The Thief of Bagdad
About The Thief of Bagdad
A thief in Bagdad sees the caliph's daughter and sets out to win her. A Mongol prince is the rival. The tasks take him to a magic rope, a flying carpet, and monsters. Anna May Wong plays the Mongol slave who works against him.
Cast & crew
More about The Thief of Bagdad
Raoul Walsh directed. Achmed Abdullah and Lotta Woods wrote it, from the Arabian Nights. Douglas Fairbanks produced and stars as the thief. Arthur Edeson photographed it. Mortimer Wilson wrote the score. Bill Nolan edited it. United Artists released it on March 18, 1924. Wikidata gives 139 minutes, a cost of $1,135,655, and box office of $3,000,000. Julanne Johnston plays the princess. Sôjin Kamiyama plays the Mongol prince. Anna May Wong plays the slave. The Library of Congress put it on the National Film Registry in 1996. A copy is on the Internet Archive as ThiefOfBagdad1924.
Themes
Making
Fairbanks produced the picture and did the climbing himself. Walsh directed.
Look
Arthur Edeson shot the city sets, the carpet, and the monsters.
Technique
The tricks include a flying carpet, a magic rope, and the monsters.
Music
Mortimer Wilson wrote the score.
Preservation
Selected for the National Film Registry in 1996.
Notes
- Fairbanks told his son this was his favorite of his own films.
- Snitz Edwards plays the thief's associate. Charles Belcher plays the holy man.
- A 1940 Technicolor remake splits the lead into a prince and a thief, the thief played by Sabu.
- The sets are the Arabian city built for the picture, not location Bagdad.
Scenes
- The thief sees the princess and decides to win her.
- The carpet carries him over the city.
Influenced by
- One Thousand and One Nights
Also available
- Internet Archive (ThiefOfBagdad1924)
