The Thief of Bagdad 1940
Directed by Michael Powell, Tim Whelan, Ludwig Berger
- Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
- 107 min
- NR
ONE THOUSAND AND ONE SIGHTS FROM THE THOUSAND OF ONE NIGHTS....
When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.
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Resolved, earnest, classical in form and effortless.
- resolvedopen-ended
- earnestironic
- classical in formformally daring
- effortlessdemanding
- character-ledplot-driven
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“Is Conrad Veidt the best thing in The Thief of Bagdad?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Curator Co.'s numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jun 20227/10
John Justin plays the hapless Sultan of Baghdad tricked from his throne by the evil (and superbly cast) Conrad Veidt. It's only by sheer luck that he encounters Sabu the gymnastic and clever thief in the palace dungeons and the two of them set off on a delightful series of adventures as he tries to regain his throne and to reclaim his love from the evil clutches of his former Vizier. This is a cracking fantasy adventure from Alexander Korda and wonderfully scored by Miklos Rosza that brings us Rex Ingram as the outrageously theatric genie in an enormous red nappy; Miles Malleson (who also contributed to the screenplay) as the eccentric Sultan of Basra with his fantastic palace of 1000 toys and Morton Selten in his last role as the "old King". The colours are bright and vivid; the story gentle and engaging with some comedic touches now and again too. The special effects are used sparingly, but where they are - they work well.
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Cast
- Conrad VeidtJaffar
- SabuAbu
- June DuprezPrincess
- John JustinAhmad
- Rex IngramDjinn
- Miles MallesonSultan
- Morton SeltenThe Old King
- Mary MorrisHalima
- Bruce WinstonThe Merchant
- Hay PetrieAstrologer
Crew
- Michael PowellDirector
- Tim WhelanDirector
- Ludwig BergerDirector
- Miles MallesonScreenplay
- Georges PérinalDirector of Photography
- Miklós RózsaOriginal Music Composer
- Charles CrichtonEditor
- Alexander KordaProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
Both resolved, classical in form, earnest.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger 197785% alikeBoth resolved, earnest, classical in form.
The Thief of Bagdad 192485% alikeBoth earnest, resolved, classical in form.
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad 195882% alikeBoth resolved, earnest, effortless.
Scaramouche 195282% alikeBoth resolved, classical in form, earnest.
Sleeping Beauty 195981% alikeBoth resolved, earnest, classical in form.
Cinderella 201581% alikeBoth resolved, classical in form, effortless.
The Black Swan 194280% alikeBoth resolved, classical in form, effortless.
Spyro the Dragon 199876% alikeGame · Both resolved, classical in form, earnest.
The Hobbit 193776% alikeBook · Both resolved, classical in form, earnest.
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