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The Thief of Bagdad [Blu-ray]

Raoul Walsh (Director) Rated:
NR
Format: Blu-ray
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 298 ratings
IMDb7.7/10.0
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July 1, 2016
2K Restoration
1
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The Thief of Bagdad (Restored Kino Edition) (Silent) $2.99 $14.99
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Genre Drama, DVD Movie, Blu-ray Movie, Action & Adventure
Format Multiple Formats, NTSC, Blu-ray, Black & White
Contributor Raoul Walsh
Language English
Runtime 2 hours and 29 minutes
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Product Description

Newly restored from two 35mm negatives and incorporating the color tints and tones of the original release prints, this definitive edition of The Thief of Bagdad, features silent film score maestro Carl Davis conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, performing a magnificent score that intermingles Davis own music with the iconic Orientalia of Rimsky Korsakov.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 5.25 x 0.3 inches; 2.4 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 10433332
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Raoul Walsh
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, NTSC, Blu-ray, Black & White
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 29 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2016
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Cohen Media Group
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00AFQSZB0
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 298 ratings

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
298 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

M. Oleson
5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars. The original silent film, a stunning achievment.
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2014
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4.5 Stars

This wonderful film by Raoul Walsh, and starring Douglas Fairbanks has been properly restored by The Cohen Media Group. The excellent transfer came from two 35mm negatives and retains the original color tints of the film. I was a bit confused as to why the inter-titles would change color however. The transfer comes with a 1080p video resolution and a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, as was the original film. Frankly I was expecting the usual problems with many of these films from the silent era. But I have no complaints. Cohen has done a masterful job with only barely noticeable imperfections (flicker, scratches). Obviously the film will not look as good as modern day movies, but this is about as good as I've seen for movie from this era.

While the film is silent, an enhanced musical score comes from a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (lossless 2.0 stereo is also available). The score comes from Carl Davis who also conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra. He uses flourishes from Rimsky-Korsakov to supplement his own work. It works and sounds perfect for the film, even down to the drum beats in synch with some of the film action. There are no language options other than the English inter-titles.

Extras include an audio commentary by Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance, a series of photographs taken during the shoot and a restoration trailer. There is also a booklet with an essay by Laura Boyes, the film curator of the North Carolina Museum of Art.

I won't go into great detail regarding the plot itself but here it is. The fantasy is set in the caliphate of Bagdad. A ripped and athletic Fairbanks plays Ahmed (the thief) who manages to survive by hoodwinking the wealthier citizenry. He manages to steal a magical rope from a street magician. With it he is able to make it into a climbable pole. He and his associate (Snitz Edwards) devise a plan to climb the wall of the Caliph's palace and steal a large treasure. He stumbles into the sleeping quarters of the young princess (Julanne Johnston) and is instantly smitten. These early scenes feature the 40 year old Fairbanks jumping over rocks, blocks and other barriers. He also is adept at climbing walls and a rope/pole. It's pretty remarkable stuff.

The Caliph (Brandon Hurst) has decided it's now time to marry off his daughter and invites suitors to show their stuff. Three princes show up; a Persian, an Indian and a Mongol (Sojin Kamiyama). The Mongol sees this as an easy way to conquer Bagdad without blood being spilled. If the princess doesn't choose him, he's prepared to take the city by force. Ahmed decides to disguise himself as a prince and make a play for the princess himself. The princess decides she will wed whoever ventures into the countryside and return with the most valuable gift. She gives them 7 moons to get the gift and return.

Ahmed, until now a "non-believer" seeks guidance from a "Holy Man" (Charles Belcher). He is sent on a dangerous mission to obtain a magical box, but he must fight a series of monsters along the way. The Mongol has a secret weapon inside the palace in the form of slave girl (Anna May Wong), one of the princess's attendants. She poisons the princess with some smoke and now the race is on to get back to the palace. The Indian (Noble Johnson) is able to see the ill princess using his found crystal ball. They use the Persian's (Mathilde Comont) found flying carpet to get there, and when they do, the Mongol's magic elixir brings the young woman back from near death. All the while, Ahmed is racing back with the magic box riding a flying horse.

This is all pretty cool by the way. The film is big and grand. It has huge sets and some very convincing special effects. Sure a piano wire is visible once and a while but I'm not sure how they did the thing with Ahmed turning into a whirling dervish. I suspect theater goers of 1924 were stunned by the grandeur of the film and I'm sure the ladies were swooning over Fairbanks's bare chest and gymnastics. The film does require some patience even for lovers of silent films. It runs 2 ½ hours but is highly enjoyable. A great package.
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Jonathan J. McCullough
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent execution of a ground-breaking and entertaining cinematic masterpiece of all time.
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020
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Aside from perhaps Charlie Chaplin's The Kid, Raoul Walsh's The Thief of Baghdad is my favorite silent movie, and one of my favorite movies period. I've seen many prints of this well-loved and dog-eared classic, but the Cohen Films version has been the clearest and most enjoyable I've seen yet. Like many previous iterations, this one features a Rimsky-Korsakov inspired Scheherezade accompaniment, but rather than just randomly slopping the track onto the film, they've obviously arranged the music to correspond what's going on in the film, which helps match the music to the sentiment and scenes the audience is seeing, much like a live orchestra would have done at a premier screening when this film first debuted in 1924. Although the special effects may not be what we are accustomed to in today's snoozy CGI spectacles, they are as fresh, novel, and entertaining as any you may have seen in the best examples available at any time since this film first showed. They are also all the more remarkable since these were all practical, "in-camera" effects using the most sophisticated tricks of the time, so much so that it makes you wonder, just how did they actually do that?!? The editor used only as many inter title cards as were necessary, and no more; this is pure cinema, a charming and captivating romp that audiences of every stripe will enjoy. It is entertaining from the very first frames until the very last, and would serve as an excellent introduction for kids or adults alike to the many pleasures that silent films have to offer.

In addition, this significant cinematic accomplishment really is the keystone, the uncontested original, the very first successful iteration of the action-adventure genre. There is no Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark without The Thief of Baghdad. No Star Wars: A New Hope. The hero's journey, the damsel in distress, the new complications, the depths of despair, the triumphant return--all now-standard features of today's films--are presented for the first time in this film. It's all here. Everything released since then have been digital approximations of Xerox copies of mimeographs of the fresh, original, daring and dreamlike shadows of the imagination first presented, and arguably best presented, here in silver nitrate celluloid nearly a hundred years ago. Watch it. Rewatch it. Share it with a friend. They'll thank you.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Colin
5.0 out of 5 stars In my view the most excellent silent fantasy adventure
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2024
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I like the brilliant film direction and size of the sets
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葉越明
5.0 out of 5 stars 旧VHSソフトのBD化
Reviewed in Japan on December 30, 2023
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旧テムズプロのVHSを持っていましたが、劣化してがっかりしておりました。このBDソフトで、カールデイヴィスの音楽とパートカラーの画面を再見出来て、喜んでおります。
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Yves-Michel
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-boggling !!!! They do not make movies like these anymore !!!
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2009
Verified Purchase
After countless hours of watching B movies. I treated myself to this one. Simply put, every Sword and sandals/Dungeon and Dragons/Lord of the rings fan must see this one. It is jam-packed with special effects, gigantic sets, bigger-than-life monsters and fantstic animals. I did know that you could show such luscious women in 1924. The oriental lady (sexy) and the princess (eyes that can melt casted iron) are drop-dead gorgeous.

Fairbanks performance is athletic to say the least. It is almost circus like. His muscular, yet smooth, physique is timeless. Bodybuilders, please take notes. The film moves the viewers through a fast paced and well-structured fantasy scenario. There is something happaning every instant.

Even with a mega-nudget and the latest technology, this one would be tough to duplicate.

155 minutes of pleasure.... Sword and sandals style.
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Douglas
5.0 out of 5 stars The true silent art in cinema ...!
Reviewed in Canada on January 8, 2020
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Arrived, in excellent shape today Jan 7,2020. Thanks and cheers to all...
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S. Lornie
5.0 out of 5 stars Old School Fantasy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2019
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In the last 15 years or so, I have found modern cinema to be quite lacking. Because of Hollywood's incompetence, I have turned to near 100 year old classics to get my fantasy movie kick. I have tried out films like the legendary Metropolis, the criminally forgotten Die Nibelungen amongst many others. In this bundle of movies, I have discovered just how good the silent era was for this kind of film.

Recent visits to Ray Harryhausen's Sinbad series made me wonder if there was any similar style films out there. That is when I landed on The Thief of Bagdad from 1924. It's a fairly romanticised tale based on Tales From the Arabian Nights and stars Douglas Fairbanks, one of the top stars of the time. The film is about a petty thief named Ahmed, a man who enjoys picking pockets and getting up to some mischief. In an attempt to mug the Princess of Bagdad, he becomes infatuated by her and goes out of his way to meet and win her heart.

The story is simple enough and is very easy to follow. It progresses from a light hearted story and into reasonably dark fantasy territory. The movie is split into two contrasting sections. Some might find the first hour a bit slow, but I enjoyed it. I found the acting for the most part to be quite convincing. A few of the actors physical gestures were a little over the top. But that seems to be a common thing in the silent era. The worst offender of the lot is Douglas Fairbanks himself. The first twenty minutes or so looks quite silly as he waves his arms all over the place like he's on some sugar rush. But the acting as a whole was consistently good and a joy to watch. My favourite of the lot was by far Sojin Kamiyama, who was a very convincing villain. His up right posture, lack of physical emotion and evil glare was absolutely spot on. He was perfect for the role.

Naturally with a movie from this period, the sets are quite epic in scale and the costume design is fantastic. Each character wears outfits that I can imagine are extremely colourful but the beautiful bluray restoration shows us the viewer so many wonderful little details in the patterns etc. In terms of set and costume design, this is an absolutely beautiful movie. This is solidified more by the excellent special effects. Everything from the magic carpet to the monster appearances look fantastic. There's also a good use of colours to represent day and night cycles etc. In terms of scale, It may not compare to Intolerance for example but it's a real technical marvel that holds it's own against other films of the time.

As I mentioned above, this is a lengthy movie. It sits at a good two and a half hours. Some might get a bit fed up with the first half as the love story does drag on a little. But once the quest to win the Princesses hand is announced, the movie kicks into high gear. It's a highly enjoyable movie and an excellent edition for those who enjoy collecting older films on bluray. The transfer has very little in the way of noticeable damage, looks very clean and extremely sharp. I would highly recommend picking this up.
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