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The Thief of Bagdad

United States

1924

155 Min
Black and White
1.33:1
English, Silent
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
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DIR Raoul Walsh

PROD Douglas Fairbanks

SCR Achmed Abdullah, Douglas Fairbanks, James T. O'Donohoe, Lotta Woods

DP Arthur Edeson

CAST Douglas Fairbanks, Snitz Edwards, Charles Belcher, Julanne Johnston, Sôjin

MUSIC Carl Davis

Synopsis

A spectacular accomplishment in production design and special effects, Raoul Walsh’s The Thief of Bagdad is a bold Arabian adventure starring Douglas Fairbanks as a carefree pickpocket who turns his appealing brand of mischievous thievery toward the attainment of happiness… and an exotic princess (Julanne Johnston). The only way he can win either is by retrieving the rarest treasures hidden within the mysterious Orient, a quest that grows more fantastic with every passing thrill, as the tenacious thief rises high above the city on a magic carpet, battles a fire-breathing dragon in caverns of flame and soars into the clouds on the back of a winged steed via innovative special effects. —Kino International

Director

Original

Raoul Walsh

Raoul Walsh’s 52-year directorial career made him a Hollywood legend, and the slam-band nature of his best films means that he is still remembered while the memory of Allan Dwan, a director with an equally long career, has practically faded from public consciousness. Walsh was also an actor: He appeared in the first version of W. Somerset Maugham’s Rain renamed Sadie Thompson (1928) opposite Gloria Swanson in the title role. He would have played the Cisco Kid in his own film In Old Arizona (1928) if an errant jackrabbit hadn’t cost him his right eye by leaping through the windshield of his automobile. Warner Baxter filled the role and won an Oscar. Before John Ford and Nicholas Ray, it was Raoul Walsh who made the eye-patch almost as synonymous with a Hollywood director as Cecil B. DeMille’s jodhpurs.

He interned with the best, serving as assistant director and editor on D.W. Griffith’s racist masterpiece, The Clansman, better known as  read more

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Electrus Amadeus Magnus

1Mar13

Not as good as 1940 version. Father of Emmerich movies. An extra: 19 yrs old Anna May Wong (Piccadilly) in the cast.

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msmichel

23Feb13

1924 epic telling (at least in length) of 'The Thief of Bagdad' is still a rip roaring adventure even some almost 90 years later. Fairbank's mugging gets a little ripe from time to time but film consistently remains interesting despite its 155 minute runtime. Some of the effects still look great with rich sets and art deco for the time period.

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TFCHooligan69

13Feb13

A truly wonderful cinematic experience! This silent epic from 1924 is a treasure to behold on the big screen. Last night was my first time seeing this classic.

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CarlosEsquives

29Jan13

Enorme producción. Una clásico ameno y entretenido. Una buena mezcla, melodrama y aventura.

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The Forgotten: Doug Tamer

By David Cairns on December 9, 2010

  The Taming of the Shrew (1929) has a pretty poor reputation, being a late gasp of two silent mega-stars, Mary Pickford and Douglas

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