The Thief of Bagdad  An Arabian Fantasy (1940)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1940
Running Times: 106 mins
Length: 9555 ft
Format: Technicolor     35mm
Ratio: 1.37:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Alexander Korda presents
Copyright: © Alexander Korda Films, Inc.
Produced by: Alexander Korda
Associate Producers: Zoltan Korda and William Cameron Menzies
Production Manager: David B. Cunynghame

SCRIPT
Screen Play and Dialogue by: Miles Malleson
Scenario by: Lajos Biro

DIRECTION
Directed by: Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell and Tim Whelan  Alexander Korda (uncredited), Zoltan Korda (uncredited), William Cameron Menzies (uncredited)
Associate Directors: Geoffrey Boothby, Charles David
Assistant Director: Jack Clayton (uncredited)

PHOTOGRAPHY
Chief Photographer: George Perinal
Associate Photographer: Osmond Borradaile
Camera Operator (Exteriors): Henty Henty-Creer (uncredited)
Camera Operator: Robert Krasker (uncredited)
Camera Assistant: Denys Coop (uncredited)
Chief Electrician: Bill Wall (uncredited)
Technicolor Director: Natalie Kalmus

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Supervising Editor: William Hornbeck
Film Editor: Charles Crichton

MUSIC
Musical Score and Songs by: Miklos Rozsa
Musical Director: Muir Mathieson

SOUND
Sound Director: A.W. Watkins
Special Sound Effects: Jack Whitney (uncredited)
Western Electric Mirrorphonic Recording

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Costume Designed by: John Armstrong, Oliver Messel, Marcel Vertes

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Directed by: Lawrence Butler
Special Effects: Tom Howard (uncredited)
Matte Artist: Wally Veevers (uncredited)
Assistant Matte Artist: Peter Ellenshaw (uncredited)

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designed in Colour by: Vincent Korda
Associate Art Directors: W. Percy Day (uncredited), Ferdinand Bellan (uncredited), William Cameron Menzies (uncredited), Frederick Pusey (uncredited)
Scenic Backgrounds: Percy Day

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistant: André De Toth (uncredited)

LOCATIONS
Locations: Denham Studio, Buckinghamshire, UK; UA Studio, California, USA; Cornwall, England, UK; Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK; Grand Canyon, Colorado, USA; Pembrokeshire coast, Dyfed, Wales, UK; Sennen Cove, Cornwall, England, UK

STUNTS
Fight Choreographer: Ralph Faulkner (uncredited)

CAST
Starring
Conrad Veidt (Jaffar)
and
Sabu (Abu)

With
June Duprez (Princess)
John Justin (Ahmad)

and
Rex Ingram (the genie)

Miles Malleson (Sultan)
Morton Selten (old king)
Mary Morris (Halima)
Bruce Winston (the merchant)
Hay Petrie (astrologer)
Adelaide Hall (singer)
Roy Emerton (jailer)
Allan Jeayes (the story teller)
Frederick Burtwell (uncredited)
Joseph Cozier (man selling fish - uncredited)
Henry Hallett (uncredited)
Glynis Johns (uncredited)
Alexander Laine, Cleo Laine, Sylvia Laine (urchins in Bagdad market - all uncredited)
Norman Pierce (uncredited)
John Salew (uncredited)
Otto Wallen (uncredited)

Prince Ahmad, the King of Bagdad, is cast out of the city and imprisoned by the evil Grand Vizier Jaffar. In a dungeon, he meets the resourceful young thief Abu, who helps him to escape. As they look to get Ahmad back to the palace and restore his power, they team up with a giant djinn from a bottle, fly on a mechanical flying horse and a flying carpet, and meet a beautiful princess.

USA
Video Distributor: Embassy Home Entertainment
Theatrical Distributor: United Artists; Film Classics Inc (1948 re-release)
Laserdisc Distributor: Pioneer; Nelson (31085)

Finland
Rating: K-8

Sweden
Rating: Btl

UK
Rating: U

USA
MPAA: )2749

AWARDS

1941
Academy Awards, USA (the Oscars)
Best Art Direction, Color (Vincent Korda) - winner
Best Cinematography, Color (George Perinal) - winner
Best Effects, Special Effects (Lawrence W. Butler (photographic), Jack Whitney (sound)) - winner
Best Music, Original Score (Miklós Rózsa) - nominated

1940
December
5: USA - theatrical release (in New York)
24: UK - trade show at the Odeon, London
25: UK, USA (wider release) - theatrical release

1941
April
28: Sweden - theatrical release

1947
November
7: Finland - theatrical release

1954
April
23: USA - television broadcast (on WNBT)

1957
September
14: UK - television broadcast (on BBC)

1959
September
20: UK - television broadcast (on BBC)

1962
February
25: UK - television broadcast (on BBC)

1975
August
25: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1980
April
7: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1986
January
9: UK - television broadcast (on BBC2)

1988
September
15: UK - television broadcast (on BBC2)

1993
September
25: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

1995
December
31: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

1996
January
3: USA - laserdisc release (Pioneer)

1997
March
29: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

October
20: France - shown at the Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish and British Film

1998
December
22: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

2000
April
27: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

2004
December
26: UK - television broadcast

2007
February
1: UK - television broadcast (on More 4)

The Wonder Picture of All Time

SEE ALSO
Aladdin (1992)
Il ladro di Bagdad (1960)
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
The Thief of Bagdad (1977)
The Thief of Bagdad (2001)

MAGAZINES

Cinefocus vol.3 (January 1995) pp.19-25 (USA)
illustrated article (The Image of the Muslim Woman in American Cinema: Two Orientalist Fantasy Films by Mohja Kahf)

L'Écran Fantastique no.18 (May 1981) pp.14-27, 64 (France)
illustrated article, interviews with Michael Powell and Miklos Rozsa

Empire no.38 (August 1992) p.34 (UK)
illustrated review (New films by Angie Errigo)

Empire no.190 (April 2005) p.112 (UK)
article (My First Movie: Primal Scream: Directors on their first film by Ken Loach)

Film Music Notebook vol.2 no.4 (October 1976) pp.25-28 (USA)
interview with Miklos Rozsa

Filmfax no.60 (April 1997) pp.59-65 (USA)
illustrated article (A World of Childhood Delights by Dennis Fischer)

Filmfax no.105 (January 2005) pp.54-65, 118-121 (USA)
illustrated article (The magic of Menzies by Vincent DiFate)

Films in Review vol.47 no.5/6 (May 1996) pp.92-95 (UK)
letter (from Jim Danforth)

Journal of Popular British Cinema no.1 (January 1998) pp.158-159 (UK)
review (by Sue Harper)

Kine Weekly no.1758 (26 December 1940) p.11 (UK)
review

Kine Weekly no.1949 (24 August 1944) p.39 (UK)
review

Kine Weekly no.1245 (10 June 1948) (UK)
review

The Listener vol.120 no.3079 (8 September 1988) p.31 (UK)
review

Movies August 1992 pp.58-61 (UK)
illustrated review

Radio Times 4-10 January 1986 p.65 (UK)
credits

Radio Times 25 September - 1 October 1993 pp.67 (UK)
credits

Radio Times 29 March - 4 April 1997 p.82 (UK)
credits

Sight and Sound Supplement no.14 (March 1948) p.20 (UK)
credits

Starburst no.39 (October 1981) pp.36-37, 40-42; 38-39 (UK)
illustrated article (by Phil Edwards); illustrated interview with John Justin

Today's Cinema vol.55 no.4510 (25 December 1940) (UK)
credits, review (by C.A.W)

Today's Cinema vol.63 no.5075 (23 August 1944) (UK)
review

Today's Cinema vol.70 no.5658 (9 June 1948) (UK)
review

OTHER SOURCES

59th Edinburgh Film Festival Catalogue (August 2005) p.128)
credits, review

screen
credits

arabia, royalty, mechanical toys, princesses, kings, spiders, blindness, sultans, thieves, mythology, dogs, magicians, flying carpet, genies, remakes, giants

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008