IMDb > The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
The Thief of Bagdad
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The Thief of Bagdad (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   3,982 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 63% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Miles Malleson (screenplay)
Lajos Biró (scenario)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Thief of Bagdad on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1940 (USA) more
Tagline:
One Thousand and One Sights from One Thousand and One Nights more
Plot:
Prince Ahmad is the rightful King of Bagdad but he has been blinded and cast out as a beggar. Now a... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 3 Oscars. Another 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
The Thief Of Bagdad
 (From The AV Club. 27 May 2008, 9:06 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
STUNNING DVD! more (76 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Conrad Veidt ... Jaffar
Sabu ... Abu
June Duprez ... Princess
John Justin ... Ahmad
Rex Ingram ... Djinn
Miles Malleson ... Sultan
Morton Selten ... The Old King
Mary Morris ... Halima
Bruce Winston ... The Merchant
Hay Petrie ... Astrologer
Adelaide Hall ... Singer
Roy Emerton ... Jailer
Allan Jeayes ... The Story Teller
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Thief of Bagdad: An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor (UK) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
106 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #02749) | West Germany:6 | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Norway:A | Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:Btl | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Filming began in Britain, but because of the Blitz, the production relocated to Hollywood. more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: Despite taking place in the ancient Middle East, several scenes show local people speaking in Hindi, which is spoken in India. (Again, it's "Oriental" enough for a 1940s audience not to notice.) more
Quotes:
Genie: You're a clever little man little master of the universe, but mortals are weak and frail. If their stomach speaks, they forget their brain. If their brain speaks, they forget their heart. And if their heart speaks
[laughter]
Genie: ... they forget everything.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
I Want To Be A Sailor more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
STUNNING DVD!, 3 December 2002
10/10
Author: blue-7 from Salt Lake City, Utah

I first discovered Alexander Korda's (1940) Fantasy, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD in the early 1950's on a re-issue billed as "The Wonder Show of the Century!" Both Korda Technicolor films, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD and JUNGLE BOOK were shown on one never to be forgotten program. The music of Miklos Rozsa enhanced both films. The Technicolor in each was incredibly beautiful! THE THIEF OF BAGDAD has remained on my list as the best fantasy film ever made. As the years passed, it became more difficult to enjoy the film's color in the way it had originally been presented in. True Technicolor gave way to a Eastman Color process in the middle 1950's. Both Kino and Samuel Goldwyn reissued the film both theatrically and on video. But the Eastman Color prints were more pastel in nature and muted the vibrancy of the original Technicolor. The Laser Disc release of this title also has the pastel look to it -- nice, but not as it should be. NOW comes the M-G-M DVD (3 Dec 2002) issue. THE THIEF OF BAGDAD again has the wonderful Technicolor look to it on a DVD that is nothing short of STUNNING!!! It was so exciting to see it like this once again that after viewing the DVD once, I watched it a second time. The only "Extras" are a Spanish Dubbed version, Sub-Titles in both English & Spanish, and a beautifully done original theatrical trailer. Thank you M-G-M for this EXCEPTIONAL DVD release. Now, one can only hope that Korda's FOUR FEATHERS and a restored version of Korda's JUNGLE BOOK (to replace to poor public domain prints in circulation) will soon follow on DVD.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
This is a good remake, but I think I missed one thing about the movie. kellyleighcrutcher
Ebert has Added Thief to his Greatest Films List theFoss
First Film I ever saw TwilightNinja
New Review of Thief of Bagdad robhiphop
Canadian running time smith93
did I miss something? nccomet
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