeb, a young Bedouin boy who has never had contact with anybody outside of his tribe until a British officer appears in their camp looking for a guide to a well.

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Jordan's official entry for Academy Award consideration is currently making the rounds at the various art house cinemas across the States. Check your local listings.



While Theeb has all the trappings of the classic desert adventure story, it looks like it goes a step further and deals with mature themes. A very uncommon occurrence for the adventure genre. For that alone, I'll be seeking it out.

What a great film tip! I will certainly be seeking this one out too.

Always found the period and the region extremely interesting. So thank you very much.

Joosse said:

What a great film tip! I will certainly be seeking this one out too.

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Joosse said:

Always found the period and the region extremely interesting. So thank you very much.

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I generally tune out of discussions regarding the grist mill that is World War I (it's embarrassing), but the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Middle Eastern front are endlessly fascinating. With that said, I am glad that this movie's existence came across my desk; more movies should focus on the subject (even if they'll exist in the long shadow of Lawrence of Arabia).

Anyway, it's incredibly tempting to read up on the movie through reviews and such, but I want to go in as unspoiled as possible. Though, I do find it intriguing that all the actors in the film (save for the guy playing the British officer) are all first time actors.

I'll be seeing it this weekend if all goes according to plan.

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There's more out there if you're inclined to look, but only a trifling has been subtitled in English. My Arabic is... poor to say the least. I can ask for directions or order lunch.

I can sort of manage that, and say hello and thank you. But that is about it for me.

Oh, and I just learned the Arab word for 'wolf'...

But I'm gutted to only find out about this movie now. Apparently it was also in the Dutch cinemas but I didn't know about it at the time.

Would have loved to see it on a big screen.

This is currently available on home video in the States so it should be available elsewhere as well.



In the meantime, have some additional reading material.

Scott Anderson said:

For the past several years, Sheik al-Atoun has assisted archaeologists from Bristol University in England who are conducting an extensive survey of the war in Jordan, the Great Arab Revolt Project (GARP). One of the Bristol researchers, John Winterburn, recently discovered a forgotten British Army camp in the desert 18 miles from Mudowarra; untouched for nearly a century?Winterburn even collected old gin bottles?the find was touted in the British press as the discovery of ?Lawrence?s Lost Camp.?

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Scott Anderson said:

To GARP co-director Nicholas Saunders, however, Highway 15 is a treasure trove. ?Most people have no idea that they?re traveling through one of the best-preserved battlefields in the world,? he explains, ?that all around them are reminders of the pivotal role this region played in World War I.?

Saunders is at his desk in his cluttered office at Bristol, where scattered amid the stacks of papers and books are relics from his own explorations along Highway 15: bullet casings, cast-iron tent rings. Since 2006, Saunders has headed up some 20 GARP digs in southern Jordan, excavating everything from Turkish Army encampments and trenchworks, to Arab rebel campsites and old British Royal Flying Corps airstrips. What unites these disparate sites?indeed what led to their creation?is the single-track railway that runs alongside Highway 15 for some 250 miles: the old Hejaz Railway.

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Full article: The True Story of Lawrence of Arabia

Full resources for the Great Arab Revolt Project can be found here.

Le Saboteur said:

This is currently available on home video in the States so it should be available elsewhere as well.

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And Netflix just made it infinitely easier. Theeb is currently up and available on the company's streaming service stateside. It's probably available globally, but you'll want to check locally of course.


Kungaloosh!

I skimmed through and... it wasn't for me. Not much happens. Though even an exciting horse opera like Hidalgo (set in Saudi Arabia 1990) didn't seize my attention.