Film Summary

“We sailed from Smyrna, in the wildest spirit of expectancy, for the chief feature, the grand goal of the expedition, was near at hand -- we were approaching the Holy Land!” Mark Twain 1867

In June 1867, Samuel Clemens, (Mark Twain), journalist, author and humorist, embarks on a journey of a lifetime. He is 31 years old and a passenger on the Quaker City Excursion, the world’s first pleasure cruise. After departing New York city, the ship sails the Mediterranean for five months, disembarking its passengers for travel to cities throughout Europe and the Middle East. En route, Twain writes letters about his travels and sends them back to the Alta California, a newspaper which is paying him for his correspondence. The excursion’s ultimate destination is a trip through the Holy Land. The pinnacle of their crusade is the sacred city of Jerusalem.

This documentary film, entitled INNOCENTS ABROAD: Mark Twain’s Adventures in the Holy Land, retraces Twain’s footsteps across an extraordinary landscape rich with history. Through his experiences and writings, in particular his landmark book Innocents Abroad, written about the Quaker City Excursion, this project will take a rare look and a unique perspective into the ancient world. As we follow Twain on his journey we reveal his passion for the Bible yet his ambivalence towards his religion. Through Twain’s shrewd and candid observations we gain an insiders look at the 19th century pilgrimage and into Twain’s conviction about the importance of traveling outside one’s familiar territory. With an unblinking eye, sharp wit, and a uniquely American voice, Twain paints an original and irreverent portrait of the Holy Land for his eager American readers.

The documentary interweaves rich visuals including original photographs taken by William James, the photographer and passenger on the Quaker City Excursion. There are also hundreds of 19th century photographs of the Holy Land that are creatively incorporated into the film. The production crew shot on location to Israel, shooting places where Twain traveled in the Holy Land. INNOCENTS ABROAD also features letters, documents and photographs owned by the Benjamin Shapell Family Manuscript Foundation.

Our journey through the Holy Land begins in Beirut where the Quaker City docks. On September 11th, 1867 Twain and his seven companions embark upon their overland trek through Palestine. Almost immediately twain realizes that this poetically described land he’s knows through Bible study is not as the guidebooks have painted it. He is disgusted by the poverty of the region and by the dubious claims made about supposedly holy sites.

As Twain and his fellow travelers approach Jerusalem over a brutally hot and rock-strewn road, they grow impatient to reach the venerated holy city. When they finally see it from afar they take off their hats and wave them high in both excitement and accomplishment. As Twain wanders through the walled city he paints a vivid picture of the architecture, narrow, winding streets, and holy sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Mosque of Omar, the Via Dolorosa, and the home of the wandering Jew. But ultimately, Jerusalem encapsulates all of Twain’s disappointments about the Holy Land.

By October 1st Twain is back on the Quaker City and sailing from Jaffa. The whirlwind tour will extend to a few more cities before the boat finally docks in New York City Harbor on November 19th, 1867. What awaits Twain in America is a whole new adventure. He quickly makes a deal to write a book about his travels based on the letters he’s written from overseas. His uniquely American voice combined with his razor sharp wit and carefully crafted cynicism result in a groundbreaking travel book that resonates with the American public. Innocents Abroad, though radical in its style and perspective, is an immediate hit. Papers throughout the country give it rave reviews.

Mark Twain’s book establishes a new genre in travel writing and becomes standard reading for travelers going overseas. His fresh and rebellious look into an ancient land has an unanticipated broad appeal with the citizens of the New World aching to free themselves from the shadow of the Old. The result is the emergence of the first distinctly Native-American voice. Mark Twain takes a landmark journey and writes a landmark book, which transforms his reputation and secures his place in American and literary history.