Review of The Thief of Bagdad (1940) by André D — 06 May 2012

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD is classic Hollywood cinematic fantasy. Its graceful score, excellent character performances, impressive for-the-time technical and effects achievements, and a sense of wonder and joy sorely lacking from today's cinema fare.

John Justin stars as Prince Ahmed, a prince whose material wealth has not filled the growing hole in his heart. He yearns for love...his evil vizier Jaffar (same name of ALADDIN's villain, 'coincidentally') sets in motion a tale that is as old as time: a hero fights for his true love (and vice versa), a villain vies for what he believes to be rightfully his (power, a princess's love and a throne) and will do anything to achieve his goals (including casting dangerous magic upon our heroes and heroines) and a spirited sidekick who is an equal in character to Ahmed, a lowly thief-turned-hero named Abu (played by the legendary one-hit wonder actor Abu).

Made in the age of Ray Harryhausen, his technical influence and the time's affinity for tales of the fantastic on-screen had their wishes granted by eager-to-please filmmakers who had as much craftiness behind on the camera as well as the crafty special effects spread across its forefront. From a bellowing giant djinni to flying carpets (as can be seen in the film's tagged poster), the special effects are noticeably phony by today's standards but in 1940 must have been mind-blowing to audiences everywhere (much like AVATAR was to audiences in 2009).

Times change, but the wonder and magic of movies stays ever-present in the best cinema has to offer. Thanks to film preservation and the Criterion Collection, cinema's classics are continuously cared for, looked after, and widely released via DVD/Blu-Ray to the public (and understandably to those who can afford the initial price tag). In any case, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD is one of cinema's enduring classics. Disregard your standards for today's cinema and take in one of cinema's purest, most adventurous on-screen fantasy...ever.