''The Thief of Baghdad'' (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: Il ladro di Bagdad) is a 1961 film directed by

Arthur Lubin Arthur Lubin (July 25, 1898 – May 11, 1995) was an American film director and producer who directed several ''Abbott & Costello'' films, ''Phantom of the Opera'' (1943), the ''Francis the Talking Mule'' series and created the talking-horse TV se ...

and starring

Steve Reeves Stephen Lester "Steve" Reeves (January 21, 1926 – May 1, 2000) was an American professional bodybuilder, actor, and philanthropist. He was famous in the mid-1950s as a movie star in Italian-made sword-and-sandal films, playing the protagon ...

Plot

In the time of the

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

, the city of Baghdad was ruled by Sultan Ali Bajazeth but actually controlled by the scheming Grand Vizier Ghamal. The poor of Baghdad are aided by Karim, the Thief of Baghdad. Prince Osman is due to arrive at the palace to ask for the hand of Sultan Ali's daughter Amina in marriage. Karim sneaks into the palace, waylays Osman, and impersonates the prince, using the opportunity to steal jewels from all of the assembled courtiers. When this is discovered, Karim hides in Princess Amina's quarters. When her attendants leave, Karim reveals himself to her, and the two are immediately drawn to each other (she believes that he is Prince Osman). The following night, Karim secretly returns to the palace. He meets with Amina, and they declare their love for each other. Climbing down into a courtyard to escape the guards, he lands in the middle of a group of prisoners condemned to slavery in the Desert Mills and is dragged off with them. Ghamal gives Osman a potion to make Amina fall in love with him, but she falls dangerously ill after drinking it. An old man appears and says that the only way Amina can be cured is for her to be given a blue rose by someone who truly loves her and whom she truly loves. The blue rose can only be found by passing through the Seven Doors. The sultan proclaims that the quest for the blue rose is open to all. At the Mills, Karim learns of Amina's illness and escapes. Returning to Baghdad, he is told by the old man about the quest. He tries to join the assembled suitors but is recognized. Karim steals a horse and sets off. The suitors make camp for the night. Karim camps nearby and slips into the camp to steal food and water. Osman secretly slits the waterbags of the other suitors. The next day, the other suitors are beginning to die of thirst. Karim shares his water with them, and the First Door appears. They ride through and find themselves in a forest. That night, the trees come to life and attack them. Most of the suitors flee, but Karim uses a torch to fight off the trees, after which the Second Door appears. It leads to a plain of sulphurous geysers that erupt into a ring of fire. Karim realizes that this is an illusion and uses a rock to smash through, finding the Third Door. The Third Door leads to the Palace of Kadeejah, a beautiful woman who tempts Karim to give up the quest and remain with her. Karim realizes that Kadeejah and her palace are a trap and finds the Fourth Door in a seaside cave. Meanwhile, Osman attacks Baghdad, and Ghamal turns traitor and joins Osman. The Fifth Door leads Karim to a winged horse, on which he travels to a castle in the clouds, where he finds the blue rose. He is immediately transported back to the desert, where the old man is waiting with Karim's horse. The man gives Karim a magic jewel, telling him it will grant him one wish. Osman demands that Sultan Ali surrender Baghdad, threatening Amina. Karim arrives and uses the magic jewel to create an army of Karims, which, armed only with clubs, defeats Osman and his army. Unfortunately, during the battle, Osman's sword destroys the Blue Rose. Osman and his army flee. Karim rescues Amina and returns her to her father. The Blue Rose is destroyed, but Karim plucks a white rose and gives it to Amina, telling her that if she truly loves him, then it is blue. She takes the rose and tells him that it is blue, and it immediately turns blue, curing her. The sultan welcomes Karim as his son-in-law and successor. Karim sees a bust of the mysterious old man, but the sultan tells him that it is a bust of his late uncle, the great Sultan Achim I.

Cast

– Karim *

Giorgia Moll Giorgia Moll (born 14 January 1938) is an Italian film actress. She was sometimes credited as Georgia Moll and Georgia Mool. Background Moll was born in Prata di Pordenone to a German father and an Italian mother. At a young age, she began a br ...

– Amina (as Georgia Moll) *

Edy Vessel Edoarda Vesselovsky (born 23 October 1940), better known by her stage name Edy Vessel, Edi Vessel, or Edy Vesel, is an Italian actress and businesswoman. Biography Vesselovsky was born in Trieste in 1940. In her youth, she worked as a model i ...

– Kadeejah *

Arturo Dominici Arturo Dominici (2 January 1916 – 7 September 1992) was an Italian film, television and voice actor. Biography Born in Palermo, Dominici became best known for his many villainous roles in horror and fantasy films. He is best remembered for ...

– Prince Osman *

Daniele Vargas Daniele Vargas, stage name of Daniele Pitani (20 April 1922 – 7 January 1981) was an Italian film actor. Life and career Born in Imola, a small town in the district of Bologna, after attending high school with Pier Paolo Pasolini, Daniel ...

– Gamal * Antonio Battistella – Sultan of Baghdad *

Fanfulla Luigi Visconti, better known by his stage name Fanfulla, (26 February 1913 – 5 January 1971) was an Italian actor and comedian. Life and career Born in Rome, Visconti debuted at very young age on stage alongside his mother, the actress Merc ...

– Abdul (as Luigi Visconti) * Giancarlo Zarfati – Farid *

Gina Mascetti Gina Mascetti (1911-1995) was an Italian film actress. A character actress, she appeared in a number of comedy films notably as Alberto Sordi's wife in the ''The White Sheik'' (1952). The same year she also featured in the neorealist drama ''Two ...

– Governess * Antonio Rosmino – uncredited * George Chamarat - White Old Magician

Production

The film was partly financed by

Joseph E. Levine Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the ...

with Titanus. Filming was to have started in Rome on 15 July 1960. The start date was pushed back to August. Filming also took place in Tunisia. Lubin later said "the location was interesting but the picture was hard work... the producer had never made a movie before and the company was running out of money. I had a complete Italian crew and I didn't speak the language. So the work was difficult. By the time I got to Tunis I had wised up. I had two assistant directors - one who spoke French and one who spoke Tunisian. We were 100 miles into the desert and got up at five in the morning before the sun got too high for us to work."

Reception

The ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "a creaking vehicle." The ''New York Times'' called it "a great big Eastman coloured dumb show" which "moves at a snail's pace in cardboard oriental settings." ''Diabolique'' magazine said the film "has bright colours and Tunisian locations but is hurt by a wonky screenplay and uncertainty how much fantasy to put in."

Novelization

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

of the film was written by

Richard Wormser Richard Edward Wormser (February 2, 1908 in New York City, New York – July, in Tumacaciori, Arizona) was an American writer of pulp fiction, detective fiction, screenplays, and Westerns, some of it written using the pseudonym of Ed Friend ...

and published by Dell Paperbacks in 1961. The novelization is told in the first person from the point of view of Abu Hastin, the

jinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...

i of Baghdad (who takes the place of the old man from the film and is more involved in the novelization than his counterpart in the film). The novelization creates new characters such as The Lady Jinni of the Rocky Sands (who helps the Jinni of Baghdad create the Quest's tests and is the Jinni of Baghdad's love interest), Karim's scholarly but crippled older brother Malek and The Hairy (or evil) Jinni of Mossul (identified as Osman's home city). The novelization also alters some of the film's characters, making Amina's father more foolish that he is in the film, Karim younger and more reckless, and Amina less of the traditional helpless heroine. Some of the film's Quest tests, Amina's kidnapping, and Osman's siege of Baghdad were eliminated from the novelization.

Biography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thief of Baghdad (1961 film) 1961 films 1960s fantasy adventure films American fantasy adventure films French fantasy adventure films English-language French films Italian fantasy adventure films 1960s Italian-language films English-language Italian films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Arthur Lubin Films set in Baghdad Titanus films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films based on The Thief of Bagdad Films adapted into comics Films scored by Carlo Rustichelli 1960s multilingual films American multilingual films Italian multilingual films French multilingual films 1960s American films 1960s Italian films 1960s French films