The Thief of Bagdad (1924)

The Thief of Bagdad is a 1924 American swashbuckler film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks.

When The Thief of Bagdad (Douglas Fairbanks) sneaks into a royal palace, he discovers and instantly falls in love with a beautiful princess (Julanne Johnston...

Douglas Fairbanks is at his most graceful and charismatic in one of the classic silent films of the 1920s. As the thief of Baghdad, his movements are dance-like -- nothing like the athletics he performed in most of his other films. In this Arabian take, the thief ignores the holy teachings and sneaks into the palace of the Caliph (Brandon Hurst). All thoughts of robbery slip away, however, when he sees the beautiful princess (Julanne Johnston). Princes have come from many faraway lands to win the princess' hand (and it's amusing to watch her face growing ever more alarmed at their arrival, because each one is uglier than the last). The thief disguises himself as a prince and the princess falls in love with him. After having a pang of conscience, the thief confesses all to the Holy Man (Charles Belcher), who sends him to find a magic chest. He braves many obstacles to get it, and when he returns he discovers that the Mongol Prince (Sojin) has taken over the city. Using the chest, the reformed thief creates armies of men out of nothingness and recaptures the city. He then uses the cloak of invisibility to spirit the princess away on a magic carpet. Fairbanks stole some of the special effects for his film from Fritz Lang's Der Müde Tod, which he had purchased for American distribution. The Thief of Baghdad, with its look of unrealistic beauty (courtesy of art director William Cameron Menzies), was not fully appreciated in its day. Because of its huge cost (two million dollars -- a real fortune in those days), it made little money. After that, Fairbanks stuck closer to the swashbuckling persona he felt his audience wanted.

An Arabian thief sets out on a magical adventure to win a beautiful princess.

Amazon.com: The Thief of Bagdad: 1924 (Enhanced Edition): Douglas Fairbanks, Julanne Johnston, Raoul Walsh: Movies & TV

This swashbuckler film, directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks, tells the story of a thief who falls in love with the daughter of the Caliph. The film, strong on special effects of the period (flying carpet, magic urn and fearsome monsters) and featuring massive Arabian-style sets, also proved a stepping stone for a scantily-clad Anna May Wong, who portrayed a Mongol slave. Fairbanks considered this to be his personal favorite of all of his films, according to his son.Housed at: Internet ArchiveUnderlying Work: PD U.S. | Digital Copy: Pending ClarificationDownload: Ogg | MPEG4 | Torrent

Directed by Raoul Walsh. With Douglas Fairbanks, Julanne Johnston, Snitz Edwards, Charles Belcher. A recalcitrant thief vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess.