After being tricked and cast out of Bagdad by the evil Jaffar, King Ahmad joins forces with a thief named Abu to reclaim his throne, the city, and the Princess he loves.After being tricked and cast out of Bagdad by the evil Jaffar, King Ahmad joins forces with a thief named Abu to reclaim his throne, the city, and the Princess he loves.After being tricked and cast out of Bagdad by the evil Jaffar, King Ahmad joins forces with a thief named Abu to reclaim his throne, the city, and the Princess he loves.
- Won 3 Oscars
- 4 wins & 4 nominations total
Chick Alexander
- Bit Part
- (uncredited)
Joe Bacon
- Palace Guard
- (uncredited)
Noble Blake
- Palace Guard
- (uncredited)
Frederick Burtwell
- Undetermined Role
- (uncredited)
Mad Jack Churchill
- Minor Role
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsIn the Land of Legend, the Old King says that he will give two signs of kingship to Abu the thief. Abu is then given three items: a magic crossbow, a quiver, and a small, ornate box, like a jewelry box. No mention is made in the dialogue of this box, but it can be seen in Abu's right hand as he talks to the Old King and also on the flying carpet as Abu flies away to rescue his friends. Apparently the crossbow and quiver were only one, not two, of the Old King's signs of kingship, and the other sign was the mysterious box, whose magical powers and purpose were lost on the cutting room floor.
- ConnectionsEdited into Your Afternoon Movie: Thief of Bagdad (2023)
- SoundtracksI Want To Be A Sailor
(uncredited)
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Lyrics by Robert Vansittart
Additional Lyrics by William Kernell
Performed by Sabu
Featured review
A Historical Treasure, And Good Family Entertainment
The Thief of Bagdad is a treasure. First and foremost, it is a good story. Though my four children's primary exposure to this tale, the most famous of the stories of the Arabian Nights, comes from the Disney Corporation, the Thief of Bagdad held their interest to the end. The story moves along at a good pace and includes a twist or two that reduced predictability. Sabu, who plays the young thief, Abu, also measures up to any of today's teen actors in appeal, judging from the number of times I heard my oldest daughter say, "He's c-u-t-e!"
In 1940, the film won Oscars for cinematography and special effects. Today, of course, those effects seem very dated ("Look, it's Barbie flying through the air," declared my daughter at the sight of the genie flying). Yet they fit into the story well. The film is, after all, over 60 years old. The effects fit with the script. Furthermore, what ones sees in The Thief of Bagdad remained pretty much state-of-the-art for the next twenty-five years. One need only compare the opening montage from a 1967 Star Trek episode to see this. In that, it was quite an achievement.
This qualifies as a family film, though there are a few stabbings near the end. The acting is so obvious and the wounds so bloodless as to those scenes nearly as artificial as animation.
All in all, a fun film worth watching for either an evening of pure entertainment, or for the historical value of the effects. I recommend it.
In 1940, the film won Oscars for cinematography and special effects. Today, of course, those effects seem very dated ("Look, it's Barbie flying through the air," declared my daughter at the sight of the genie flying). Yet they fit into the story well. The film is, after all, over 60 years old. The effects fit with the script. Furthermore, what ones sees in The Thief of Bagdad remained pretty much state-of-the-art for the next twenty-five years. One need only compare the opening montage from a 1967 Star Trek episode to see this. In that, it was quite an achievement.
This qualifies as a family film, though there are a few stabbings near the end. The acting is so obvious and the wounds so bloodless as to those scenes nearly as artificial as animation.
All in all, a fun film worth watching for either an evening of pure entertainment, or for the historical value of the effects. I recommend it.
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- RBGatHome
- Jun 6, 2003
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Bagdadski lopov
- Filming locations
- Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA(Abu, Djinn & Ahmad in the canyon)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $2,180,000
- Runtime1 hour 46 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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