The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

After being tricked and cast out of Bagdad by the evil Jaffar, King Ahmad joins forces with a thief named Abu to reclaim his throne, the city, and the Princess he loves.

Directors:

Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell,

Writers:

Miles Malleson (screenplay), Lajos Biró (scenario)

Stars:

Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez

Won 3 Oscars. Another 1 nomination.

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

Storyline

Prince Ahmad is the rightful King of Bagdad but he has been blinded and cast out as a beggar. Now a captive of the wicked Grand Vizier Jaffar he is cast into a dungeon where he meets Abu, the best thief in all Bagdad. Together they escape and set about a series of adventures that involve a Djinni in a bottle, a mechanical flying horse, an all-seeing magic jewel, a flying carpet and a beautiful princess.

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Plot Keywords:

princess | thief | king | flying | dungeon | 

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Taglines:

Three brave hearts, adventuring in a wonder world!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le voleur de Bagdad

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the eighteen riders who clear the market prior to the Princess's procession are women. This may have been because so many men had been taken into the British armed forces.

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Goofs

Almost all of the characters mispronounce "Allah". The first syllable rhymes with "dull" or "null", but in the film, most pronounce it as rhyming with "pal" or "gal."

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Quotes

Abu: I am Abu the thief. Son of Abu the thief. Grandson of Abu the thief.

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Connections

Referenced in Sanford and Son: The Piano Movers (1972)

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Soundtracks

"Hungarian Lullabye"
(uncredited)
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Lyrics by Zoltan Korda
Sung by Adelaide Hall

User Reviews

An enchantment.

Few movies appeal to both adults and children.This one does .Although there are three directors,it is most likely Michael Powell who's the brains here,his later work proves it in a definite way.There are already the incredible color search and the fabulous settings which will emerge again in such works as "a matter of life or death"(1946).Magic is everywhere and there are plenty of visual strokes of inspiration :every picture is magic itself.The script writers adapt stories from the Thousand and one Nights but make them their own .The special effects ,although absolutely extraordinary for 1940,remain tasteful ,which is not often the case today when they mainly serve to hide the weakness of the screenplays.

Conrad Veidt is a delightful villain,who might have inspired Walt Disney for "Aladdin" .June Deprez,whose talent is essentially decorative ,will play the part of Vera Claythorne in "and then there were none" (René Clair,1945).Sabu is certainly one of the best young actors of the era. John Justin is the perfect virtuous hero.

Compares favorably to Jean Cocteau's "la Belle et la Bête" (1945).

Remake by Arthur Lubin with muscle man Steve Reeves in 1961:although it's a far cry from this version,it's not bad .