Review of The Thief of Bagdad (1924) by Lindsay W — 19 Oct 2012
Not being a silent film afficiando, The Thief of Bagdad isn't exactly an easy watch. The first half is a slow introduction to our thief as he falls for the beautiful princess, with not a whole lot of action past the first sequence.
It's the second half that does much more to entertain, as the suitors head out on adventures seeking a gift to win the hand of the Caliph's daughter. The over-the-top antics of Douglas Fairbanks are a great advantage to the format, and it's surprising how little the plot relies on the story cards to explain things to the audience.
The sets and effects seem quite good, when considering the film was made in the 20s. I'm still confused by the under-water spider attack; such a very odd choice, but it gave me the biggest laugh of the film.
It's a movie I'm glad I sat down to watch, but I appreciate it more in picturing how fun it would have been to watch in a theater full of people when it first came out. As good as I think it is for the format, it's still a bit of a chore to watch especially because of the long runtime.
This review of The Thief of Bagdad (1924) was written by Lindsay W on 19 Oct 2012.
The Thief of Bagdad has generally received very positive reviews.
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