IMDb > The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
The Thief of Bagdad
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The Thief of Bagdad (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   3,986 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 63% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Miles Malleson (screenplay)
Lajos Biró (scenario)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Thief of Bagdad on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1940 (USA) more
Tagline:
One Thousand and One Sights from One Thousand and One Nights more
Plot:
Prince Ahmad is the rightful King of Bagdad but he has been blinded and cast out as a beggar. Now a... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
The Thief Of Bagdad
 (From The AV Club. 27 May 2008, 9:06 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Still a Solidly Wonderful Fantasy After Sixty-Plus Years more (76 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Conrad Veidt ... Jaffar
Sabu ... Abu
June Duprez ... Princess
John Justin ... Ahmad
Rex Ingram ... Djinn
Miles Malleson ... Sultan
Morton Selten ... The Old King
Mary Morris ... Halima
Bruce Winston ... The Merchant
Hay Petrie ... Astrologer
Adelaide Hall ... Singer
Roy Emerton ... Jailer
Allan Jeayes ... The Story Teller
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Thief of Bagdad: An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor (UK) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
106 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #02749) | West Germany:6 | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Norway:A | Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:Btl | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When filming began in the USA, the stricter US censorship codes were applied. One of the most obvious differences between the scenes shot in the UK and those filmed in the USA is that the tops of the actresses' costumes were buttoned up all the way to satisfy the Hays Office. That kind of clue makes it easier to identify the US-shot scenes than trying to spot differences in the sets. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: The Sultan of Basra's palace has many decorations in the form of Hindu iconography, which would be found in India, but not in the ancient Middle East. (It was considered "Oriental" enough to pass by a 1940s audience, but stands out for a modern audience.) more
Quotes:
Doctor: But she loves the blind man.
Jaffar: Do you call the lisping of two children in the garden love? Love she has yet to learn. But I'm here to teach her.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Hollywood Uncensored (1987) more
Soundtrack:
I Want To Be A Sailor more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
42 out of 50 people found the following comment useful.
Still a Solidly Wonderful Fantasy After Sixty-Plus Years, 15 February 2004
9/10

The story of the boy thief of Bagdad (as it was once spelled) has attracted filmmakers from Raoul Walsh in 1924, who starred Douglas Fairbanks in the first, silent, rendering of "Thief of Bagdad," to less imposing, more recent attempts. The best, however, remains 1940's version which for its time was a startling, magical panoply of top quality special effects. Those effects still work their charm.

No less than six directors are listed for the technicolor movie which starred Sabu as the boy thief, Abu, John Justin as the dreamily in love deposed monarch, Ahmad and June Duprez as the lovely princess sought by Ahmad and pursued by the evil vizier, Jaffar, played by a sinister Conrad Veidt. The giant genie is ably acted by Rex Ingram.

Ahmad is treacherously deposed by Jaffar and when later arrested by that traitorous serpent, he and the boy, Abu, suffer what are clearly incapacitating fates. Ahmad is rendered blind and Abu becomes a lovable mutt. Their adventures through the gaily decorated Hollywood backlots are fun but the special effects make this film work.

Two men were responsible for everything from a magic flying carpet to the gargantuan genie who pops out of a bottle with a tornado-like black swirl: Lawrence W. Butler and Tom Howard. (Howard, incidentally, did the special effects for the 1961 version of this film. Both men had long and distinguished careers in technical wizardry.)

Duprez is outstandingly lovely while little called on for serious acting. Justin's Ahmad projects a driven but dreamy romanticism untouched by erotic impulses. Sabu is really the central actor in many scenes and he's very good. For a movie meant for kids as well as adults there's a fair amount of violence but of the bloodless kind. Still, I don't think anyone under eight ought to see "Thief of Bagdad."

This film makes periodic appearances on TV but today my teenage son and I saw it in a theater with quite a few youngsters present. It was great to see computer-besotted kids in an affluent community respond with cheers and applause to special effects that must seem primitive to them.

"Thief of Bagdad" is a pre-war Hollywood classic from a time when strong production values often resulted in enduringly attractive and important releases. This is one of the best of its kind.

9/10.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
This is a good remake, but I think I missed one thing about the movie. kellyleighcrutcher
Ebert has Added Thief to his Greatest Films List theFoss
First Film I ever saw TwilightNinja
New Review of Thief of Bagdad robhiphop
Canadian running time smith93
did I miss something? nccomet
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