The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
A roguish thief falls in love with the Caliph's daughter and, competing against three princely suitors for her hand, sets off on a quest through enchanted lands for a magic crystal, a flying carpet, and a flying horse, while a scheming Mongol prince plots to conquer Baghdad.
Produced by and starring Douglas Fairbanks at enormous expense, The Thief of Bagdad remains a benchmark of silent-era spectacle, with William Cameron Menzies’s fantastical sets and groundbreaking effects work earning it a place among the American Film Institute’s greatest fantasy films. It entered the National Film Registry in 1996.
Background
Douglas Fairbanks produced and starred in The Thief of Bagdad, and it was one of the most expensive films of its time. Raoul Walsh directed, and William Cameron Menzies designed the enormous sets, with their towering walls and winding streets. The flying carpet scenes were created with wires, cranes and careful photography. Anna May Wong appears as the Mongol slave girl, in one of the roles that made her a star, and Julanne Johnston is the princess.
What to watch for
Fairbanks was already known for his swashbuckling roles, and here he is a leaping, grinning thief who does his own stunts. It is worth watching for its sense of fantasy: the sets, the costumes and the effects were designed to create a magical world, and the film has an energy that carries it through its long running time. Alexander Korda made a colour remake in 1940, but the silent original has a charm and a scale all its own. It joined the National Film Registry in 1996.
