The intrepid adventurer Gertrude Bell will be played by Nicole Kidman in Queen of the Desert. Gertrude Bell was traveler, writer, archaeologist, cartographer, explorer, and spy for the British Empire at the dawn of the 20th century.
James Franco, Damian Lewis, and Robert Pattinson as T.E. Lawrence also star. Werner Herzog wrote and directed Queen of the Desert.
Here’s the film summary, “Nicole Kidman and director Werner Herzog bring to life the extraordinary true story of a trailblazing woman who found freedom in the faraway world of the Middle East. Gertrude Bell chafes against the stifling rigidity of life in turn-of-the-century England, leaving it behind for a chance to travel to Tehran. So begins her lifelong adventure across the Arab world, a journey marked by danger, a passionate affair with a British officer (Franco), and an encounter with the legendary T.E. Lawrence. Stunningly shot on location in Morocco and Jordan, Queen of the Desert reveals how an ahead-of-her-time woman shaped the course of history.”
Queen of the Desert will be in theaters and on VOD on April 14.
Letters from Baghdad
A documentary about Gertrude Bell, narrated by Tilda Swinton, is coming out at almost he same time as this film. The documentary is Letters from Baghdad. Women and Hollywood has an excellent write up about it as well as the trailer.
The movie “Queen of the Desert” is based on a true story, but it us not a good movie. See my review of the movie on Amazon UK to find out what is wrong with it.
Now I have seen the documentary film about Gertrud Bell: “Letters from Baghdad.” The title is rather misleading. The letters quoted are not only from Baghdad. They are from many different locations.
The film is quite interesting. But I think you should know the basic facts about Gertrud before you watch it.
The first name of Ms. Bell is Gertrude. Sorry for misspelling her first name in a previous comment.