Review of The Thief of Bagdad (1940) by Kevin M — 11 Feb 2009
Sure, it's a complete bastardization of "1001 Arabian Nights" and we have an ineffectual white man playing "Prince Ahmed", but if you can forgive the anachronistic handling of the F/X and the episodic storyline, you'll have tons of fun. Show this to a child or someone who wouldn't notice the primitive special effects (such as the blue halos around the miniaturized people), and just let Sabu's enthusiastic performance and Miklos Rosza's timeless, sweeping score carry you away into Far Araby.
The Criterion DVD is worth picking up just to hear Francis Ford Coppola singing along with the soundtrack and enthusing like an 8-year-old. Also, the giant spider is still scarier than that CGI monstrosity in "Return of the King".
This review of The Thief of Bagdad (1940) was written by Kevin M on 11 Feb 2009.
The Thief of Bagdad has generally received very positive reviews.
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