The Thief of Bagdad

Plot synopsis:
Ahmed (Douglas Fairbanks) robs as he pleases in the city of Baghdad. Wandering into a mosque, he tells the holy man (Charles Belcher) he disdains his religion; his philosophy is, "What I want, I take."
That night, he sneaks into the palace of the caliph (Brandon Hurst) using a magic rope he stole during ritual prayers. All thoughts of plunder are forgotten when he sees the sleeping princess (Julanne Johnston), the caliph's daughter. The princess's Mongol slave (Anna May Wong) discovers him and alerts the guards, but he gets away.
When his associate (Snitz Edwards) reminds the disconsolate Ahmed that a bygone thief once stole another princess during the reign of Haroun al-Rashid, Ahmed sets out to do the same. The next day is the princess's birthday. Three princes arrive, seeking her hand in marriage (and the future inheritance of the city). Another of the princess's slaves foretells that she will marry he who first touches a rose-tree in her garden. The princess watches anxiously as first the glowering Prince of the Indies (Noble Johnson), then the obese Prince of Persia (an uncredited Mathilde Comont), and finally the Prince of the Mongols (Sojin Kamiyama) pass by the rose-tree. The mere sight of the Mongol fills the princess with fear, but when Ahmed appears (disguised in stolen garments as a suitor), she is delighted. The Mongol slave tells her countryman of the prophecy, but before he can touch the rose-tree, Ahmed's startled horse tosses its rider into it.
That night, following ancient custom, the princess chooses Ahmed for her husband. Out of love, Ahmed gives up his plan to abduct her and confesses all to her in private. The Mongol prince learns from his spy, the princess's Mongol slave, that Ahmed is a common thief and informs the caliph. Ahmed is lashed mercilessly, and the caliph orders he be torn apart by a giant ape, but the princess has the guards bribed to let him go.
When the caliph insists she select another husband, her loyal slave advises her to delay. She asks that the princes each bring her a gift after "seven moons"; she will marry the one who brings her the rarest. In despair, Ahmed turns to the holy man. He tells the thief to become a prince, revealing to him the peril-fraught path to a great treasure.
The Prince of the Indies obtains a magic crystal ball from the eye of a giant idol, which shows whatever he wants to see, while the Persian prince buys a flying carpet. The Mongol prince leaves behind his henchman, telling him to organize the soldiers he will send to Bagdad disguised as porters. (The potentate has sought all along to take the city; the beautiful princess is only an added incentive.) After he lays his hands on a magic apple which has the power to cure anything, even death, he sends word to the Mongol slave to poison the princess. After many adventures, Ahmed gains a cloak of invisibility and a small chest of magic powder which turns into whatever he wishes when he sprinkles it. He races back to the city.
The three princes meet as agreed at a caravansary before returning to Bagdad. The Mongol asks the Indian to check whether the princess has waited for them. They discover that she is near death, and ride the flying carpet to reach her. Then the Mongol uses the apple to cure her. The suitors argue over which gift is rarest, but the princess points out that without any one gift, the remaining two would have been useless in saving her life. Her loyal slave shows her Ahmed in the crystal ball, so the princess convinces her father to deliberate carefully on his future son-in-law. The Mongol prince chooses not to wait, unleashing his secret army that night and capturing Bagdad.
Ahmed arrives at the city gate, shut and manned by Mongols. When he conjures up a large army with his powder, the Mongol soldiers flee. The Mongol prince is about to have one of his men kill him when the Mongol slave suggests he escape with the princess on the flying carpet. Ahmed liberates the city and rescues the princess, using his cloak of invisibility to get through the Mongols guarding their prince. In gratitude, the caliph gives his daughter to him in marriage.

Tags: action, entertaining, fantasy

Review:
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (United Artists, 1924), directed by Raoul Walsh, is an original Arabian Nights fantasy that remains one of the most visually stunning of all silent films with trick photography and lavish sets (compliments of William Cameron Menzies) taking top form over anything else.
Then again, this is 1924, running 150 minutes (depending on the projection speed), and a small wonder how audiences felt watching this lavish tale during its initial premiere, focusing on mythical events set in "The Dream City of the East." It was quite obvious then this was something never before presented on screen, making the current products of director DW Griffith seem old-fashioned and out of date.
Fortunately, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD doesn't fall into that category, and hopefully never will.It's star attraction, Douglas Fairbanks, having made a reputation for himself in costume swashbucklers, previously appearing as Zorro, Robin Hood and the leader of The Three Musketeers, assumes another challenge, an Arabian Nights Fantasy.
Almost immediately, the Thief, bare-chested and sporting baggy pants resembling the bottom half of a pajama, lives up to his title picking pockets, stealing food from the ledge of a balcony, and living by his philosophy, "What I want, I take." The movie opens and closes with a Holy Man (Charles Belcher) raising his arm towards the glittering stars in the heavens spelling out "Happiness Must Be Earned." In between those words, the moral of the story is told to a young lad how this thief earned his happiness.Lengthly with some lulls, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD never ceases to amaze.
A magical tale, brilliantly told, full of surprises too plentiful to mention here.THE THIEF OF BAGDAD is Douglas Fairbanks' finest hours on screen.
The Douglas Fairbanks legend lives on with films such as this.A supporting cast of not so famous performers, only Anna May Wong as the Mongol Slave, did make a name for herself in future films up to the sound era.
Aside from Brandon Hurst (Caliph), and Noble Johnson (the Indian Prince), Sojin stands out in his spine chilling performance as the evil Mongol Prince.THE THIEF OF BADGAD was one of 13 feature films broadcast on the PBS 13-week series, "The Silent Years" (1971), hosted by Orson Welles.
There is none in the kingdom wily & cunning enough to thwart the evil one's wicked plots - no one, that is, except THE THIEF OF BAGDAD.This is another wonderful Douglas Fairbanks silent adventure epic.
His athleticism is here perfectly at home in a realm of flying carpets, magic armies & undersea battles.Director Raoul Walsh & Art Director William Cameron Menzies have created a realm of domes & towers, turrets & great halls, bazaars & souks - all the perfect backdrop for Fairbanks & the plot's sinuous action.In the supporting cast, Sojin makes an excellent villain, the mysterious epitome of evil.
Look for Anna May Wong as a palace maid & versatile African American actor Noble Johnson as the Indian Prince.Both versions of this film now available on video feature scores based on themes from Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, which exquisitely conveys all the allurement of the Thousand and One Nights..
The movie also has some silly looking but yet great early special effects, toward the ending of the movie.The story has all the ingredients needed for such a genre movie as this one; an heroic main character, a love interest, stereotypical villains and lots of fun and action.
After all, he photographed at least twenty of the current top cult favorites) and the magical acting by the athletic Fairbanks, the scheming Sojin and the entrancing Miss Wong, all not only contribute richly to the film's success, but each actually presents a compelling reason for making this Thief of Bagdad an absolute must-see!.
It would have to rank among the best adventure/fantasy stories made in the silent film era, and it's still as entertaining as just about anything of the kind being made today..
"The Thief of Bagdad" was my first introduction to Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and, as first impressions go, I've not been this impressed with an old-time film star since I watched Fairbanks' cinematic successor, Errol Flynn, begin creating his own legend in "Captain Blood".The imagination and power of the visual design of the sets by Raoul Walsh make a nice complement for Fairbanks' script.
Charming, smart, irresistable to women, tough enough to take on the bad guys, gifted with a physique that borders on the unbelievable...he's every boy's greatest heroic fantasy come true.All that said, another reason "The Thief of Bagdad" is important AND fun is because it really marks the starting point for the modern genre of action-adventure films.
Fairbanks essentially invented the action/adventure movie genre, known in his day as swashbucklers."Thief of Bagdad" was made in 1924 when Fairbanks was half way through the heyday of that part of his career.
Only Griffth's "Intolerance" created the same kind of feel, and it was gritty and warlike, where as "Thief" was a sort of wondrous dream about what it would be like to live by your wits, go off and slay dragons and eventually, win the hand of a princess by saving her father's kingdom.Fairbanks was over 40 when he made this film and yet seems so perfectly suited for it that we forget his age.
Raoul Walsh's direction is also great, although the film is a little long in some spots and would be aided by some skillful editing.Fairbanks acting style seems today very much of the silent era, yet at the same time, there is always the feel of joyous celebration to it.
This is certainly one of the best examples of the greatness of the medium now called 'silent film.' There are truly wondrous moving images here, created by means of human actors, stage techniques, and primitive FX, made to tell a very satisfying mythic story.
I saw a restored cut of this film on PBS TV in the late 1980's, with the original color tints and an orchestral soundtrack composed of rearranged bits of Rimsky-Korsekov's 'Scheherazade.' The Scheherazade material works perfectly with this material, not only because it helps establish the magical world in which our story transpires, but because it goes perfectly with Fairbanks' ballet-style action sequences.
True, some of the "special effects" are a little corny by today's standards, but the film holds up, nevertheless.And to all those who appreciate the male form, Douglas Fairbanks physique is unbelievable!.
This is a silent film that can be throughly enjoyed by those who normally shy away from the pre-sound era, because it is overwhelmingly a visual visit to an otherworld through fantastic set designs and dazzling special effects.There is a bit of hammy acting but it doesn't seem objectionable because it is overshadowed by the grandeur and scope of the production.
True, the film is lengthy and may contain a couple of lulls in the pacing, but when Fairbanks, the visuals and the adventure and fantasy elements of the story were so good, this was hardly a problem for me.
The fact is that this film's audience was probably people who didn't go to the movies often, and were still amazed by the novelty of moving pictures.Keeping in mind all I said about why most silent films have not exactly stood the test of time, is "The Thief of Baghdad" a good movie?
For many reasons, yes, and it should be watched by people who are fans of action and fantasy movies, because this really paved the way for what CGI and other special effects sciences only made better in the years to come.The movie tells a good story, although one that sputters and stalls a few times in the first 30 minutes.
In fact, the first five minutes of the film are incredibly entertaining the way he manages to pickpocket wealthy patrons, and effortlessly fling his way up to a balcony with just a long rope and a donkey.The story really begins, though, when the thief disguises himself as a prince, and attempts to woo the princess.
How did they edit the film so that that particular effect worked?" If you have that sort of wonderment out of a moviegoer who just went to see "Avatar", you've got a good movie.The movie was also probably shot on a studio lot, but the set design is so detailed with its tall buildings and plants carefully placed in the makeshift Baghdad that there are few indications of such a location.
Still, the movie told a good story, the special effects were awe-inspiring considering its time period, and the message of the film is something to take away: "Happiness Must Be Earned".
Like John Kay sang, "Fantasy will set you free." ********* The Thief of Bagdad (3/18/24) Raoul Walsh ~ Douglas Fairbanks, Julanne Johnston, Sojin, Anna May Wong.
There is no denying that for its day and age this is wonderful.Given that it is nearly a century old it holds up very well.Though slow in places and long at 2 hours and 19 minutes I can imagine the original audiences must have blow away by the special effects, action, and story, costumes and sets etc;If course, the real selling point is Fairbanks who truly lights up the screen.
Some of the special effects still look good especially the flying carpet scenes and creating the million man army, but the rest for the main are primitive  however if you're unfortunate enough to see any of the laughable modern versions, maybe some with eye-splitting digital cartoonery too you'll realise special effects do not make a great movie.
However if comparisons are possible between silent and sound films, I think Korda's version was something extra special and on another level altogether.So if you care, dig out a good non-budget issue of this for a magical night's entertainment..
Douglas Fairbanks shows off great silent acting & fantastic stunt work in a very entertaining film.
This is the type of film that should be pulled out when someone wants to do a theater organ score with a silent movie.There is a very good reason this film is great visually and clever with special effects.
And every time that I have the opportunity to watch it again, I don´t waste the chance (although unfortunately is rarely show it on t.v.) This film is almost eighty years old, and in my opinion has yet to lose their strong plot history, with Douglas Fairbanks at his top performance and in his stunts.The stages are so impressive.I like this picture a lot more than the 1940 version,that was made with much more resources.
Each time I see it, more and deeper messages come to me about the real message that this movie portrays.This film is now 75 years old and I say one thing, it gives the movies of today one good run for their money.
When seen with such accompaniment, the film is a delight to watch, with the film and music and live sound effects making a real evenings entertainment.A classic silent movie with all fun of the fairground.
Made on grand sets that rivalled the likes of Cabiria (1914), thanks to some spectacular set design by William Cameron Menzies, and featuring some ground-breaking visual effects, the real attraction of The Thief of Bagdad is Fairbanks himself, who compensates for some quite outlandish over-acting with an irresistibly athletic performance.
He also cherishes untoward designs on the Princess of our very city!The most revered cinematic version "Thief Of Bagdad" may have come almost 20 years later, but this silent Douglas Fairbanks actioner bows to no film in creating fantastic adventure.
If you want a case study for how Hollywood got it right early blending special effects, stunt work, and ample good humor, this is a "Thief" worth catching.Bagdad here is not exactly the Baghdad we know today.
"Allah hath made thy soul to yearn for happiness, but thou must earn it," he is told, and once we allow for the conventions and limits of silent film, we come a good deal closer to earning it ourselves.The direction by Raoul Walsh is sturdy enough, supported by stunning sets by William Cameron Menzies.
It does not have the Technicolor opulent look of the 1940 version, and Douglas Fairbanks is not as handsome as the 1961 thief, played by Steve Reeves, but this 1924 production intelligently blends comedy and drama; the framing, angles and camera movements used by director Raoul Walsh and cinematographer Arthur Edeson are visually elegant; and sets, costumes and effects were beautifully conceived and executed.
The film moves with a fascinating rhythm during the first two acts in Bagdad, before the Princess' suitors travel in search of the strangest treasures: there are countless sets to stage all the dramatic and action scenes: the marketplace, the sewers, the palace garden, the throne room, the Princess' bedroom, immense stairs, doors, walls, halls and vines, lavishly designed by William Cameron Menzies.
Everybody is fine in this film: Fairbank as the thief is all smiles, but when he has to show the dramatic nuances of his character he excels; Sôjin Kamiyama is excellent as the Mongol Prince (especially when compared to the 1940 and 1961 villains, more than aptly played by Conrad Veidt and Arturo Dominici), and Julanne Johnston's Princess is both attractive and funny, but I especially enjoyed beautiful Anna May Wong as the wicked Oriental maid and hilarious Snitz Edwards as the thief's sidekick.
It all works together to bring to life a fantastic world of flying carpets, magic ropes, mermaids, giant apes, and invading foreign armies, all contained within an exotic Arabian backdrop.The film is pretty long, and it drags at certain parts (mostly the middle).
The music score is great too.The Thief of Bagdad is not only a seminal classic for fantasy films, it's also one of the biggest and most imaginative silent-era films I've seen.Recommended!
One of the best films of the Silent era, right from the start: the stunt where Fairbanks gets to a balcony by means of a rope, a donkey, and a sleeping fat man is still one of the funniest in movies.
An epic silent adventure straight out of the Arabian Nights, 'The Thief of Bagdad' has lavish sets, pretty cool special effects, and Douglas Fairbanks bounding about athletically (and bare-chested) for much of the film.
The prince from Mongolia has the upper hand though, aided as he is by a spy he has amongst the princess's slaves (Anna May Wong, who was just 19 years old).The film is stylish from its very outset, when we see the words "Happiness must be earned" materialize in the starry night before the tale is told.
A recalcitrant thief (Douglas Fairbanks) vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess.Long before we had Disney's "Aladdin", we had the thief of Bagdad.
But lush costumes and sets are not enough.My score would be higher were this film one hour shorter, because the paper-thin plot and characters at play in The Thief of Bagdad do not warrant a two and a half hour run-time.
"The Thief of Bagdad" (1924) is an amazing adventure film and it is one of my favorite movies.
The acrobatic skill and charisma of Douglas Fairbanks fits well with the magnificent sets and magical special effects of this timeless romantic fantasy, but all the histrionic mugging and florid over-emoting only makes the silent epic look sadly dated when seen today.
This was the 20s version of a 'blockbuster' with its editing, scope and scale, continuous action, special effects, and a fine fantasy story--something not seen comparably again until the unleashing of 'Star Wars' (1977).There are a couple of slow spots, the Thief's repentance scene and his first time alone with the Princess go on a little too long, but so much else happens in the film that these momentary slowdowns are easily overlooked.
Although the senior Fairbanks in closeups might have looked a little long in the tooth to be playing the young thief who wooed and won a princess, he hadn't lost a bit of athleticism that his films were known for.The Tales of the Arabian Nights was the inspiration for this The Thief Of Bagdad and the more familiar sound version that Alexander Korda produced and shot here in the USA as well due to wartime conditions in Great Britain.
I wouldn't be surprised if Griffith took an unofficial hand here.The sets were created of course by young William Cameron Menzies in one of his earliest films, costumes by Mitchell Leisen, and the director was Raoul Walsh, all of them getting big boosts in their careers from Douglas Fairbanks.
Fairbanks gives one of his best performance as the often grinning and shirtless almost all the way through scoundrel thief turned brave hero, Johnston looks pretty as the princess longing to find the right prince, and the other supporting characters do their parts well also.
I can see that this would have been one of the inspirations for ideas put into Disney cartoon Aladdin, obviously it an Arabian Nights story, and with elements like magic ropes, flying carpets and magic powder there is great spectacle, these special effect moments use terrific camera and editing tricks, and the swashbuckling bits with fights and chases are great fun, a splendid silent fantasy adventure.
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD is the lengthy silent version of the famous exotic adventure, with Douglas Fairbanks taking the title role.
Did such a place ever really exist or is it just a fictional fantasy?The Thief of Bagdad was one of the most expensive films of the silent era and that money sure went to good use.
This movie is a masterpiece.This was movie,but i enjoyed it as much as any modern film.Douglas Fairbanks made a wonderful role.The whole movie was so interesting.effects and everything.i like everything about this movie.this is a silent movie masterpiece.In the scenes with the giant ape, the guards are played by children.
After all that, I wonder how the 1940 version will hold up compared to this one.DOUG: 1924 sees the release of of this rip-roaring screen classic directed by Raoul Walsh and starring silent film adventurer Douglas Fairbanks.