Il ladro di Bagdad (1961)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Directors:

Arthur Lubin
Bruno Vailati

Writers:

Augusto Frassinetti (story) &
Filippo Sanjust (story) ...

Release Date:

10 August 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

The fantastic deeds... The Incredible daring of the thief who defied an empire!

Plot Keywords:

Arabian Nights | Remake | Independent Film

Cast

Steve Reeves	...	Karim
Giorgia Moll	...	Amina (as Georgia Moll)
Edy Vessel	...	Kadeejah
Arturo Dominici	...	Prince Osman
Daniele Vargas	...	Gamal
Antonio Battistella	...	Sultan of Bagdad
Fanfulla	...	Abdul (as Luigi Visconti)
Giancarlo Zarfati	...	Farid
Gina Mascetti	...	Governess
Antonio Rosmino
Ignazio Dolce
Mohammed Agrebi
Joudi Mohammed Jamil
Georges Chamarat	...	Magician (as George Chamarat)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eduardo Bergamo
Rosario Borelli
Chignone
Franco Cobianchi
Walter Grant
Mario Passante
Gail Pearl	...	Dancer
Anita Todesco	...	Ancella

Also Known As:

The Thief of Baghdad (UK) (USA)
Le voleur de Bagdad (France)

Runtime:

100 min | West Germany:88 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:6 (nf) | Finland:K-12

Company:

Titanus

Trivia:

Italian censorship visa # 34106 delivered on 23-2-1961.

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

STEVE REEVES AT HIS BEST.

This is my personal favourite of all the screen versions of this Arabian Nights fantasy as it is thankfully free of the camp whimsy that permeates the more acclaimed Alexanda Korda version from 1940.In any case,this stars the mighty Steve Reeves in his most animated performance as Karim,the thief of the title who must undergo a perilous quest to save the princess and win the kingdom. Seeing this film again yesterday for the first time since its original release,it had obviously dated and did not seem so spectacular and action packed as I remembered.This is true of many films that we see as children and although this "THIEF" does not compare in special effects terms with the Harryhausen movies of the era it has a zest about it that makes for an appealing 90 minutes of viewing time.All of Reeves films seem somewhat stilted now but this sees him at his best,more athletic,better dubbed and even displaying a tongue in cheek nonchalance that is quite a refreshing change from his normally stolid persona. I still maintain that if he had been born 20 years later he would have been one of the really hot action stars of the 70s and 80s, his career is ripe for re-assessment and I would love to see a documentary on this still active man. Rank him alongside Errol Flynn and Bruce Lee as one of the true icons of action-adventure cinema.