Product Description

Studio: Gotham (dba Alpha) Release Date: 03/29/2007

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72782 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-03-18
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 155 minutes

Amazon.com
Douglas Fairbanks spared no expense for what may be the most lavish fantasy movie ever made. Inspired by the flying-carpet effects of Fritz Lang's somber but spectacular Der Müde Tod, Fairbanks (ever the canny businessman) bought the American rights, then hid the film away as he created his own show-stopping adventure, an adaptation of A Thousand and One Nights in which the magic-carpet ride was but one of many fantastic marvels. Swaggering through massive marketplace sets and cavernous throne rooms as an incorrigible thief and pickpocket, he scales towering walls (with the help of a magic rope) and leads a merry chase through crowded bazaars in his pursuit of loot--until he falls in love with the beautiful princess and vows to win her heart. This jaunty opening is but mere preamble to the spectacular second act. As three kings scour the globe to retrieve the rarest treasures known to man, the repentant thief embarks on an odyssey through caverns of fire and underwater caves. The marvelous special effects--from the smoke-belching dragon and underwater spider to the flying horse and magic armies arising from the dust--may show their seams but glow with a timeless sense of wonder. William Cameron Menzies's magnificent sets appear to have leapt from the pages of a storybook. As the adventure concludes in a torrent of movie magic that cascades nonstop through the breathless final hour, Fairbanks commands the screen with a hearty laugh and graceful athleticism, the cinema's first action hero triumphant. Kino's restored edition is tinted and features an organ score by Gaylord Carter. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Thief of Bagdad (Deluxe Edition) from Kino
Douglas Fairbanks' "The Thief of Bagdad" is in the public domain, so it's no surprise that there are many DVD and VHS versions of this film available, from bargain basement tapes with no music taken from battered source prints, to high-quality editions with fine music and extras. (Many of the reviews given here are for different editions, so if they complain about the video transfer, missing scenes, or the musical score, keep in mind that such comments don't apply to all editions.)

The Kino "Deluxe Edition" is digitally mastered from a 35mm archive negative, with 19 minutes of rare outtakes and special effects footage as extras. The film is tinted throughout -- a color effect that was used on its initial release, and which adds greatly to the fantastic nature of the story and its immense sets.

The new score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra (a quintet that specializes in reviving music used during the silent film era) is based loosely on the original "cue sheet" for the film by James Bradford. This means that you'll be hearing some of the music recommended for the film on its first release (although the music would have been different in each theater--silent film music was left up to the music director at each movie house). The music features many "oriental" pieces written for the silent film theater by forgotten "photoplay music" composers such as Gaston Borch and Irenee Berge, as well as pieces by classical composers like Rimsky-Korsakov who explored oriental themes. A written commentary and cue list of the music used is on the DVD as an extra, and can also be found at Mont Alto's web site, www.mont-alto.com.

A different high-quality edition from Image Entertainment features an organ score by Gaylord Carter, who was a talented theater organist, and that's also a good choice. Be wary of other editions -- it's an amazing film, and the extra money spent for a quality visual and audio treat is well worth it. The difference in run-time between the Kino and Image editions of the film is mostly explained by a different film transfer rate.

Outlaw all post-release editing.
This is truly one the most spectacular films ever made, not suffering for having been made during the silent era. However, as correctly stated by another review of the film, the DVD version runs to 139mins as oppossed to the VHS 155mins. This is not due to DVD faster frame rate, but rather because the DVD version has had a huge portion of the film cut for no obvious reason. At one point, the Hero (Fairbanks) has fulfilled the prophecy of the princess and has been the first to touch the rose-tree, the next minute he is seen explaining to her (in an intimate scene) that he is not what he seems. Having seen the VHS a number of times, I can confirm that the DVD version has been brutally cut. Do not buy the DVD version, as it is a let-down with those scenes missing; thus the reason for my one star, which would otherwise have been 4 1/5 (5 stars with the Rimsky Korsakov soundtrack). You have been warned!

Simply Great- Kino Deluxe Edition
I haven't seen many silent films, but this must be the one of the greatest "fantasy" films of this period. I read it was made at an astonishing cost (for 1924, year of its release) U$ 2,5 millions!!? (It must have been filmdom's most expensive feature before the 1926 "Ben-Hur").

Douglas Fairbanks is in excellent shape & form, for the "athletic" part he has to play (at his "acrobatic" best-considering he was 40 years old when it was made); and embodies the hero (the thief of the title) perfectly, who is "redeemed" by the power of love (in the shape of a "languid" princess played by Julanne Johnston). The sets are just awesome & gorgeous (designed by the legendary William Cameron Menzies), plus deft direction by Raoul Walsh.

Great acting by Anna May Wong (as one of the princess' ladies in waiting) and SoJin (The Mongol Prince), who are perfect as the "villains" of the story.

The Kino DVD Release, brings a digital stereo orchestral new score, adapted from the original 1924 cue sheets, a great asset, plus a set of never before seen outtakes and special effects footage, excerpts of Paul Leni's "Waxworks" and George Méliès 1905 "Arabian Nights"...oh...., and a filmed "introduction" by Orson Welles himself.

Highly recommended for silent movie buffs and movie buffs in general, the story line & the plot is very different indeed from Zoltan Korda's classic 1940 same title masterpiece. This movie stands its own ground besides that other version. I have both and love them!!!

Beware of other inferior editions!