Review #400: The Thief of Bagdad.
Cast
Conrad Veidt (Jaffar), Sabu (Abu), June Duprez (The Princess), John Justin (Ahmad), Rex Ingram (Genie), Miles Malleson (Sultan of Basra), Morton Selten (The Old King), Mary Morris (Halima), Bruce Winston (The Merchant), and Hay Petrie (The Astrologer) Directed by Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, and Tim Whelan.
Review
The Thief of Bagdad is a remake of the 1924 version (reviewed previously - #399), and in some ways the two films are alike, but in other ways they are different, and that is a good thing. The two films differ in sound, in color, and other various things (such as the Prince and the Thief being different characters rather than one) but they both seem to carry the magic of fun, as a tale as old as time. Conrad Veidt is a brilliant villain, who I've covered before in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (#261) and Casablanca (#125), and he works well. Sabu is a fine actor, not annoying or dull, more an actor in development as he already was acting at 13, but he would sadly die at the age of 39. A good actor nonetheless. Duprez and Justin are fine romantic leads, not too bad or too cliche. The supporting actors (like Rex Ingram) are decent, and they do add to the film's depth. This is a film with many ambitions and many ideas. The effects are great because they are groundbreaking for the time, a blue screen (also known as green screen), developed by Larry Butler which gives the film a new level of spectacle, much like how the 1924 version did with its own effects. This film has good ideas which also inspired Aladdin (#156) as I mentioned before. This is a delight for both children and adults, as it manages to have a good heart and a well enough attempt at entertainment. A treasure trove for everyone. I'd like to say it has been a fine thing to review for 400 films, and I am sure there is more to come for me and you. Thanks to everyone who has been reading, and I hope you keep reading as I hope I watching films.
Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.
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