With so much incredible talent gathered together for this film, it must have left audiences of the 40s and 50's spellbound and breathless!Directorial greats (several!) weave an endless trail of eye popping treats throughout a well written screenplay. This fantasy adventure is crammed with colour and movement of the more intelligent kind. Completed within two continents, after a great deal of difficulty ~ during a time when the world was embroiled in the stupidity of WW11 ~ this film still offers an abundance of thrills. Audiences used to looking at today's C.G.A. may find the special effects lacking, but hey, this is pioneering movie making of the best caliber. Look, and see where Harryhausen got much of his inspiration (and copied some characters I'm sure) Look, at the magnificent visual design, striking sets, fluid camera, and glowing 3 strip Technicolor (no color ever looked as good as this and it never faded). Names like William Cameron Menzies, Michael Powell --too many to name-- created one of the first all time great Arabian stunners...But wait there's more! This work features one of the most impressive of all Miklos Rozsa's music scores....dare I ask if he ever bettered it??Can't overlook a marvelous cast, remarkable Dog, Oscar winning photography of Georges Perinal and Osmond Borradaile, topped off with Rex Ingram's damned scary Genie ~ even more physically menacing than Conrad Veidt's terrific Jaffar. It could be said that this set-the-scene for so many fantasies that followed... The re-issue print I was kindly given by a good friend (The Korda Collection series from Magna Pacific) is a little unkempt, with much neg dirt left to show as white dots on the image and yet, while not a digitally re-mastered DVD transfer, the image is thankfully quite sharply focused. I see that Criterion (and maybe another) may have given this masterpiece a serious clean up, so shop around before buying. Highly recommended to all appreciators of classic cinematic milestones... Young, Old, and Indifferent! KenR...............

First, though fictional, scenes from "The Thief of Baghdad" such as a public beheading are actually truer to the old (and current) Middle East and less slavish to political correctness than supposedly well-researched contemporary movies like "Kingdom of Heaven." Second, images of a genie materializing from smoke, flying horses, flying carpets, and a man residing underwater are dated visual effects by today's standards, but are clever, imaginative, and groundbreaking for 1940. "The Thief of Baghdad" no doubt set the stage for swashbuckling special effect successors like "Sinbad the Sailor," "Clash of the Titans," and "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad." Third, this movie has good guys versus bad guys (Ahmad & Abu vs. Jaffar), romance (Ahmad & the princess), humor (the battle of wits between Abu and the genie), and a series of mini-adventures within the larger adventure. It's a good formula for popcorn & fun. Recommmended.

Co-directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell and Tim Whelen (along with three uncredited co-workers, Alexander Korda, Zoltan Korda and William Cameron Menzies), this lavish fantasy-adventure tells the tale of blind beggar Ahmad (John Justin), who spins a yarn about his life as king before the evil current king Jafar (Conrad Veidt), usurped his place and left him desolate. The story is told in flash backs, and follows his story beginning with his incarceration by jafar, where he meets Abu (Sabu). They escape and go on a quest to regain Ahmad's' rightful place as king.Filmed in technicolor, the sumptuous visuals are exacerbated by the stark, beautiful colours. It has been hailed by the likes of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola as a masterpiece. It is a very beautiful fantasy. It reminded me of a contemporary travelogue, that shows its mystical, exotic landscapes for an untraveled spectator - although, this is clearly fantasy environments, and was not filmed on any locations except for sets. It also reminded me of the fantasy films of my childhood such as the Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts adventures, sans Harryhausens fantastic monsters. The simple tale of redemption and fundamental achievement against evil is a story over told. However, with the cinematography and set pieces, this film is pure unadulterated delight. It genuinely is the perfect Sunday afternoon movie. (Although John Justin's diction and general performance does begin to grate).www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

This is simply one of my favorite fantasy films of all time. Not many movies are so magical, so charming and so imaginative as this. I can clearly see the influence of this movie in many movies that came later, but not many of them were as good as this one. "The Thief of Bagdad" had everything that you could want from a fantasy films: An exciting, unpredictable story, charming and likable characters, and an incredible, beautiful atmosphere and incredible visuals (That still look pretty good)I wish there were more movies like this. I would give this movie eleven stars if I could. I highly recommend it to anyone!