The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

Directors:

Ludwig Berger
Michael Powell
(more)

Writers:

Miles Malleson (screenplay)
Lajos Biró (scenario)

Release Date:

25 December 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

One Thousand and One Sights from One Thousand and One Nights

Plot:

Prince Ahmad is the rightful King of Bagdad but he has been blinded and cast out as a beggar. Now a...

Plot Keywords:

Flying | Flying Carpet | Dungeon | Princess | Thief

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 1 nomination

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frederick Burtwell	...	Unnamed Character (uncredited)
Joseph Cozier	...	Man selling fish (uncredited)
Henry Hallett	...	Unnamed Character (uncredited)
Glynis Johns	...	Unnamed Character (uncredited)
Alexander Laine	...	Urchin in Bagdad market (uncredited)
Cleo Laine	...	Urchin in Bagdad market (uncredited)
Sylvia Laine	...	Urchin in Bagdad market (uncredited)
Spoli Mills	...	Walk-on (uncredited)
Leslie Phillips	...	Urchin in Bagdad market (uncredited)
Norman Pierce	...	Unnamed Character (uncredited)
John Salew	...	Unnamed Character (uncredited)
Otto Wallen	...	Unnamed Character (uncredited)

Directed by
Ludwig Berger
Michael Powell
Tim Whelan
Alexander Korda		(uncredited)
Zoltan Korda		(uncredited)
William Cameron Menzies		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Miles Malleson		(screenplay and dialogue)
Lajos Biró		(scenario) (as Lajos Biro)

Produced by
Alexander Korda	....	producer
Zoltan Korda	....	associate producer
William Cameron Menzies	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa		(as Miklos Rozsa)

Film Editing by
Charles Crichton

Production Design by
Vincent Korda

Art Direction by
Vincent Korda		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
John Armstrong
Oliver Messel
Marcel Vertès		(as Marcel Vertes)

Makeup Department
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Tom Shenton	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
David B. Cunynghame	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Clayton	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
W. Percy Day	....	scenic backgrounds (as Percy Day)
Ferdinand Bellan	....	associate art director (uncredited)
W. Percy Day	....	associate art director (uncredited)
William Cameron Menzies	....	associate art director (uncredited)
Frederick Pusey	....	associate art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
A.W. Watkins	....	sound director
John W. Mitchell	....	sound assistant (uncredited)
Jack Whitney	....	special sound effects (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lawrence W. Butler	....	special effects director (as Lawrence Butler)
Tom Howard	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Peter Ellenshaw	....	assistant matte artist (uncredited)
Wally Veevers	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Osmond Borradaile	....	associate photographer
Georges Périnal	....	chief photographer (as George Perinal)
Henty Henty-Creer	....	camera operator: exteriors (uncredited)
Robert Krasker	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant camera: Technicolor (uncredited)
Bill Wall	....	chief electrician (uncredited)

Editorial Department
William Hornbeck	....	supervising editor
Peter R. Hunt	....	associate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	musical director

Other crew
Geoffrey Boothby	....	associate director
Charles David	....	associate director
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor director
Alexander Korda	....	presenter
André De Toth	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Ralph Faulkner	....	fight choreographer (uncredited)
Wendy Toye	....	dance instructor: mechanical doll dance (uncredited)

Production Companies

• London Film Productions

Distributors

• United Artists Corporation (1940) (UK) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Deutsche London-Film Verleih (1940) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Film Classics (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1961) (Finland) (TV)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Pioneer Entertainment (1996) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Finnkino (1997) (Finland) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Future Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (video)
• Nelson Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

The Thief of Bagdad: An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

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)

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

London Film Productions

Trivia:

Vivien Leigh was originally cast in the role of the Princess, but when, in late 1938, she won the part of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). Korda gave the role to young, up and coming starlet, June Duprez.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The Sultan of Basra's palace has many decorations in the form of Hindu iconography, which would be found in India, but not in the ancient Middle East. (It was considered "Oriental" enough to pass by a 1940s audience, but stands out for a modern audience.)

Quotes:

Abu: I am Abu the thief. Son of Abu the thief. Grandson of Abu the thief.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in One from the Heart (1982)

Soundtrack:

Hungarian Lullabye

A Historical Treasure, And Good Family Entertainment

The Thief of Bagdad is a treasure. First and foremost, it is a good story. Though my four children's primary exposure to this tale, the most famous of the stories of the Arabian Nights, comes from the Disney Corporation, the Thief of Bagdad held their interest to the end. The story moves along at a good pace and includes a twist or two that reduced predictability. Sabu, who plays the young thief, Abu, also measures up to any of today's teen actors in appeal, judging from the number of times I heard my oldest daughter say, "He's c-u-t-e!"

In 1940, the film won Oscars for cinematography and special effects. Today, of course, those effects seem very dated ("Look, it's Barbie flying through the air," declared my daughter at the sight of the genie flying). Yet they fit into the story well. The film is, after all, over 60 years old. The effects fit with the script. Furthermore, what ones sees in The Thief of Bagdad remained pretty much state-of-the-art for the next twenty-five years. One need only compare the opening montage from a 1967 Star Trek episode to see this. In that, it was quite an achievement.

This qualifies as a family film, though there are a few stabbings near the end. The acting is so obvious and the wounds so bloodless as to those scenes nearly as artificial as animation.

All in all, a fun film worth watching for either an evening of pure entertainment, or for the historical value of the effects. I recommend it.