While watching this film I was reminded a bit of three films, the first being The Adventures of Robin Hood. Both are big fairy tale adventures shot in Technicolor. Both fill the viewer with wonder and excitement, reminding them of when their parents told them bed time stories. They both have that cheesy kind of play acting that seems almost amateur yet innocent and sweet. It doesn't matter if they are not particularly well acted films, you are captivated by the timeless storytelling and the adventure.
Perhaps the film that The Thief of Bagdad has most in common with cinematically is The Wizard of Oz, another Technicolor adventure. Both share a vivid fantasy element unlike any other movie at the time and employed state of the art special effects, particularly The Thief of Bagdad. The effects may seem crude by today's standards, but no other film at the time was doing this kind of stuff and they are still pretty impressive today.
The other film is obviously Disney's Aladdin, as both are based from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Many of the plot points and characters are the same. The bad guy in both films is named Jafar and there is a thief named Abu. There is even a genie and a flying carpet.
What I liked most about The Thief of Bagdad was just how magical the story seemed. This was accentuated by the special effects. There is the sultan's toy room and the wind up flying horse, a flying carpet, an evil spell turning a boy into a dog. Perhaps the most pronounced effect is the giant genie. Each episode in the film is highlighted by different special effects. It seemed like one scene after another.
The film doesn't necessarily have one singular plot, it is a series of episodes that reads like an adventure story. The king of Bagdad Ahmad is tricked by his Grand Vizer Jaffar in a manner that has Ahmad on the run deposed of his title. He meets a young thief named Abu and they go on a series of adventures together, all leading of course to Ahmad retaking his throne. Ahmad's driving force is his unrequited love for a princess. There are an array of settings for the adventures, the streets of a city, a storm at sea, a scary cave with giant spiders, the grand palace.
This also marks the third film that Michael Powell has directed that I have seen (The Red Shoes, Peeping Tom) and I've enjoyed all of them, although he was just one of several directors attached to this film. Before I started watching all these movies I had never even heard of him, so I guess I'm learning a little something!
A true test for a film like The Thief of Bagdad is to see how kids react to it. With all their distractions and fidgety ways, kids these days would tend to balk at the idea of an older movie, but my guess is that they'd find this film as fascinating as any Disney cartoon. Kids like adventure in any form.
Grade: A-
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