Pretty Good

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

I found this silent film in the book of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I knew there was a 1940 remake that got much higher ratings from critics, but I was definitely looking forward to seeing this classic original, from director Raoul Walsh (High Sierra, White Heat). Basically in the city of Bagdad lives (Ahmed) The Thief (Douglas Fairbanks) steals anything valuable and to get him by, and he has stolen a magic rope that he can summon to climb high heights, and using this he can sneak into the palace of The Caliph (Brandon Hurst). But his habit for thievery fades away when he sees the Caliph's daughter, The Princess (Julanne Johnston), he is instantly infatuated, but he is forced to escape when spotted by The Mongol Slave (Anna May Wong). The Thief is determined to win the heart of the Princess, and he hears from His Evil Associate (Snitz Edwards) that a princess has been stolen during the reign of a previous ruler, and he gets his chance the next day when it is her birthday. She is given the fortune that whoever touches a rose bush will be the man she married, she is hoping it will not be one of the three princes, Prince of the Indies (Noble Johnson), obese Prince of Persia (Mathilde Comont) and the Prince of the Mongols (Sôjin Kamiyama), they all pass, and the Thief appears in stolen garments, and he only touches the rose bush when his horse throws him into it. The Princess is delighted and chooses the Thief as her husband to be, but he had plans to abduct her and with his great love for her confesses all to her, he is arrested after being overheard by the Mongol Prince's spy, he is punished with lashes, and before further torture he is bribed by the Princess to be let go. She is told she must choose another man to marry, therefore she tells all potential princes that they should find her a gift after "seven moons", and the one she will marry will be the one who has the rarest treasure, the Thief feels despair, but visiting The Holy Man (Charles Belcher) he is directed to a place that great hidden treasures lie. The Indian Prince finds a crystal ball that can show anything you want to see, and the Persian Prince finds a magic flying carpet, but the Mongol Prince has his own plans to take over the kingdom and use the Princess as his incentive, and to help with his plan he has a slave poison the Princess, and he will use a magic apple to cure her. Meanwhile the Thief has had many adventures in the mysterious land, and the treasure he has found include a cloak to turn him invisible, and magic powder that when he sprinkles will turn into anything he wishes, he makes his way back to Bagdad, as do the other princes when they hear the news of the Princess near death. Her life is saved with the magic apple, the other princes besides the Mongol Prince are regarded useless, but she sees the Thief, Ahmed, transformed into a prince, in the magic crystal ball, but before he arrives the Mongol Prince unleashes his army to take over the city, but the Thief uses his magic powder to summon another army to make the other flee. The Mongol Prince attempts to try and kill this new prince, but Ahmed saves the Princess who takes her away on the flying carpet, and he uses the invisibility cloak to defeat the other characters trying to catch them, and with Bagdad saved and the Princess safe the Caliph in gratitude allows his daughter to marry Ahmed. Also starring Winter Blossom as Slave of the Lute and Etta Lee as Slave of the Sand Board. Fairbanks gives one of his best performance as the often grinning and shirtless almost all the way through scoundrel thief turned brave hero, Johnston looks pretty as the princess longing to find the right prince, and the other supporting characters do their parts well also. I can see that this would have been one of the inspirations for ideas put into Disney cartoon Aladdin, obviously it an Arabian Nights story, and with elements like magic ropes, flying carpets and magic powder there is great spectacle, these special effect moments use terrific camera and editing tricks, and the swashbuckling bits with fights and chases are great fun, a splendid silent fantasy adventure. Very good!

When it comes to works of fantasy and myth, it takes effort to relay the sense of wonder or whimsey that accompanies such things as magic or otherworldly creatures. It's always been easy to relay such things through books, poetry, or even reciting it verbally to others. On film, it's a far bigger challenge, and 1924's The Thief of Bagdad stands as one of the earliest and most ambitious attempts to conceptualize and execute a work of fantasy for the big screen. It's a big production, with huge sets, a huge crowd of extras, lavish costumes, and convincing special effects. It all works together to bring to life a fantastic world of flying carpets, magic ropes, mermaids, giant apes, and invading foreign armies, all contained within an exotic Arabian backdrop.The film is pretty long, and it drags at certain parts (mostly the middle). However, it does have a lighthearted whimsey to the tone, and in the characters, which keeps it entertaining and fun, even after all these years.This story is a big and sprawling adventure, but thanks to the way it's told, with simple dialogue and exaggerated acting, it's never convoluted. It's successful at telling a complicated series of events without losing the audience, and with a cast of decent and lovable characters. I have no idea how this film compares to its original novel, but it appears to maintain the appropriate tone and all the right elements of a proper Arabian fantasy.This film uses solid photography and editing. Acting is very exaggerated and over-the-top, which can be laughable at times, but for a silent film it's quite forgivable. Writing is simple but effective enough. This production has huge sets, props, and costumes; a lot of it seems to reflect a more stereotypical view of Arabian and Asian culture, rather than trying to be anything realistic. Special effects are great though; even after all these years, there are many shots that you can look at and wonder, how did they do that? In spite of that, the imagery is often great. The music score is great too.The Thief of Bagdad is not only a seminal classic for fantasy films, it's also one of the biggest and most imaginative silent-era films I've seen.Recommended! 4.5/5 (Entertainment: Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good)

Here is another of the classic Douglas Fairbanks swashbucklers that were so popular during the 1920s. The story is long, but it does not bore. It tells a magical tale that must have delighted children young and old when it premiered in 1924. The sets are enormous, the cast excellent. There are dragons, underwater sirens, trees that come to life, and a host of other magical items that keep one watching. Doug Fairbanks is so athletic (almost balletic) in this that one can see why he was so popular during the silent era. Julanne Johnston, who plays the princess, does a good job with her role. Sojin is possibly the most repulsive villain to come along until Ming The Merciless in the old "Flash Gordon" serials. Here is a long silent film that I never tire of watching.

For those who have not seen a silent film, try this one. Douglas Fairbanks shows off great silent acting & fantastic stunt work in a very entertaining film. This is the type of film that should be pulled out when someone wants to do a theater organ score with a silent movie.There is a very good reason this film is great visually and clever with special effects. The Director is Raoul Walsh who is one of the great Directors who has gotten more recognition in recent years because of his great body of directing work. This version has been overshadowed by the 1940 version done in Technicolor with Sabu, but once you look at this film, you will realize this film is great in its own right.Julanne Johnson, a very busy actress in films until she retired in 1934 does pretty well here in the female lead. This is Raoul Walsh's 49th film directing & it shows in how well the cameras are used in this film. Anna May Wong is a great actress in a featured role in this one too.