The Thief of Bagdad

"ONE THOUSAND AND ONE SIGHTS FROM THE THOUSAND OF ONE NIGHTS...."

1940 1h 47m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 310

AdventureFantasyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.

“ONE THOUSAND AND ONE SIGHTS FROM THE THOUSAND OF ONE NIGHTS....”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

HBO Max Amazon ChannelSubscription

Criterion ChannelSubscription

HBO MaxSubscription

Cast

Conrad Veidt
Jaffar
Sabu
Abu
June Duprez
Princess
John Justin
Ahmad
Rex Ingram
Djinn
Miles Malleson
Sultan
Morton Selten
The Old King
Mary Morris
Halima

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tim Whelan
Writers: Miles Malleson, Lajos Biró, Miklós Rózsa
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

86 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tim Whelan, shot by Georges Périnal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Charles Crichton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Conrad Veidt and Sabu and June Duprez carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "ONE THOUSAND AND ONE SIGHTS FROM THE THOUSAND OF ONE NIGHTS....".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0033152 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tim Whelan directs. Georges Périnal behind the camera. Miklós Rózsa scores. Charles Crichton cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Tim Whelan, shot by Georges Périnal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Miklós Rózsa. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Charles Crichton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Conrad Veidt and Sabu and June Duprez carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "ONE THOUSAND AND ONE SIGHTS FROM THE THOUSAND OF ONE NIGHTS....".
8IMDB entry: tt0033152 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 19 themes, including "princess", "love at first sight", "giant spider", "flying horse".

The technical file

Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Original score: Miklós Rózsa
Editing: Charles Crichton
Production design: Vincent Korda
Costume design: Oliver Messel
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Special Effects
Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Color
Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Tim Whelan

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-23
★ 7/10
John Justin plays the hapless Sultan of Baghdad tricked from his throne by the evil (and superbly cast) Conrad Veidt. It's only by sheer luck that he encounters Sabu the gymnastic and clever thief in the palace dungeons and the two of them set off on a delightful series of adventures as he tries to regain his throne and to reclaim his love from the evil clutches of his former Vizier. This is a cracking fantasy adventure from Alexander Korda and wonderfully scored by Miklos Rosza that brings us Rex Ingram as the outrageously theatric genie in an enormous red nappy; Miles Malleson (who also contributed to the screenplay) as the eccentric Sultan of Basra with his fantastic palace of 1000 toys and Morton Selten in his last role as the "old King". The colours are bright and vivid; the story gentle and engaging with some comedic touches now and again too. The special effects are used sparingly, but where they are - they work well.

Production companies