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Thief Of Bagdad, The (Berger, Powell, Whelan, Korda, Korda, Menzies, 1940)

Bil's rating (out of 5)

BBBBB

Michael Powell was one of the directors on this stunning Alexander Korda fantasy film, but that's only one of a million reasons to see it. An obviously strong influence on Disney's Aladdin (one can draw many similarities to plot and production design between the two films), it stars a young Sabu as a petty thief assisting a blind beggar who was once a prince in finding his true love and being reinstated in his lordly position. This will be something of a challenge, however, because the princess is being kept locked up by the evil Jafar (Conrad Veidt--is it just me or does this man play villains like he wants to be Marlene Dietrich?) Technological limitations were obviously never an issue for Korda, who finds some of the most stunningly creative ways to show giant genies, magic carpets and flying horses, all of it gorgeously photographed in eye-popping Technicolour. The film was interrupted halfway through its filming in Morocco thanks to the outbreak of World War II, so most of the outdoor locations were completed in the United States.


Berger Previous: Ergens In Nederland
Berger Next: Ballerina
Powell Previous: Contraband
Powell Next: 49th Parallel (The Invaders) [1941]
Whelan Previous: Ten Days In Paris
Whelan Next: The Mad Doctor
Korda Previous: The Lion Has Wings
Korda Next: That Hamilton Woman
Z. Korda Previous: The Four Feathers
Z. Korda Next: Jungle Book
Menzies Previous: The Green Cockatoo
Menzies Next: Address Unknown

Actors
Glynis John

Lists
Bil's 100 Favourites:  #65
< The Criterion Collection #431 >
Bil's Best Of 1940
Academy Awards: 1940
5B Films

 
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