Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writer:

Edmund L. Hartmann (original screenplay)

Release Date:

14 January 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Wild nights of sheer delights! Burning days of bold adventure!

Plot:

Ali Baba, son of the Kalif of Bagdad is brought up by the 40 Thieves after his father is killed by the soldiers of Hugalu Khan...

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Beggar | Male Female Relationship | He Man | Flight

Cast

Maria Montez	...	Amara
Jon Hall	...	Ali Baba
Turhan Bey	...	Jamiel
Andy Devine	...	Abdullah
Kurt Katch	...	Hulagu Khan
Frank Puglia	...	Prince Cassim
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Old Baba
Moroni Olsen	...	Caliph Hassan
Ramsay Ames	...	Nalu
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Fat Thief
Scotty Beckett	...	Ali Baba as a Child
Yvette Duguay	...	Amara as a Girl
Noel Cravat	...	Mongol Captain
Jimmy Conlin	...	Little Thief
Harry Cording	...	Mahmoud

Runtime:

87 min | Argentina:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #9665)

Filming Locations:

Coral Pink Sand Dunes - Sand Dunes Road, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The reason the plot of the fairy tale wasn't used for the movie may have had something to do with the fact that in the original fairy tale, there are some 42 murders; the first is Ali Baba's cousin, and the other forty-one are those of the forty thieves themselves and later, their ringleader who arrives at Ali Baba's disguised as a merchant and thirsting for revenge. He is the last of the Forty Thieves to die. The other forty thieves die when, after smuggling themselves into Ali Baba's house in wine casks, broiling hot water is poured into each of the casks containing a bandit.

Quotes:

Abdullah: For a man's country or his stomach he might bid his life; even for his horse. Never, never for a woman.

Movie Connections:

Version of Ali Baba kirk haramiler (1971)

They don't make 'em like this any more.

I saw this a few days ago after a gap of many years and it's still fun to watch. There was a whole spate of these highly colored Arabian Nights adventures in the 1940's and audiences lapped them up. The fun now is in the apparent seriousness with which they were made and the earnestness of not very good actors and actresses spouting there quasi poetic dialog.

These films were bonanzas for the exotic looking performers of the period, Turhan Bey, Jon Hall and Maria Montez (one of the lust objects of my adolescence). She would often wear quite revealing see-through dresses and there was always at least one scene where she emerged from a bath or swimming pool, quickly being discretely covered by large towels borne by hand-maidens.

Extras were cheap in those days and so there is a cast of thousands but most of the time the director does no more than fill the screen with bodies. Look at the battle scenes and you will see most of the participants are just waving their scimitars in the air aimlessly.

Ali Baba has wicked caliphs and valiant freedom fighters battling it out in the Hollywood desert. The ridiculousness of the All American Andy Devine as an Arab. Fairy tale cardboard castles. All makes for colorful entertainment.

I give it 8 out 10.