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Amazon.co.uk Review
Dating from 1924 this Thief of Bagdad is justifiably billed here as "one of the truly great silent films of the 1920s." As the forerunner of generations of magical, effect-laden fantasy epics, its importance is practically immeasurable. And still, after eight decades, it has startling, thrilling qualities which the finest computer graphics would struggle to surpass. Douglas Fairbanks, co-founder of United Artists, is the eponymous hero, swindling, fighting and leaping his way to true love through a series of adventures which take him from a magnificently surreal Bagdad to enchanted forests, ocean bottoms and magic carpet rides.
"Happiness must be earned," is the motto; Fairbanks and his director Raoul Walsh certainly don't short-change their audience in bringing it to life. The effects are stunning, with a particularly gruesome slaying of a monster. Every scene is crammed with detail and incident. Fairbanks is a whirlwind of muscular, balletic flamboyance. And while his princess (Julanne Johnson) is a stereotype of vapidity, there's gleamingly malevolent support from Anna May Wong as the evil Mongol Slave Girl. Over two hours of sheer enjoyment belie the notion that cinematic sophistication is a modern achievement.
On the DVD: The Thief of Bagdad disc presents the restored and remastered print (the tints have a luminous quality) complete with a 1975 score by master organist Gaylord Carter--you can almost feel the Wurlitzer rising from the pit of your entertainment centre. The audio essay, written by film historian R Dixon Smith, is an invaluable extra, providing essential information on how the picture was made and how the art designers played with proportion to create many of the visual tricks and a fantastical atmosphere. --Piers Ford
Product Description
The Thief of Bagdad falls in love with the daughter of the Caliph of Bagdad. The Caliph promises the hand of his daughter in marriage to whoever brings back the rarest treasure after seven moons. The thief sets off on a magical journey, one of four suitors on a mission to win the hand of the Princess.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The 1924 "Thief of Bagdad" is hugely better than the 1940 Korda version, but more to the point - what is going on with the reviews on this page? They appear to be about an (unnamed) piece of American social realism from 1969, and some (also unnamed) book. Sort it out Amazon!
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I think this is a must have! While I am always skeptical of the quality of early movies, this one despite being a silent movie tops my personal chart of classic movies. It is so amazing to watch how they nearly 90 years ago constructed the screenplay build the stage settings and how they filmed it all. Including all these special effects. The underwater scene is one of numerous awesome highlights. A true gem which will never get old. Sadly the print is not fully complete and later film reels are visibly in poor condition. Nevertheless its still a beauty to watch
6 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It is said that the cost of freedom is eternal vigilance, start by watching this film.
Peter Watkins directs this pseudo-documentary with an earnestness of style and a lack of presumption that still refreshes even in 2010. In fact, his gritty and authentic attention to detail is especially pleasing in the here and now. The basic premise has since been copied so many times as to render it almost a cliche, but the toughness and honesty that the direction brings to the script (assuming there was one) allows for instant, disconcerting familiarity without hastening predictability. You know nobody is going to survive, but because of the urgent camera and solid acting by non-actors you really want them to. You identify with those that chose to commute their sentence.
The characters are beaten, insulted and dehumanized in almost every way, and the sanctimonious sermonizing of the moral majority sentencing them is sadly all too believable. We watch a world where members of various movements, (e.g socialist, black power, feminist, Chicano) are subjected to dubious 'hearings' and admonished for their (equally dubious) 'crimes' they are then offered either a) an unfeasibly long prison sentence or b) four days in Punishment Park. Unsurprisingly, each chooses the park. The scene in 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' where McMurphy states that Nurse Ratched enjoys "a rigged game" came to kind as soon as the scene was done and each actor shuffled out of the room towards a certain death sentence. Later films, such as 'Battle Royale' can also trace their origins back to this film, gravid with social commentary and shot with an uncomfortable frankness that makes the scenario feel compellingly real.
Here in the UK in 2010, with the advent of ID cards, lying politicians and the encroaching specter of far-right fascism embodied by certain fringe parties, the message of this film has never been more poignant, like 'Nineteen Eighty Four' or 'V for Vendetta' it is a veritable 'message in a bottle' warning us all what happens if we stop fighting. America, with the shadows of The Washington consensus, The Bush doctrine, an illegal invasion and the patriot act casting long over the white house, never seemed the more perfect setting.
The film has never been more believable or more powerful. Watch if you are looking for an amazing slice of social commentary, which, in the traditions of Shakespeare or Dostoevsky, remains as true today as when it was made.
Peter Watkins directs this pseudo-documentary with an earnestness of style and a lack of presumption that still refreshes even in 2010. In fact, his gritty and authentic attention to detail is especially pleasing in the here and now. The basic premise has since been copied so many times as to render it almost a cliche, but the toughness and honesty that the direction brings to the script (assuming there was one) allows for instant, disconcerting familiarity without hastening predictability. You know nobody is going to survive, but because of the urgent camera and solid acting by non-actors you really want them to. You identify with those that chose to commute their sentence.
The characters are beaten, insulted and dehumanized in almost every way, and the sanctimonious sermonizing of the moral majority sentencing them is sadly all too believable. We watch a world where members of various movements, (e.g socialist, black power, feminist, Chicano) are subjected to dubious 'hearings' and admonished for their (equally dubious) 'crimes' they are then offered either a) an unfeasibly long prison sentence or b) four days in Punishment Park. Unsurprisingly, each chooses the park. The scene in 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' where McMurphy states that Nurse Ratched enjoys "a rigged game" came to kind as soon as the scene was done and each actor shuffled out of the room towards a certain death sentence. Later films, such as 'Battle Royale' can also trace their origins back to this film, gravid with social commentary and shot with an uncomfortable frankness that makes the scenario feel compellingly real.
Here in the UK in 2010, with the advent of ID cards, lying politicians and the encroaching specter of far-right fascism embodied by certain fringe parties, the message of this film has never been more poignant, like 'Nineteen Eighty Four' or 'V for Vendetta' it is a veritable 'message in a bottle' warning us all what happens if we stop fighting. America, with the shadows of The Washington consensus, The Bush doctrine, an illegal invasion and the patriot act casting long over the white house, never seemed the more perfect setting.
The film has never been more believable or more powerful. Watch if you are looking for an amazing slice of social commentary, which, in the traditions of Shakespeare or Dostoevsky, remains as true today as when it was made.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
dvd john wayne
wife loves this and all other john wayne films
good service good film can be enjoyed by all the family
good service good film can be enjoyed by all the family
Published 5 months ago by his royal higness
Shockingly accurate, even now ?
This film paints a dark, xenophobic, bigotted America still scared of the 'Reds under the bed' and using totalitarian measures to oppress what they can't understand or accept. Read more
Published 17 months ago by lameduck
An Intriguing Narrative
The book was purchased as a gift for a family member. He has esoteric tastes and is interested in books that are slightly "off the wall". Read more
Published 19 months ago by J. Gould
Good movie for kindy children
I put this Movie to children age 4-5 , and even when it was long and made them tired ,and I cut it they remembered and asked to see it again. Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2010 by Z. Hanzlik
Scary
I wonder if the director realised this film would still be chillingly relevant thirty odd years later.
Published on 18 Sep 2006 by simpon
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