The Thief of Bagdad (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Remaking Douglas Fairbanks Sr.'s silent movie classic, 'The Thief of Bagdad' (directed by a plethora of filmmakers including Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, William Cameron Menzies, Tim Whelan, Zoltan Korda & produced by the great Alexander Korda) is a thrilling & gorgeous Arabian Nights fantasy. Not unlike a similarly great 1924 silent film offering, this 1940 version enthralls; captivating with dazzling designs, state-of-the-art visual effects, Miklos Rozsa's eloquent music score & some and attractively eccentric performances. It is a fine example of British cinema showcased in an epic way.
The tale begins with the blind expelled King Ahmad (John Justin), now reduced to being a lowly beggar, telling the ladies in a harem of his love for a princess of Basra and, how evil sorcerer Jaffar (Conrad Veidt, deliciously wicked), the Grand Vizier of Bagdad, stole his kingdom. In flashback, we learn that the king was deceived by his treacherous right hand man to consort with the Bagdad people in disguise only to be arrested as a madman, while Jaffar usurps the throne; telling all that the king is dead. Set to be executed, the king escapes with the help of a wily young street thief, Abu (Sabu, charismatic), who had also been placed in a dungeon.
The two escape by boat to Basra, where King Ahmad falls in love with an old sultan's beautiful daughter (June Duprez). Abu finds a way the next day for Ahmad to sneak into the princess's forbidden garden and, they exchange vows of love. The next day, when Ahmad was to meet again, Jaffar unexpectedly visits the toy- collecting sultan & impresses him with a mechanical flying horse that is offered in exchange for his daughter's hand. The repulsed princess flees, while Sabu & Ahmad are captured. Ahmad is blinded & Abu is turned into a seeing-eye dog by the sorcerer's magic, who claims he will restore them to normal when the princess acquiesces to him. The flashback then ends; leaving the story to unfold in real time.
The princess agrees to Jaffar's demands. To this, Abu becomes human again and, while on a beach, uncorks a bottle that holds a giant genie, Djinn (Rex Ingram, fantastic). About to be crushed, Abu tricks him to go back into the bottle and, to get his freedom again ... the genie agrees to be Abu's servant & grant him 3 wishes. In the meanwhile, a shipwrecked Ahmad returns to Bagdad to save the princess from marrying Jaffar & Abu will use the All-Seeing Eye to locate them before it is too late. How will he get there, you ask? Well, a magic flying carpet, of course. Soon enough ... justice prevails, love wins-out, & order is restored.
Having now seen it, I can understand why 'The Thief of Bagdad' is considered one of the best fantasy films ever. It features amazing photographic special effects, a plethora of dazzling sets, some wondrous costumes & an imaginative story that seamlessly blends magic, mystery, romance & rousing action. The story moves from one spectacular sequence to the next: the Sultan's toy collection, a mechanical flying horse, the great storm at sea, the hectic Bagdad markets, the ornate mosques & palaces, the dancing dervish/goddess with 6 arms, the enormous-but-genial genie, Abu's ascent up the mountainous statue, his assault on the Tibetan temple, the All-Seeing-Eye, the battle with a gargantuan spider, the iconic flying carpet, & more.
This film works as both a work of art AND popular entertainment. Production started in 1939 in England but was delayed & relocated to Hollywood when WWII broke out & London was blitzed by the Germans. Funny enough, 16 yr. old Sabu had physically changed so much over the course of the 20 month shoot that various scenes had to be re-shot to match current footage. This film rightfully won 3 Academy Awards for Georges Perinals' glorious Technicolor cinematography, Jack Whitney's sound design, & Lawrence W. Butler's special effects. Those effects are incredible alone, and yet, they also serve the story at hand; quite the feat.
The tale begins with the blind expelled King Ahmad (John Justin), now reduced to being a lowly beggar, telling the ladies in a harem of his love for a princess of Basra and, how evil sorcerer Jaffar (Conrad Veidt, deliciously wicked), the Grand Vizier of Bagdad, stole his kingdom. In flashback, we learn that the king was deceived by his treacherous right hand man to consort with the Bagdad people in disguise only to be arrested as a madman, while Jaffar usurps the throne; telling all that the king is dead. Set to be executed, the king escapes with the help of a wily young street thief, Abu (Sabu, charismatic), who had also been placed in a dungeon.
The two escape by boat to Basra, where King Ahmad falls in love with an old sultan's beautiful daughter (June Duprez). Abu finds a way the next day for Ahmad to sneak into the princess's forbidden garden and, they exchange vows of love. The next day, when Ahmad was to meet again, Jaffar unexpectedly visits the toy- collecting sultan & impresses him with a mechanical flying horse that is offered in exchange for his daughter's hand. The repulsed princess flees, while Sabu & Ahmad are captured. Ahmad is blinded & Abu is turned into a seeing-eye dog by the sorcerer's magic, who claims he will restore them to normal when the princess acquiesces to him. The flashback then ends; leaving the story to unfold in real time.
The princess agrees to Jaffar's demands. To this, Abu becomes human again and, while on a beach, uncorks a bottle that holds a giant genie, Djinn (Rex Ingram, fantastic). About to be crushed, Abu tricks him to go back into the bottle and, to get his freedom again ... the genie agrees to be Abu's servant & grant him 3 wishes. In the meanwhile, a shipwrecked Ahmad returns to Bagdad to save the princess from marrying Jaffar & Abu will use the All-Seeing Eye to locate them before it is too late. How will he get there, you ask? Well, a magic flying carpet, of course. Soon enough ... justice prevails, love wins-out, & order is restored.
Having now seen it, I can understand why 'The Thief of Bagdad' is considered one of the best fantasy films ever. It features amazing photographic special effects, a plethora of dazzling sets, some wondrous costumes & an imaginative story that seamlessly blends magic, mystery, romance & rousing action. The story moves from one spectacular sequence to the next: the Sultan's toy collection, a mechanical flying horse, the great storm at sea, the hectic Bagdad markets, the ornate mosques & palaces, the dancing dervish/goddess with 6 arms, the enormous-but-genial genie, Abu's ascent up the mountainous statue, his assault on the Tibetan temple, the All-Seeing-Eye, the battle with a gargantuan spider, the iconic flying carpet, & more.
This film works as both a work of art AND popular entertainment. Production started in 1939 in England but was delayed & relocated to Hollywood when WWII broke out & London was blitzed by the Germans. Funny enough, 16 yr. old Sabu had physically changed so much over the course of the 20 month shoot that various scenes had to be re-shot to match current footage. This film rightfully won 3 Academy Awards for Georges Perinals' glorious Technicolor cinematography, Jack Whitney's sound design, & Lawrence W. Butler's special effects. Those effects are incredible alone, and yet, they also serve the story at hand; quite the feat.