mmallon4 Could there be a more enchanting silent adventure than The Thief of Bagdad? – A film which is enormously pleasurable, fun, captivating and relaxing to watch. Even at the lengthy running time there was never a dull moment and in my opinion is far superior to the 1940 version. The film has a dream like state, one which I'm happy to see go on and on. This is a rare film which I feel you can pop into at any point and watch from there.The Thief of Bagdad has a straightforward message which is literally spelled out in the stars at both the beginning and end of the film; "Happiness must be earned". The film also opens with a verse from The Koran; "Praise be to Allah – the Beneficent King – the Creator of the Universe – Lord of the Three World!". The remainder of the film however portrays the religion of Islam in a non-proselytizing manner. The film isn't afraid to show the extent of slavery in the Islamic world of the time, likewise the thief himself isn't big into faith and even dismisses Allah as a myth in a Mosque right in front of worshipers. What's particularly interesting about this scene is the Imam (Charles Belcher) prevents the worshipers from attacking the thief after the makes his comments. Islam is touted as the so called "Religion of Peace" and this is at least symbolised in this scene. The Thief's distaste of religion doesn't last though as he later asks the Imam to be his catalyst in his transformation ("Allah hath made thy soul to yearn for happiness, but thou must earn it"). Anyone who grew up associating Bagdad with bombs and terrorism, seeing a movie which refers to Bagdad (or Baghdad as other sources spell it) as "dream city of the ancient east" is surreal to see. What happened to this dream city? Did such a place ever really exist or is it just 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. William Cameron Menzies' huge, D.W. Griffith like sets are a marvel to behold in their grandiosity and opulence. There's so much going in many shots with people moving in the background and doing their own thing. Like other silent epics The Thief of Bagdad is a movie of predominantly long shots which offer a voyeuristic like insight into this fantasy world. Not to mention many shots like a 2D platformer video game, so feel free to hold a controller while watching the movie and pretend to play away.Julanne Johnston's role as the Princess is very limited as she isn't given a huge amount to do. However the real stand out female performance is Anna May Wong at the Mongolian slave girl, a real toxic sexual siren. She acts as an insider for the villain of the film, the Mongolian Prince in helping him take over the city. Although considering she is a slave at the hands of a foreign power and the Mongolian Princes' seizing of the city could ensure her freedom, I can empathise with her character. She is last seen telling the Mongolian Prince to escape with the Princess on the flying carpet all while one of her fellow slaves sees her doing this; the viewer is left to decide what happens to her character. The Mongolian Prince himself does not have much to his personality other than being overtly evil but is delightfully evil all the same while giving off the Fu Manchu vibes.Like Errol Flynn who would come after him, on screen Douglas Fairbanks projects a real lust for life. He is a marvel to watch with his athletic prowess, feline grace as well as his ability to give the middle finger to the laws of gravity and physics; and nice pecks too. Like some of the great silent comics, he also displays lateral thinking skills. Just looks at the scene in which he creates a makeshift pulley out of a turban, a chair leg and a donkey in order that he can get up to a balcony and steal some food. If his later films are anything to go by, Raoul Walsh was a great director of action. The Thief of Bagdad is a movie full of glorious action set pieces full of those oh so glorious "how's he going to get out of this?" moments.The fantasy element of The Thief of Bagdad really kicks in during the final hour. The special effects on display are not of the delightfully fake kind but are actually very convincing. The creature in the Valley on the Monsters or that creature in the sea are definitely something to be feared, or the Enchanted Tree – very eerie stuff. The movie's two big money shots on the other hand do not disappoint. The first being the shot of the thief flying away on the winged horse, one of those cinematic images that always stay with you. The second of these being the first instance in which we see the flying carpet in action. You'll believe a man can fly…on a carpet.

MissSimonetta I like this one, but I do not feel it represents Doug Fairbanks at his best or even at his most entertaining.Of course, the production is gorgeous, an art deco dream of the Arabian Nights fairy tales. 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 stunts and gags are great fun until 90 minutes roll by. By 100 minutes, you'll already be checking your watch and sick of it.If you want prime Fairbanks, go for The Mark of Zorro or The Black Pirate.

Bill Slocum Citizens of Bagdad! Be wary of one who steals indiscriminately from rich and poor with complete impiety! He has no known name, but can be recognized by his shameless hoop earrings, spit curl worn under silken head scarf, and maniacal although soundless laughter while successfully carrying out his deeds of shame! 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 like silent films, this is a must-see. 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. It is a "dream city of the ancient East," where Caucasians, Asians, Indians and blacks co-exist in a melting pot of simmering social and political intrigue. Swanky Doug is the title character, living his amoral life on his own terms, his only companion a snickering "bird of evil" played indelibly by Snitz Edwards."What I want - I take!" he tells a shocked gathering inside a mosque.This in-your-face turpitude would be hard to countenance if it were not for Fairbanks' ample charm and his unparalleled dash. Has any actor since given off the same sense of being able to do anything on screen?Okay, not everything. He's not one for subtlety, a casualty of silent cinema. When he's hungry, he rubs his stomach. When he laughs, he throws his head back and teeters on his heels. When he falls in love with the Princess (Julanne Johnston), he clasps his hands to his heart and bats his eyes like Clara Bow.But Fairbanks is so much fun I really don't care. He transforms a humongous spectacle flick into an intimate personal-growth saga, while making you believe in the possibility of flying horses and magic ropes. "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. You know you are looking at sets, but they are so engagingly rendered (the palace gates open like a four-jawed mouth, a mountain pass is straddled by flames) you don't mind.In fact, the artificiality of the sets, along with the imaginative if primitive special effects, lend "Thief" a kind of allure all its own. It's like a fantasia version of "The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari."The film also showcases some thrilling performances. Many here point out Anna Mae Wong's turn as a sinister lady-in-waiting, but Winter Blossom and Etta Lee are just as terrific and fetching as two more loyal servants. Sôjin creates a star villain as the Mongol Prince with designs on Bagdad, playing his part with the right blend of menace and wit. "How tragic, O Prince, if you had been killed and an end put to your illustrious family," he tells a posing Thief in a moment that still delivers the right amount of chills. And Snitz is a jewel, as always.But it all comes down to Fairbanks, as it should, a master performer even when he plays to the cheapest seats and the highest dirigibles. As his own writer and producer, he can't get enough of himself, but neither can I, nor will you after watching him a-swiping and a-leaping his way into Hollywood immortality.

bkoganbing I happened to see The Thief Of Bagdad on a VHS that had a narration by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. He said that of all the films that his father did this was the junior Fairbanks's favorite. 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. Here Douglas Fairbanks essentially plays both parts of the two heroes that Sabu and John Justin play in the Korda version. Fairbanks is the professional thief who can steal just about anything, big or small. When he steals a magic rope and climbs into the Caliph's Palace and beholds the sight of the princess Julanne Johnston, there will be no other woman for him.But the Bagdad Caliphate is not an upwardly mobile society, not for the poor, but honest and not for a criminal. Still he tries to pass himself off as a prince and he's in competition with three other princes for her hand.One of them, Japanese actor Rojin is the Mongol prince and if he can't woo the Caliphate in alliance, he'll steal the kingdom with his army which he starts infiltrating in Bagdad. Fairbanks ultimately can't go through with the deception though he charms the princess. She sneaks him out of the palace before what happens to upwardly mobile aspirants in that society happens to Fairbanks.But holy man Charles Belcher says that Fairbanks has a future with the princess and he's put through a lot of tests before he can wed. And of course in typical bravura Fairbanks style, he puts the Mongols to flight with an army created out of nowhere.By this time Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and D.W. Griffith had gotten United Artists up and running as the production company for their films which it was primarily doing in those early days. Producer Fairbanks spared no expense in creating the sets for The Thief Of Bagdad, the sets look like something Cecil B. DeMille or D.W. Griffith might have done. 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. With all that legendary talent in its salad days no wonder The Thief Of Bagdad holds up as well as it does today.I also must comment on the orchestrations of themes of Rimsky-Korsakov by the London Symphony Orchestra. Theater organs are usually good for silent films, but this one really calls for an orchestra so vast is the sweep of this silent classic.At two and half hours plus, The Thief Of Bagdad runs longer than most silent films did by far. Still even today it casts a spell over the viewer.