Hands up, what was the last good fantasy film you saw? I mean a movie which truly thrilled you, transported you to another world and filled you with endless wonder. Was it The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Stardust? How about the Chronicles of Narnia or (some) instalments of the Harry Potter franchise?
Fantasy is undergoing something of a Renaissance on the big screen, and it’s about time.
Of course, flights of fancy have beguiled audiences ever since Georges Méliès first launched us on A Trip to the Moon.
The last film which whisked me off to faraway lands was Alexander Korda’s version of The Thief of Bagdad, and like all great fantasies, it took me completely by surprise.
Its plot should be familiar to anyone fond of the One Thousand and One Nights. Abu (Sabu) is the titular thief and playful scourge of Bagdad’s merchants, stealing food for the poor and casually wreaking havoc. His joi de vivre stands in stark contrast to the restless boredom of King Ahmad (John Justin), Bagdad’s lonely ruler. When Ahmad ventures into the city incognito, treacherous Grand Vizier Jaffar (Conrad Veidt) seizes his chance and usurps the throne. Abu and the King meet in jail and escape to Basra; Ahmad promptly falls for the resident Princess (a radiant June Duprez). Unfortunately, Jaffar is also enamoured of her and will stop at nothing to win her hand.
What follows is a dazzling, wondrous quest which takes us from the depths of Bagdad’s dungeons to the very Roof of the World.
The film is subtitled ‘An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor’ and that’s precisely what it is. From its gorgeous opening shot of a billowing crimson sail against a sapphire sky, the movie is a symphony of colour, the world of the Arabian Nights as imagined through Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Indeed the shimmering palette is as much a call to adventure as Abu’s puckish smile. Producer Alexander Korda was determined to film in colour after viewing his brother’s first sketches, and it’s not hard to see why. Vincent Korda’s brilliance as a production designer shines throughout the film: lush gardens, stunning rooftop vistas, magnificent temples- all leap vividly to life, aided by accomplished cinematographer George Perinal and the movie’s lavish budget. There were moments in Ahmad and Abu’s journey where I was tempted to put the action on hold and simply drink in the scenery.
However spectacular backdrops would be nothing without a solid cast- The Thief of Bagdad boasts a great one. Sabu’s joyous, impish performance is the film’s warm centre. As Abu he’s a cocky, cunning rogue, an Arabian Artful Dodger whose sense of magic and wonder inevitably informs our own. Watching him pit his wits against Rex Ingram’s irascible djinn is one of the movie’s many pleasures. Another is John Justin as the dashing, heroic King. There’s a charming storybook quality to his first meeting with the Princess of Basra, their dialogue seemingly echoing a call and response pattern far older than they are: ‘Where do you come from?’ ‘From the other side of time.’ It’s a pity then that the she is something of a disappointment- suitably alluring, but little more than a damsel in distress. (The lack of characterization isn’t really Duprez’s fault- the scriptwriters never even thought to give her character a name!) Miles Malleson more than makes up for the deficiency as the Sultan of Basra, a befuddled buffoon who cares more for his collection of clockwork figures than for his subjects.
Glowering above them all is Conrad Veidt: sleek, sophisticated, elegant, a villain’s villain. During the forties Veidt specialized in ruthless criminals and malevolent Nazis; he is best known to modern audiences as the venomous Major Strasse in Casablanca. In fact he made his mark on cinema history even earlier, playing the somnambulist inhabitant of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari– a silent screen classic which introduced German Expressionism to the world. As Jaffar Veidt mixes menace with malice, exuding the habitual air of refinement which always threatens to make him more interesting than the nominal heroes. It’s no coincidence that the evil vizier in Aladdin is Jaffar’s namesake: the Disney character was modelled after him, up to and including the mesmerizing eyes.
An Arabian Nights fantasy ablaze with colour, imagination and invention, The Thief of Bagdad is an utterly magical experience.
Be honest, when was the last time you saw a clockwork flying horse?
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