Director michael powell said that sabu had a wonderful grace about him. The thief of bagdad is a 1924 american silent swashbuckler film directed by raoul walsh and starring douglas fairbanks, and written by achmed abdullah and lotta woods. Freely adapted from one thousand and one nights, it tells the story of a thief who falls in love with the daughter of the caliph of baghdad. Thief of bagdad 1940 movie alexander korda comic coloring. Prior to the thief of bagdad, set designs and decor in major films like d. Half of the shots in citizen kane used special effects, according to robert carringer, who wrote a book on the film. The thief of bagdadreleased dec40stars,among others,conrad veidt as jaffar,sabu as abu,june duprez as the princess,john justin as ahmad and rex ingram as the djinn. In particular i was inspired by agony a beautiful yet unforgiving amiga game from the 90s. I had not seen this movie since the 1960s,when it was shown regularly on.
After being tricked and cast out of bagdad by the evil jaffar, king ahmad joins forces with a thief named. Its a fairly romanticised tale based on tales from the arabian nights and stars douglas fairbanks, one of the top stars of the time. The thief of bagdad is a 1940 british technicolor arabian fantasy film produced by alexander korda and directed by. Raoul walshs 1924 classic film has been meticulously restored by the cohen film collection. The chain is a nice heavy link chain that measures 1 3415 12 in length and the swords dangle about 1 34.
The thief of bagdad summary motion picture lobby card for the thief of bagdad shows stars douglas fairbanks and julanne johnston in a scene from the film. At the 2 hour 27 minute mark when the thief and the princess are flying over bagdad you can see piano wires holding up the flying carpet when the. The thief of bagdad 1940 michael powell, william cameron. A battery of great designers, including william cameron menzies, contributed to the clean sets and exotic costumes. The thief s rescue of the city, the caliph and the princess. One of the great fantasy films, the thief of bagdad 1940 is also included on that short list of movies which had long, complicated production histories of false starts, script rewrites, and multiple directors ludwig berger, michael powell, tim whelan, yet managed to emerge as a special entity, effortlessly carrying off a unique single vision. Menziess sets for the thief of bagdad created an ethereal world of its own, with cast and setting melded in rhythm and motion. The thiefs rescue of the city, the caliph and the princess. The thief of bagdad is a british movie directed by michael powell and ludwig berger. The thief of bagdad the jungle book soundtrack from 1940, 1942, composed by miklos rozsa.
The thief of bagdad the jungle book original score by. Sabu is perhaps best known for his role as abu in the 1940 british film the thief of bagdad. Sabu dastagir or selar shaik sabu, depending on your resource was born on january 27, 1924, in the little town of mysore, india, which is nestled in the jungles of karapur. The 1940 version of the thief of bagdad is one of those rare fantasy films that has only improved with age as a dazzling example of the screencraft of the era. The thief of bagdad 1940 directed by michael powell. Oscar for the best special effects, the best cinematography and the best art direction in 1941. National catholic register more an homage to than a remake of the classic silent original starring douglas fairbanks, this britishmade color version of the thief of bagdad is a beloved family adventure standard, though not quite as charming or as magical as the original. The thief of bagdad is representative of the era in which it was written. The thief of bagdad, a 1924 novel by achmed abdullah, derived from elements of one thousand and one nights fables. The thief of bagdad, featuring sabu and conrad veidt. The market at basra from warriors of the silver screen album 1996 the city of prague p. Only miklos roszas original musical score did not take home a prize in a nominated category. The thief of bagdad the jungle book soundtrack 1940, 1942. The film was a breakthrough in technique and vision, influential in shaping the entire genre.
The film is about a petty thief named ahmed, a man who enjoys picking pockets and getting up to some mischief. Game mechanics are of classic ultrahard side shooter. The thief of bagdad 1940 is an enduring adventure film and probable the most ambitious visual effects film made since king kong 1933. Criterion has done an outstanding job,though there is a caveat which i will touch upon later. The thief of bagdad dvd, 2002 for sale online ebay. There is rarely a shot in the thief of bagdad without them. One of them was michael powell, who went on to direct many more imaginative films, from the red shoes 1948 to peeping tom 1962. National catholic register more an homage to than a remake of the classic silent original starring douglas fairbanks, this britishmade color version of the thief of bagdad is a beloved family adventure standard. Stream the thief of bagdad the jungle book original score by miklos rozsa and tens of millions of other songs on all your devices with amazon music unlimited. The son of an elephant driver mahout in service for the maharajah of his town, the young stable boy learned responsibility early in life when, at age 9, his father died and.
The thief of bagdad was one of the first movies 1940 to be commercially exploited. Jan 26, 2017 a side shooter with unique visual style and characteristic electronic music. A side shooter with unique visual style and characteristic electronic music. One of the most imaginative of all silent movies, the thief of bagdad is a dazzling arabian nights adventure fantasy. The plot is simple, the characters accessible and the story elements mix fantasy and reality very nicely. Several large forcedperspective bagdad cityscapes are breathtaking elaborations on storybook illustrations. Alexander korda thief of bagdad gold plated sword and dangles brooch. To win the hand of the caliph of bagdads daughter played by julanne johnston, a thief fairbanks embarks on a dangerous and mystical journey to secure the most. Check out the thief of bagdad the jungle book original score by miklos rozsa on amazon music. At the 2 hour 27 minute mark when the thief and the princess are flying over bagdad you can see piano wires holding up the flying carpet when the light reflects off them. Griffiths intolerance 1916 were a tasteful mixture at best and in most cases a jumble.
In 1942 sabu played another role based on a kipling story, namely mowgli in jungle book directed by zoltan korda, which was shot entirely in california. The thief of bagdad released dec40stars,among others,conrad veidt as jaffar,sabu as abu,june duprez as the princess,john justin as ahmad and rex ingram as the djinn. The thief of bagdad by abdullah achmed and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. If seams and joins show on some of the specialeffects work, it doesnt hurt, because we accept the film as a fantasy tale woven before our eyes. The thief of bagdad 1940 suite miklos rozsa youtube.
The thief of bagdad is a 1940 technicolor arabian fantasy film, produced by alexander korda and directed by michael powell, ludwig berger and tim whelan, with additional contributions by william cameron menzies and korda brothers vincent and zoltan. 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 woman he loves. The thief of baghdad by edward mortimer the new york. For both the story and visual style i took inspiration from the thief of bagdad a 1924 classic silent adventure movie with douglas fairbanks. The thief of bagdad is a visual feast and a musical delight. The elaborate and lush backgrounds, the massive sets by william cameron menzies who would later design gone with the wind, all have an expressionist quality unique for american films of the time. Thief of bagdad, jungle book the thief of bagdad the. There are quirks about the thief of bagdad 1940, and in a way the characters dont match the personality of douglas fairbanks in the original the thief of bagdad 1924. Hyde, broken blossoms, the general by rudolph valentino. It was distributed in the us and the uk by united artists. That is when i landed on the thief of bagdad from 1924.
When the thief arrived at the closed, tall bagdad city gates being guarded by mongols, he twice cried out to demand entrance. Douglas fairbanks stars in this epic tale of bravery and adventure. The thief of bagdad by ludwig berger, michael powell, tim. The thief of bagdad by achmed abdullah and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. None of the authors had foreknowledge that, in the small hours of that day, the armed forces of iraq would invade and occupy the entire territory of the state of. The thief of bagdad, american swashbuckling film, released in 1924, that cemented douglas fairbankss reputation as a matinee idol.
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