Thief of Bagdad (1940)

Amazon.com essential video

Often hailed as the greatest fantasy film ever made, The Thief of Bagdad (1940) was producer Alexander Korda's crowning achievement. Deservedly winning Academy Awards for art direction, color cinematography, and special effects, this Arabian Nights adventure appeals to all ages with its fantastical tale of Abu (Sabu), the little thief who befriends the prince of Bagdad (John Justin) and foils the nefarious plans of the evil grand vizier (Conrad Veidt), who seizes control of Bagdad and covets the princess of Basra (Joan Duprez). From its gorgeous, epic-scale sets to flying horses, magic carpets, and, best of all, Rex Ingram's towering jinni of the bottle, this Thief has all the magic of the tales that inspired it, and vibrant Technicolor brings it all to life in dazzling style. Six esteemed directors worked on this infamously troubled production, but the final result exceeded all expectations, becoming an instant classic that endures to this day. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Difficult to rate.......2007-02-23

This is the first movie ever that I remember seeing. It has been my benchmark for all others since. A great movie in all ways, and well worth watching.

Note especially the curious mix of Islamic and Hindu themes and the interesting bit players and extras who alternate between the two cultures.

Unfortunately the copy of the DVD I was shipped has very poor color registration, and with blue-screen shots used for special effects, this ruins a lot of the most enjoyable scenes (the temple of the goddess for example). Fortunately, the sound is good and much of my enjoyment comes from the dated, sometimes corny but sometimes moving dialogue and the beautiful music (including wonderful leitmotifs) by Rozsa Miklos.

I would like to rate it at 5 but I have to be honest. If you are a perfectionist, you may be (a little) disappointed.

I only wish someone could make movies like this again!!!!!

Arabian Nights.......2007-02-14

I will always find time to watch this movie several times over. The special effects are simple but beautiful without all the computer digital effects junk.

Enchanting fairy tale!.......2007-01-15

"The Thief of Bagdad" is impressive in the shape of the evil magician Jaffar (Conrad Veidt). He plots with lies and magic spells to obtain the kingdom from its rightful ruler the young King Ahmad, and a gorgeous princess from her father...

He falls victim in the end, as all tyrants do (in books and legends) to love and of the common man whom he ignored, here embodied by the little thief (Sabu).

The armies of good and evil, black and white, are superbly realized in both visual and literary terms...

The script is poetic, simply and very beautiful... The costumes of the magician and his men rising and falling like the wings of black birds, attacking suddenly in the night to inflict destruction and create terror...

The radiant hero wears white turbans and robes, and his princess is dressed in pinks and pale blues...

For spectacular scenes it matched all that had gone before, while through its use of color, it brought to life a world such as had not seemed possible before...

With flying carpet and flying white horse, with a giant genie (excellently played by Rex Ingram), with evil wizards, and with the good acting of Sabu and Veidt, "The Thief of Bagdad" captures the quality and true atmosphere of the Arabian Nights...

The 1940 version remains the screen's finest fairy tale!

The Thief of Bagdad.......2006-11-10

A classic of early special effects with a great story,great acting and entertainment fit for the whole family.

A real classic original of a much loved movie.......2006-11-10

The original version is a classic. The quality of the movie and the great story line is a must have for real movie lovers and collectors.

Average customer rating:

The Thief of Bagdad

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Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

ASIN: B000CCBWDA

Product Description

SUMMARY: This Technicolor Arabian Nights extravaganza is widely regarded as one of the best (if not the best) fantasy films of the pre-computer technology era. The title character, named Abu (Sabu), befriends a ragged young man named Ahmed (John Justin), who happens to be the rightful prince of Baghdad. The prince has been usurped by his evil vizier Jaffar (Conrad Veidt), who hopes to expand his power by marrying the breathtakingly lovely princess of Basra (June Duprez). To win the princess' hand, Jaffar keeps the childlike King (Miles Malleson) preoccupied with mechanical toys. Once the king has promised the princess' hand to Jaffar, he is disposed of by one of those very toys. The prince and Abu try to stop Jaffar, only to be thwarted by the vizier's magical powers: the prince is struck blind, while Abu is transformed into a dog. It wouldn't do for the bad guy to win this early in the game, thus Abu, returned to human form, finds himself on a deserted beach. Stumbling across an odd-looking bottle, Abu inadvertently releases the bottle's occupant: a gigantic, bombastic genie (Rex Ingram). The genie intends to crush Abu to death, but the wily thief tricks him back into the bottle. In exchange for his freedom, the genie agrees to grant Abu three wishes; at this point, the film really begins to percolate. The Thief of Baghdad was used as the model for the 1992 Disney animated feature Aladdin. Even allowing for the much-improved technical wherewithal at Disney's disposal, nothing has dimmed the lustre of the multi-Oscar-winning The Thief of Baghdad, the sort of film that invariably elicits the reaction "They just don't make 'em like that any more!" ++++ DVD FEATURES: This officially licensed release from South Korea is All-Region NTSC Code 0 (playable worldwide) with 4:3 Full Screen display, Dolby Digital Sound in ENGLISH with optional English or Korean subtitles. Includes: Synopsis, Cast & Crew, Trailer, Photo Gallery.

Average customer rating:

Too old
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
Sinbad at his best!
Mongolians?
Twinkle Dancer

The Thief of Bagdad (Deluxe Edition)
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks , Snitz Edwards , Charles Belcher , Julanne Johnston , and Sojin
Director: Raoul Walsh
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00014NF6G
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Amazon.com

Douglas Fairbanks spared no expense for what may be the most lavish fantasy movie ever made. Inspired by the flying-carpet effects of Fritz Lang's somber but spectacular Der Müde Tod, Fairbanks (ever the canny businessman) bought the American rights, then hid the film away as he created his own show-stopping adventure, an adaptation of A Thousand and One Nights in which the magic-carpet ride was but one of many fantastic marvels. Swaggering through massive marketplace sets and cavernous throne rooms as an incorrigible thief and pickpocket, he scales towering walls (with the help of a magic rope) and leads a merry chase through crowded bazaars in his pursuit of loot--until he falls in love with the beautiful princess and vows to win her heart. This jaunty opening is but mere preamble to the spectacular second act. As three kings scour the globe to retrieve the rarest treasures known to man, the repentant thief embarks on an odyssey through caverns of fire and underwater caves. The marvelous special effects--from the smoke-belching dragon and underwater spider to the flying horse and magic armies arising from the dust--may show their seams but glow with a timeless sense of wonder. William Cameron Menzies's magnificent sets appear to have leapt from the pages of a storybook. As the adventure concludes in a torrent of movie magic that cascades nonstop through the breathless final hour, Fairbanks commands the screen with a hearty laugh and graceful athleticism, the cinema's first action hero triumphant. Kino's restored edition is tinted and features an organ score by Gaylord Carter. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Too old.......2007-08-23

My husband, who is a Movie Buff, thought this was just too old a version. We are returning it.

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD .......2007-03-30

This was awful. I'm sorry I spent a penny on this.

Sinbad at his best!.......2007-02-12

A wonderful version of Sinbad the Sailor. Great sets, costumes, and story line. Douglass Fairbanks is great in it.

Mongolians?.......2006-06-13

Ever wonder where the idea of the magic carpet ride comes from? Well look no further than Raoul Walsh and Douglas Fairbanks's The Thief of Bagdad. An amalgamation of Arabian Nights magic, romance, fantasy, mythical travelogue, and sense of fun The Thief of Bagdad transcends the irony of its caricatures and stereotypes - not just from what it reifies but by what it invents.

With its theme nestled squarely on the precept that "Happiness must be earned," The Thief of Bagdad starts with Fairbanks as a happy-go-lucky "Middle Eastern street thief" [the first of many negative stereotypes]. Though at first this cheerful "thief" - who feels he can take what he wants - and no rules apply, the road to salvation begins when he falls in love with the caliph's daughter (Julanne Johnston) - things take on a different significance.

True to character, Fairbanks starts by pretending to be a prince to win her over. Found out, the thief ends up punished and then humbled, in the end seeking the counsel of the "holy man" he earlier abused. He is advised hat if he truly loves the princess, he himself must make the transformation and "become a prince."

The epic begins when all suitors must come up with a unique gift. As with all good epics, the thief on a fantastic storybook return "there and back again" to the bottom of the sea, haunted by sirens as well as giant spiders, to the space above the clouds, where Fairbanks discovers the home of the winged horse and the sanctuary of the moon.

When taking into consideration filmic representations - I was drawn to this movie via my interest in Anna May Wong - as the "Mongol Slave." However, after further consideration, I was drawn to the character of Sojin - who plays the "Mongol Prince." With purposeful intent or by accident, the Mongol Prince comes across with the same type acquisitiveness of a Dr. Fu Manchu. Coincidence, perhaps but it is an interesting phenomenon to observe. While both the "Mongols" Slave and Prince "sneak" about the "Orientals" in our imagination are reified. Well, it is a magical carpet ride, right?

Miguel Llora

Twinkle Dancer.......2005-01-21

This film was released 80 years ago. Hollywood and the entire film industry were not even teenagers yet. Raoul Walsh was the director. He began directing in 1912, and continued to do so for over 50 years. This movie has been called,"the most lavish fantasy movie ever made." Some have suggested that it is the forerunner of the gargantuan modern LOTR trilogy. Another wrote,
"It is the very pinnacle of silent-era spectacle." William Cameron Menzies designed the massive sets, and he went on to redesign them for the fantastic 1940 color version of the tale.

The film was, of course, a one-man show. Douglas Fairbanks Sr., at 40 years old, was the idol of millions of young boys. At 5'10" tall and a trim 178 pounds of rippled muscle, he was quite a specimen. He also was a gymnist and a dancer. Fairbanks gave us the first peek of a hero with a tremendous physique, and this would spawn a plethera of muscleman movies in the future, from Weismuller to Schwarzenegger.

TV Guide's review of the movie included the statement, "His daringly beautiful florid performance is grounded less in dramatics than in dance." He was able to run, leap, and soar through the air effortlessly, almost seeming to defy gravity without a wire; like the young Jackie Chan. But for me, Fairbanks movements were almost too stylized, melodramatic, and grandiose. It really became a dance performance. It was, at times, almost too precious, as effeminate as a preening posing ballet dancer bouncing about the stage. His strength was phenominal. He would make sudden stops, going into a crouch, and the tableau would be strong and balanced. It was not hard to see where Gene Kelly would find the infuences for his athletic dancing style. But the frozen muscled poses often lapsed into Kabuki, or even Chinese Opera.

Perhaps because I was first exposed to the 1940 color version of THE THIEF OF BAGDAD as a kid, and perhaps, sadly, because most of us are too young to remember, or have not seen many of the great silent epics--I prefer the 1940 Korda version. But viewing this Fairbanks 1924 version today, looking back over eight decades, we are sharing the first faltering steps of Cinema, and it is difficult for me to fully appreciate its fledging art design, its corny costumes and sets, and its silly special effects. It was fun to watch it, but I was never in awe of it. I felt like I was watching 12 reels of a Monogram serial looped together. Still, befitting its classic status, I would recommend viewing it.

Average customer rating:

Too old
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
Sinbad at his best!
Mongolians?
Twinkle Dancer

The Thief of Bagdad
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks , Snitz Edwards , Charles Belcher , Julanne Johnston , and Sojin
Director: Raoul Walsh
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008G8WY
Release Date: 2003-03-18

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Too old.......2007-08-23

My husband, who is a Movie Buff, thought this was just too old a version. We are returning it.

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD .......2007-03-30

This was awful. I'm sorry I spent a penny on this.

Sinbad at his best!.......2007-02-12

A wonderful version of Sinbad the Sailor. Great sets, costumes, and story line. Douglass Fairbanks is great in it.

Mongolians?.......2006-06-13

Twinkle Dancer.......2005-01-21

The Douglas Fairbanks Collection (The Thief of Bagdad/The Mark of Zorro/The Three Musketeers/Robin Hood/The Black Pirate/Don Q, The Son of Zorro)

Average customer rating:

Wonderful collection, but some technical issues with DVDs
Action - adventure - romance

The Douglas Fairbanks Collection (The Thief of Bagdad/The Mark of Zorro/The Three Musketeers/Robin Hood/The Black Pirate/Don Q, The Son of Zorro)
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00014NF66
Release Date: 2004-02-03

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful collection, but some technical issues with DVDs.......2006-02-08

I can't say enough good things about this box set, and the restorations done by Kino. Unfortunately, the "Zorro" DVD seems to have some kind of factory defect. It will not play at all. I've tried the DVD on several different players, and all of them reject it right away with a "DISC ERROR" message.

I returned my first order of this DVD box for an exchange, hoping that a fresh "Zorro" DVD would not have this problem. But it does, and it's factory sealed, so I have to assume it is a problem on Kino's end.

It doesn't sound like other users here had trouble with their "Zorro" DVD (but there is only one other review posted, so hard to tell if this has happened to other customers), but I'm so frustrated because this is the 2nd copy I've bought and STILL can't watch the "Mark of Zorro/Don Q - Son of Zorro" double-feature. This is the only DVD in the box that is a "dual-layer disc" - maybe the dual-layer technology is the trouble (?), as all the other "single-layer" discs in the set play just fine.

While this box is not a waste of money, you are going to take a loss if you buy the box and one of the 5 discs won't play. so instead of paying $90 for the set, you're probably better off to purchase each of the Kino DVD editions separately, and avoid the "Zorro" one altogether until they get this technical issue worked out.

Action - adventure - romance.......2004-12-05

OK I admit it, I haven't seen all of these movies. But here is the info on what I have seen:

The Thief of Bagdad - A very nice adventure movie. Fairbanks plays the thief, in love with the princess. He must infiltrate the palace and impress her more with a bit of magic and trickery. Out to stop him is a young May Wong, who wants her Chinese countryman to marry the princess. This is a really cool special effects movie. It has a genie, a flying carpet, lots of fake smoke and exotic costumes. (I saw the Kino VHS and picture quality was good.)

The Mark of Zorro - Fairbanks made this movie around 1920 when he was just starting out. He did all his own stunts, and knowing this made it that much cooler watching him go go go. This has the blend of action and humor that you will be familiar with from more modern Zorro movies. It is very watchable now and the stunts were frequent and impressive.

Robin Hood - A fabulous swashbuckler. The sets for this were huge and very expensive - they built a middeval castle right in the middle of then undeveloped Hollywood. At one point Fairbanks slides down a two story curtain in a long fantastic sword fight. This is good action and stunt filled adventure movie and similar to The Thief of Bagdad in terms of who will like it.

The Black Pirate - This is the oldest surviving three color film. That is film the stuff in the camera I am talking about. So the reason it gets published now is for historical interest in film methods. The story is OK, but the image quality is not so hot. This isn't Kino's fault - the film was in poor condition with many scratches. Fairbanks and crew of pirates do nifty stunts, including an underwater attack on a ship. However this movie is unlikely to appeal to most. Watch it for historical value or pass on it.

I haven't seen the other films included in this set. I think all of these are silent movies, just so you know. All except The Black Pirate have strong appeal today and are easy to watch. Silent movies that I have watched from Kino have color tinting and toning. (This is not colorization and these films could have had these colors when originally released. Silent film scripts provide notes on how to tint a scene for effect.) Kino does a great job with the silent movies so this is a safe investment.

Fans of Fairbanks should like this. University libraries should consider it also. Kino does consistent restorations of older films and at least three of these films are the sort of thing film students might want to have access to.

Average customer rating:

Thief of Bagdad
Director: Clive Donner
Manufacturer: East West Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000KLVFC6

Product Description

The cover art might be animated but this film is not it's the 1978 live action film THIEF OF BAGHDAD a wild adventure with a Genie, a prince, beautiful maidens, a happy go lucky thief and lots of magic and with an all-star cast of Roddy McDowall, Kabir Bedi, Peter Ustinov, Terence Stamp and much more. A resourceful thief (McDowall) helps a handsome prince (Bedi) fight an evil wizard (Frank Finlay) and win the hand of a beautiful princess played by the lovely Pavla Ustinov and her real life dad Peter plays her father The Caliph. Great fun for the whole family.

Average customer rating:

Too old
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
Sinbad at his best!
Mongolians?
Twinkle Dancer

The Thief of Bagdad
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks , Snitz Edwards , Charles Belcher , Julanne Johnston , and Sojin
Director: Raoul Walsh
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000FE8Y
Release Date: 1998-04-08

Amazon.com

Description

Carefree Ahmed the Thief must endure various fantastic adventures to woo the beautiful Princess away from the villianous Mongol Prince. Features score from original cue sheets by organist Gaylord Carter.

Customer Reviews:

Too old.......2007-08-23

My husband, who is a Movie Buff, thought this was just too old a version. We are returning it.

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD .......2007-03-30

This was awful. I'm sorry I spent a penny on this.

Sinbad at his best!.......2007-02-12

A wonderful version of Sinbad the Sailor. Great sets, costumes, and story line. Douglass Fairbanks is great in it.

Mongolians?.......2006-06-13

Twinkle Dancer.......2005-01-21

Average customer rating:

The Thief of Bagdad [Region 2]
Starring: Conrad Veidt , Sabu , June Duprez , John Justin , and Rex Ingram
Director: Zoltan Korda , Ludwig Berger , and Michael Powell
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004VY1V

The Thief of Bagdad (Starring: Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez, and John Justin)

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The Thief of Bagdad (Starring: Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez, and John Justin)
Director: Michael Powell Ludwig Berger
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000UI6HAE

Average customer rating:

Too old
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
Sinbad at his best!
Mongolians?
Twinkle Dancer

The Thief of Bagdad [Region 2]
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks , Snitz Edwards , Charles Belcher , Julanne Johnston , and Sojin
Director: Raoul Walsh
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Family Films | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005UWQ4

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Too old.......2007-08-23

My husband, who is a Movie Buff, thought this was just too old a version. We are returning it.

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD .......2007-03-30

This was awful. I'm sorry I spent a penny on this.

Sinbad at his best!.......2007-02-12

A wonderful version of Sinbad the Sailor. Great sets, costumes, and story line. Douglass Fairbanks is great in it.

Mongolians?.......2006-06-13

Twinkle Dancer.......2005-01-21

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