Khartoum (film) - Historical Notes

Historical Notes

The film concerns the last months before the British lost their military position in Sudan — in theory a subject territory of Egypt — in January 1885. Britain had occupied, but did not formally annex, Egypt in 1883. Egypt was technically a tributary part of the Ottoman Empire at the time. This is why Gordon, who is technically the "Egyptian" governor of the Sudan, wears a red Turkish fez and the fort and troops under his command display the red, fork-tailed Turkish flag.

The political origins of the Khartoum affair are unclear. The film postulates a meeting between the Prime Minister, Mr. W. E. Gladstone (correctly shown wearing a finger-stall to cover a finger lost in a shooting accident as a young man), and other officials. Due to the questionable moral character of their decision — dumping Gordon into an impossible situation, to make him the scapegoat if things blow up — Gladstone leaves declaring the meeting never occurred, thus protecting his deniability in the affair; but at the same time requesting the others contact him immediately at Balmoral to let him know if Gordon accepts. This is tolerable as storytelling technique and revelation of character, but there is no proof such a meeting happened or that, if it did, the dialogue depicted in the film was the substance. The film goes to some lengths to lampoon Gladstone's soft position on imperialism without exploring the valid reasons why he was reluctant to commit in Sudan.

Although Gordon and the Mahdi did correspond by letter, the meetings between the two in the Mahdist camp, as portrayed in the film, are entirely fictitious. These councils may have been inspired by Gordon's earlier, similar meeting with Darfur rebels in 1878.

The final battle of Khartoum was an invention for the film. In fact, after a prolonged siege, the city fell by treachery, accomplices within opening a door for the Mahdist forces to enter by night. Thousands were roused from their sleep only to be slaughtered.

The final shot of Gordon descending a staircase before being speared to death is based on a famous painting by George W. Joy. Like the other scenes of the "fall of Khartoum", it must be regarded as a fabrication by the filmmakers to ensure a more robust box office.

Charlton Heston, incidentally, stood almost a foot taller than the real Gordon.

Major Kitchener (Peter Arne), who played a role in Gen. Wolseley's (Nigel Green) relief expedition, was himself later a famous general and commanded the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of the Sudan in 1898. He was known thereafter as Baron Kitchener of Khartoum. Much admired in England, Kitchener went on to be the British second-in-command in the Boer War and War Minister in World War I.