The Thief of Bagdad (1924)

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Lotta Woods (scenario editor) and
Douglas Fairbanks (story)
(more)

Release Date:

23 March 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

A recalcitrant thief vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess.

Plot Keywords:

Magic | Princess | Thief | Suitor | Treasure

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Douglas Fairbanks	...	The Thief of Bagdad
Snitz Edwards	...	His Evil Associate
Charles Belcher	...	The Holy Man
Julanne Johnston	...	The Princess
Sôjin	...	The Mongol Prince (as Sojin)
Anna May Wong	...	The Mongol Slave
Brandon Hurst	...	The Caliph
Tote Du Crow	...	The Soothsayer
Noble Johnson	...	The Indian Prince
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Philip Ahn	...	Small Role (uncredited)
Sam Baker	...	The Sworder (uncredited)
Winter Blossom	...	The Slave of the Lute (uncredited)
Mathilde Comont	...	The Persian Prince (uncredited)
Jesse Fuller	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Sadakichi Hartmann	...	The Mongol Prince's Court Magician (uncredited)
Eugene Jackson	...	Child (uncredited)
Jesse Lasky Jr.	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Etta Lee	...	The Slave of the Sand Board (uncredited)
Scotty Mattraw	...	Eunuch (uncredited)
K. Nambu	...	The Mongol Prince's Counselor (uncredited)
Jack Parker	...	Child (uncredited)
David Sharpe	...	Bit (uncredited)
Charles Stevens	...	The Persian Prince's Awaker (uncredited)
Charles Sylvester	...	Eunuch (uncredited)
Jess Weldon	...	Eunuch (uncredited)

Directed by
Raoul Walsh

Writing credits
Lotta Woods		(scenario editor)
Achmed Abdullah		screenwriter (uncredited)
Douglas Fairbanks		(story) (as Elton Thomas)
James T. O'Donohoe		adaptation (uncredited)

Produced by
Douglas Fairbanks	....	producer
David Shepard	....	producer: video (1975)

Original Music by
Mortimer Wilson		(1924) (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Arthur Edeson		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
William Nolan		(film editor)

Production Design by
William Cameron Menzies		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
William Cameron Menzies

Costume Design by
Mitchell Leisen		(costumes)

Makeup Department
George Westmore	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Theodore Reed	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James T. O'Donohoe	....	assistant director

Art Department
Park French	....	associate artist
Harold Grieve	....	associate artist
Anton Grot	....	associate artist
H.R. Hopps	....	associate artist
Edward M. Langley	....	associate artist
Irvin J. Martin	....	consulting art director
William Utwich	....	associate artist
Paul Youngblood	....	associate artist
Paul Burns	....	property master (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Hampton Del Ruth	....	mechanical effects
Coy Watson Sr.	....	mechanical effects
Coy Watson Sr.	....	special effects

Stunts
David Sharpe	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Stoney	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Kenneth Gordon MacLean	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Charles Warrington	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Albert Wayne	....	master electrician (uncredited)
Phil Whitman	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Paul Burns	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Gaylord Carter	....	musical setting (1975: wizard of the theater organ for seventy years)
David Cullen	....	orchestrator (1984 score)
Carl Davis	....	music score (1984)
Carl Davis	....	orchestrator (1984 score)

Other crew
Robert Fairbanks	....	technical director
Arthur Woods	....	research
Edward Knoblock	....	consultant (uncredited)
Edward Knoblock	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Harold MacChesney	....	technical crew (uncredited)
Clinton Newman	....	technical crew (uncredited)
Walter Pallman	....	technical crew (uncredited)
J.C. Watson	....	technical crew (uncredited)
Arthur Woods	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Thanks
Gaylord Carter	....	thanks: to whom this edition is respectfully dedicated (1975)

Production Companies

• Douglas Fairbanks Pictures

Distributors

• United Artists (1924) (USA) (theatrical)
• British & Continental Trading Company (1924) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Circulo Digital (????) (Spain) (DVD)
• Cult & Classic (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Divisa Home Video (2007) (Spain) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (????) (Italy) (VHS)
• I.V.C. (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino International (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Kino Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• REX Film (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Stokey Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

155 min | Spain:139 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Norway:A | Netherlands:AL (1928) | Portugal:M/6 (Qualidade) | Spain:T | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

The Lot - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company:

Douglas Fairbanks Pictures

Trivia:

For the flying carpet effect, Douglas Fairbanks stood on a 3/4-inch thick sheet of steel attached to 16 piano wires and rigged to the top of a crane, which lifted him above the crowd.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the guards prevent The Thief, carrying his friend on his head, from entering the gates, they completely disappear in the next shot after the gates are closed.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Michael Blanco (2004)

The beginning point of the modern action-adventure film...

"The Thief of Bagdad" was my first introduction to Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and, as first impressions go, I've not been this impressed with an old-time film star since I watched Fairbanks' cinematic successor, Errol Flynn, begin creating his own legend in "Captain Blood".

The imagination and power of the visual design of the sets by Raoul Walsh make a nice complement for Fairbanks' script. Having read some of the original material from Sir Richard Burton's unexpurgiated translation of the Arabian Nights (that is, the uncensored, unwatered-down version that most of the general public is familiar with), I can honestly say that, while this story is in none of the tales I read, it would have been a perfect fit within Scherazade's many fantastic tales of moral instruction. The language, the situations, the magical artifacts, the transformation of a callow youth into a great (if still wily and underhanded) hero...they all so accurately reflect the atmosphere of those wondrous tales that I have read and enjoyed.

As for Fairbanks himself, well...is there any red-blooded American boy who HASN'T wanted to be like him? Maybe the boys of today wouldn't recognize the name, but five bucks says that they would definitely recognize the attitude and the style. Charming, smart, irresistable to women, tough enough to take on the bad guys, gifted with a physique that borders on the unbelievable...he's every boy's greatest heroic fantasy come true.

All that said, another reason "The Thief of Bagdad" is important AND fun is because it really marks the starting point for the modern genre of action-adventure films. The use of humor is extensive (my favorite bit being Fairbank's method of "touching" a particular bush), helping keep things from becoming TOO serious for it's own good. Then there's the use of special effects, some very hokey by today's standards, but probably state-of-the-art for it's time and still very impressive, considering the time period this film was made. There's also the touch of romance that helps sweeten the tone. Though subsequent offerings have not had as deft a touch as this film does, this would be a logical beginning to that tradition. Finally, there's the final confrontation between the protagonist and antagonist, but I truly doubt that anyone has ever come up with a showdown that relied more on brains than brawn as this one.

Don't let the age of this film offput you. Like it's inspiration, it weaves Scherazade's song with a melody that has yet to be outdone (though it has been matched during subsequent decades).