Der Dieb von 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 (screen play and dialogue), Lajos Biró (scenario by) (as Lajos Biro)

Stars:

Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez

Won 3 Oscars. Another 4 nominations.

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

In Bagdad, the young and naive Sultan Ahmad is curious about the behavior of his people. The Grand Vizier Jaffar convinces Ahmad to walk through the city disguised as a subject to know his people. Then he seizes the power telling to the inhabitants that Ahmad has died while he sends his army to arrest the Sultan that is thrown into the dungeons and sentenced to death. Ahmad befriends the young thief Abu that helps him to escape from the prison. They flee to Basra and plan to travel abroad with Sinbad. However Ahmad stumbles upon the beautiful princess and they fall in love with each other. But the evil Jaffar has also traveled to Basra to propose to marry the princess. When they see each other, Jaffar uses magic to blind Ahmad and turn Abu into a dog. Is their love doomed?

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Plot Keywords:

arabian nights | hijab | genie | based on folktale | flying carpet | 

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Taglines:

THE WONDER of the Spider King...ten times human size ---yet Abu dares him to battle! (original poster)

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Romance

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Certificate:

6

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.

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Goofs

When the giant Genie is talking directly to Sabu, a couple of times he is looking away from Sabu and at an empty spot.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jaffar: The princess. Have you good news for me?
Halima: No, master.
Jaffar: Dead?
Halima: She's still asleep.

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Connections

Version of Der Dieb von Bagdad (1924)

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Soundtracks

The Sea
(uncredited)
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Lyrics by Unknown
Performed by Unknown

User Reviews

Little hero, big adventure

This film, was one of my childhood favorites and I must say that, unlike some other films I liked in that period The Thief of Bagdad has held on to it's quality while I grew up. This is not merely a film to be enjoyed by children, it can be watched and enjoyed by adults as well. The only drawback there is, is that one can not see past the ‘bad' effects (compared to the effects nowadays) like one could when one was a child. I remembered nothing of those effects, of course it had been about ten years since I'd seen this film, when I was about eleven years old. Who then watches effects? One only seeks good stories and entertainment and this is exactly what this film provides. In my mind this film is one of the first great adventure films of the 20th century. Coming to think of it I feel like the Indiana Jones films are quite a like this film. There is comedy, romance and adventure all in one, which creates a wonderful mixture that will capture you from the beginning until the end and although the film is old and the music and style of the films is clearly not modern, it succeeds in not being dusty and old. All of that is mainly due to the great story, the good directing and the good acting performances of the actors. In that department Sabu (as Abu) and Conrad Veidt (as Jaffar) stand out, providing the comedic and the chilling elements of the film for the most part. Great film and although an 'oldie', definitely a ‘goldie'. I hope someone has the brain and guts to release this one on DVD someday.

8 out of 10

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1949 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Le voleur de Bagdad

Filming Locations:

Blue Mesa Badlands, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$268,948

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alexander Korda Films, London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1