The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

Director: Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan
Starring: Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez

Synopsis:
A blind beggar and his dog are invited into the Sultan's harem to regale them with his story. He claims to have once been Ahmad, the Sultan of Baghdad, who was betrayed by his scheming Vizier. He is said to be the only one whose kiss can wake the daughter of the Sultan of Basra, but little does he realize this is all part of Jaffar's plans.

Impressions:
I'd been told this was the first film to utilize bluescreen effects (or at least to use them extensively in a feature-length film) and even today the special effects stand up to films that came out decades later. The story is nothing too special and while Ahmad and the Princess are bland, Veidt's performance as Jaffar, Sabu as the thief Abu and Rex Ingram as the Djinn all stand out.

This is a nice little piece of cinema history that's worth your time. If you're familiar with Disney's Aladdin, you'll see massive inspiration was drawn from this film, which might interest you. Give a try, hop a carpet and fly to another Arabian night.

Rating:
Watch It