The Thief of Bagdad
Short description
The Thief of Bagdad follows Ahmad, the young ruler of the city, who is turned against by his scheming grand vizier, Jaffar. Cast out and blinded, Ahmad teams up with Abu, a street thief, in the hope of reclaiming his position and winning the princess he loves. Jaffar, who is skilled in magic and wants both the throne and the princess for himself, pursues the pair and works to keep them apart. Much of the story plays out beyond Baghdad, with the companions travelling onward as the vizier's plans unfold. The film draws on the tales of the Arabian Nights.
This 1940 release was produced by Alexander Korda for London Films, with Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan sharing directing duties; Miles Malleson wrote the screenplay and appears as the Sultan. Conrad Veidt plays Jaffar, with Sabu as Abu, June Duprez as the Princess, John Justin as Ahmad and Rex Ingram as the Djinn. It sits directly after Powell's 1935 debut Someday in his directing credits.
On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.4 from more than fourteen thousand votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.1 from several hundred. A critics' score of 8.7 from 29 reviews places it noticeably above those viewer figures. The production brought together British and American backing through United Artists, London Films and Korda's own company.
What's left behind the scenes
- “Baghdad Thief” began filming in the UK, but after the war started, filming was moved to California. The scenes with the abduction of the All-Seeing Eye were filmed in the Grand Canyon.
- Initially, Korda planned to cast Vivien Leigh in the role of the princess, but she refused and left for Hollywood. By the time Korda himself arrived in California, it was too late to change the lead actress. Vivien Leigh starred with resounding success in his next film, “Lady Hamilton” (1941).
- In the USSR, the definition of a film as a trophy sometimes appeared, but this is not the case. The films “The Thief of Bagdad,” “Lady Hamilton,” and “Jungle Book” by Korda were gifted to the Soviet Union during the war as a sign of gratitude for its contribution to the fight against Nazism.
- "The Thief of Bagdad" was one of the first films to use chroma key technology (specifically in shooting the scene of the genie's appearance), developed in the early 1930s by Linwood Dunn, who worked at RKO Radio Pictures. During the film's creation, Larry Butler, responsible for creating the innovative special effects for that time, significantly improved it and was subsequently awarded an “Oscar” for Best Visual Effects.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
