The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

"I want to be a bandit, can't you understand it?"

The Korda Brothers followed The Four Feathers (1939) with an even bigger achievement. The Thief of Bagdad (1940) is a landmark fantasy movie, transcending even the impressive 1924 silent version. With its breezy storytelling and cutting edge effects, Thief remains an astonishing Technicolor marvel.

Thief's story loosely reworks the Arabian Nights. Young King Ahmad (John Justin) is tricked by vizier Jafar (Conrad Veidt), posing as a commoner only to be arrested immediately. Ahmad befriends Abu (Sabu), an adventurous young thief who helps Ahmad escape. Jafar takes power for himself, wooing the Princess of Basra (June Duprez), daughter of the ditzy Sultan (Miles Malleson, who co-wrote the script). Abu encounters a genie (Rex Ingram) who grants him dubious wishes, while Ahmad returns to Baghdad to defeat.

Though William George Menzies and Michael Powell are among the six directors, Thief of Baghdad the Kordas. The tough-minded Hungarians produced lavish works like Sanders of the River, The Four Feathers and That Hamilton Woman which dwarfed their contemporaries. British cinema was notoriously cash-strapped, yet the Kordas pulled off this lavish epic at the height of World War II. Until Powell and Pressburger hit their stride, the Kordas' industry status was untouchable.

The Thief of Baghdad remains notable for its groundbreaking effects work. Here Larry Butler perfects the chroma key effect, the progenitor of all modern green screen work. The Sultan's flight on a mechanical horse and Abu dodging the genie's giant feet have a seamlessness that still impresses. It's aided by inspired model work: Abu battles a giant spider, then confronts a demonic statute possessing an all-seeing eye, maintaining a perfect sense of scale. Accompanied by George Perinal's picture book photography, lavish set design and Miklos Rosza's beautiful score, Thief is a genuine wonderment.  

Even if Thief's effects were merely adequate, it would still be a fun ride. Miles Malleson and Lajos Biro provide a beautiful script, sprinkled with playful wit ("Very good genies are just as tiresome as very good men!") and imaginative songs. Every character's pitched as a pure archetype, befitting a fairy tale: Ahmad and the Princess fall in love at first sight, and we accept it immediately. Abu's a lovable sidekick, whose loyalty matches his thirst for adventure. Even the dastardly Jafar and deceitful Genie add endearing notes: Jafar desperately desires love, while the Genie just wants to be free. The brigandage and  

Granted, Thief is more a patchwork of colorful episodes than a cohesive narrative. Besides Menzies, Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan, it's rumored the Kordas themselves directed several scenes. This directorial diffusion likely explains the choppy structure, why characters vanish for long periods, and why the genie episodes seem nearly irrelevant. But invention overwhelms plot considerations: Thief proves so fun plot logic doesn't matter.

Sabu showcases the charm and screen presence which made him one of the all-time great child stars. Conrad Veidt (Casablanca) mixes crafty deceit and longing torment in a perfect villain turn. Rex Ingram (Sahara) bellows and chews scenery in an endearingly outsized turn. June Duprez makes a fetching love interest, even if her Princess remains one-dimensional. John Justin's (The Sound Barrier) straight man pales next to his colorful costars.

Along with The Wizard of Oz, The Thief of Bagdad remains the gold standard for fantasies. It bequeathed an obvious influence on the genre, from Ray Harryhausen's stop motion swashbucklers through (more directly) Disney's Aladdin. Despite innumerable variants and special effects advances, Thief stands alone.