Le voleur de Bagdad

This is an Oriental fantasy about ¨thousand and one Arabian nights¨ with plenty of incredible adventures , fantasy , witchery and wizardly. The malignant vizier Jaffar (magnificently played by Conrad Veidt) with powerful magic faculties imprisons the prince Ahamad of Bagdad (attractive John Justin) who loses his throne, he then escapes thanks to a little thief named Abu (sympathetic Sabu). They arrive in Basora where Ahamad and the charming princess (gorgeous June Duprez) fall in love . But prince and thief are haunted by Jaffar , Ahamd is turned blind and Abu is become a dog . The story accumulates several fantastic ingredients such as transformation of the starring , a flying mechanic horse , a magic bow , a flying carpet and of course the colossal genie (overacting by Rex Ingram) who gives three wishes to Sabu , the magic eye , the figure of goddess Kali with several hands , among others.

This remarkable picture ranks as one of the finest fantastic films of all time . Produced by London Fim's Alexander Korda and directed by the definitively credited Ludwing Berger , Michael Powell and Tim Whelan with a stunning screenplay by Lajos Biro and Miles Malleson also dialogue writer and actor as a Sultan fond to mechanic games . The WWII outbreak caused the paralyzing shooting , then the three Korda brothers and collaborators traveled USA continuing there the filming , in especial on location in Grand Canyon Colorado . The splendid visual and glimmer Technicolor cinematography , setting and FX provoked the achieving three Oscars : Production design by William Cameron Menzies and Vincent Korda , Cinematography by George Perinal and Special effects by Osmond Borradaile , though today are dated and being urgent a necessary remastering because of the colors are worn-out. Furthermore, one nomination for the evocative and oriental musical score by Miklos Rozsa . This vivid tale with immense doses of imagination will appeal to fantasy fans and cinema classic buffs.

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 .

Ever since i was a little child my father used to play this movie for me over and over again, because he loved it so much, and so as i got older, i started to appreciate this film as much as him. There are Unforgettable parts in this film like the big spider fight between Abu and the spider, and then there was the magic carpet ride at the end. The most rememberable character is The Genie. I really loved that Genie especially when you and Abu first meet him. I hope that if you never saw this movie you rent it because it is a great film you will never forget.

***** stars out of *****.

The first time I saw this movie, I was blown away by it's sheer fantasy content. I am a fan of fantasy anyway, and for a film of this time (1940) I was impressed by Alexander Korda's ability to completely immerse one so completely in the story. I believe that during the war-time period these films were especially important for a lot of people in order to distract them, in a positive way, and allow them a brief respite from the harsh realities and depressing aspects of the war. I think that this film had probably fit the bill at that time and even nowadays, it does take you away from the everyday and allows you to indulge in a wonderful tale of fantasy, romance, magic, throughout. June Duprez was stunning and otherworldly in her looks and performance. John Justin played a wonderfully enchanting Ahmed, although I found Sabu's character a bit tedious at times, the rest of the movie, for it's time, was top-notch. A great escapist, put your feet up and enjoy the afternoon, movie. I give it a 7.8 out of 10.

Thief of Bagdad is truly advanced for its time. It has very good special effects. The use of flying carpet sequences is very advanced for 1940. In good prints the color is spectacular. The acting is somewhat stilted, but acceptable for a period piece. Both costume and set design are superior. The music is excellent. Most elements of the film fit together to provide a superior piece of "fluff" entertainment.