The Thief of Bagdad

UK (1940): Adventure/Family/Fantasy

This retelling of tales from The Arabian Nights was one of Britain's biggest screen successes of the 1940s. Abu (Sabu), a street urchin convicted of theft, is thrown into a Bagdad prison where he meets Prince Ahmad (John Justin), the ruler of the realm who has been overthrown by his confederate, Jaffar (Conrad Veidt). The two escape and flee to the city of Basra where they see a beautiful princess (June Duprez) who captivates Ahmad's heart. Meanwhile, Jaffar schemes to abduct the princess and puts a curse on Abu and Ahmad. Rex Ingram plays the Genie of the Lamp.

The film was initially in the hands of only one director, Ludwig Berger, but eventually utilized the talents of six directors, including Tim Whelan and Michael Powell. Alexander Korda, the film's producer, along with his brother Vincent and art director William Cameron Menzies, supervised scenes shot in the United States. Ironically, none of the scenes directed by Berger made the final cut. (amctv.com)

 Use this link to view the original theatrical trailer for The Thief of Bagdad on TCM.com.

4 nominations, 3 Awards