History Film / TheThiefOfBagdad

[[quoteright:225:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TheThiefOfBagdad_6928.jpg]]
'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, Creator/ConradVeidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''Literature/ArabianNights''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924 1924 silent film]] starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., but this article is about the first remake.)

Ahmad is the king of Bagdad. His vizier, the wily Jaffar, has kept him isolated in his castle his whole life. One day, Ahmad decides to go out into the city disguised as a peasant, so he can learn more about his people. Jaffar, sensing a chance to seize power, sends guards after the king; Ahmad has just enough time to hear a prophecy about a boy saving his city before Jaffar's guards capture him and throw him into the dungeons. He is sentenced to death in the morning, but luckily for Ahmad, he's trapped in jail with Abu, a young thief who has Bagdad -- and the dungeon keys -- in his pocket.

Abu and Ahmad embark on an amazing journey involving ancient prophecies, captured princesses, mechanical horses, magic spells that turn seeing men blind and thieves into dogs, assassinations, giant spiders, ship wrecks, flying carpets, and an absolutely ''enormous'' genie who will grant three wishes to anyone clever enough to survive him.

''The Thief of Bagdad'' was very popular in its day, partly due the charm of child actor Sabu. It had a lasting influence on Hollywood; many of the [[ArabianNightsDays tropes]] the ''Arabian Nights'' [[TropeMaker made]] were actually [[TropeCodifier codified]] by this movie. It's also the first film to use ChromaKey.

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!!This movie contains examples of:

* AdaptationalVillainy: GrandVizierJafar. The historical Ja'far ibn Yahya of the Barmakids (and the fictional version of him in the Arabian Nights tales) was not a bad guy, but possibly the greatest Grand Vizier Persia ever had. He was a polymath who sponsored the building of libraries and introduced the use of paper to Baghdad (thus almost single-handedly kickstarting the Golden Age of Islam). This movie was the first instance in which he was portrayed as a villain.
* AlwaysAccurateAttack: The Bow and Arrow of Justice, when used to attack the unjust, results in this.
* {{Animorphism}}: Abu is transformed into a dog.
* AntiVillain: Jaffar, at least when it comes to his crush on the princess. He refuses to hypnotise her at first and constantly trembles when he's around her and can't bring himself to touch her. His fingers hover just a few inches from her and only his shadow can touch her. This was a deliberate touch on director Michael Powell's part, who identified with the wizard/artificer character and the pain of unrequited love. Consequently, he told Conrad Veidt to play the tortured lover angle to the hilt.
* Literature/ArabianNights: It borrows ''heavily'' from the source. For example, when Abu frees the genie, it's initially angry at being held captive and wants to kill his rescuer, but is tricked back into the bottle and finally agrees to grant Abu three wishes. This is taken directly from the story, "The Fisherman and the Genie."
* ArabianNightsDays: TropeCodifier for a lot of them.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Abu accidentally [[spoiler:wishes Ahmad back to Bagdad]] after they fight, using up his last wish.
* BigEater: Abu.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: Abu in the climax.]]
* CatapultToGlory
* ChaseScene: There's an energetic foot-chase early in the movie, wherein Sabu does all his own stunts. Incidentally, he was sixteen at the time.
* CoolHorse: Jaffar's mechanical flying horse. Some assembly required.
** MechanicalHorse
* CoolToy: The Sultan of Basra collects mechanical toys, which makes it easy for Jaffar to bribe him with the abovementioned horse. Later, Jaffar uses another such novelty (a RobotGirl) to entrap and kill the Sultan.
* TheCriterionCollection
* CrystalBall: The All-Seeing Eye Abu steals from a temple.
* CostumePorn: And how. The film's particularly impressive for including not only fantastical fairytale costumes (everything the princess wears, basically) but also for a considerable amount of historical accuracy in the costumes, something missing in many later Arabian Nights films. Jaffar wears ''five layers'' of silks and velvets (appropriate for a high-ranking Persian lord) at one point, which can't have been easy under the massive studio lights required for a Technicolor production.
* DeadpanSnarker: Quite a few.
-->'''Merchant''': "Allah be with you. [beat] But I doubt it."
** The entire scene with the flying horse consists of glorious banter between the Sultan and Jaffar.
* DeathGlare: Jaffar when enspelling Ahmad and Abu.
* EarnYourHappyEnding
* [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses Everything's Better with Princesses]]: The Princess. She doesn't even have a name.
* EvilChancellor: Jaffar.
* EvilSorcerer: Jaffar, again.
* EvilDetectingDog: Taken from an ''Literature/ArabianNights'' story where a dog that's really a person in dog form functions this way, Abu as a dog can identify bad coinage.
* EvilLaughter: ''The Genie''. Hammy, but still evil. Abu indulges in a little after turning the tables on the Genie.
* DeathBySex: This is the subtext in the sultan of Basra's murder.
* GenieInABottle
* GiantSpider: Abu fights one while climbing a web to get to the All-Seeing Eye.
* GiveMeASword: Ahmad wants a chance to duel Jaffar. Jaffar declines and promptly [[spoiler: blinds him]].
* HeroicLineage: Ahmad is the grandson of Harun al-Rashid. Possibly parodied with Abu:
--> '''Abu:''' "I'm Abu the Thief. [[IAmXSonOfY Son of Abu the Thief.]] Grandson of Abu the Thief."
* HowWeGotHere: The first act is told in flashback.
* HomageShot: The shot of Halima and Jaffar looking through a curtained window at the Princess is lifted from the 1924 ''Thief of Baghdad''.
* HumansAreBastards: Jaffar tries to convince Prince Ahmad that humans are evil, and makes a good case for it himself:
-->"Men are evil, hatred in their eyes, lies on their lips, betrayal in their hearts. You will learn one day, great king, that there are three things that men respect; the lash that descends, the yoke that breaks and the sword that slays. By the power and terror of these you may conquer the Earth."
** Later, the Genie has his say on the subject, after Abu's third wish goes awry (though this is more HumansAreFlawed):
--->"You're a clever little man, little master of the universe, but mortals are weak and frail. If their stomach speaks, they forget their brain. If their brain speaks, they forget their heart. And if their heart speaks, they forget everything."
* HypnotizeThePrincess: Jaffar erases the princess's memories of Ahmad, hoping she'll start loving him, with the Blue Rose of Forgetfulness. Slightly subverted in that he previously refused to use his powers to make her fall in love with him directly.
* HypercompetentSidekick / ChessmasterSidekick: Abu to Ahmad, who is pretty much a FishOutOfWater.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW4FCZPYTSs&feature=player_embedded Love she has yet to learn. And I am here to teach her.]]" And that's after AndNowYouMustMarryMe and is followed by AbductionIsLove. Jaffar really hasn't got the hang of this dating business, has he?
* InNameOnly: For a remake, this movie doesn't have ''that'' much in common with [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924 the original movie]]... [[TropesAreTools but is no less wonderful a film for all that]].
* JackassGenie: TropeMaker for the cinematic versions of this.
* KingIncognito: Ahmad.
* LargeHam: ''Genie.''
** Jaffar summoning up a storm. ''WINND!''
* LoveAtFirstSight
* LovePotion: Inverted. The Blue Flower of Forgetfulness is intended to make the Princess ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin forget]]'' about Ahmad.
* LoveableRogue: Abu.
* MadeASlave: Happens to the princess offscreen. Jaffar buys her.
* MagicCarpet: How Abu makes his grand entrance [[spoiler: and grand exit]].
* McGuffin: This movie has everything, including one of these. The genie takes Abu to a temple where he has to steal a jewel to find Ahmad. The genie can't get it for him because... that wouldn't be fun enough.
* TheMountainsOfIllinois
* MusicalisInterruptus: Briefly, when dog-Abu is caught by the executioner.
* NobleDemon: Jaffar (at first). He could kill Ahmad, but decides to blind him instead (at first). He could take the princess by force, but pleads for her to love him instead... at first.
* OminousWalk: Conrad Veidt said he'd honed Jaffar's slow, gliding movements for over a month before filming began.
* ThePowerOfLove: The amnesia induced on the Princess with the Blue Rose of Forgetfulness is undone when she hears her true love's voice.
* ProphecyTwist: The prophecy at the start of the movie says "a tyrant shall be overthrown by the lowest of the low, who appears on a cloud"; Ahmad and the peasants believe it's about him, but it's about a slightly different tyrant, and an unconventional "cloud".
* ReversePsychology: Used by Abu to entrap the genie.
* RobotGirl: The sultan of Basra dies at her mechanical hands.
* ScarpiaUltimatum: Jaffar reveals that the only way to restore Ahmad's eyesight is for the princess to embrace him; [[spoiler:she does]].
* SealedEvilInACan: The genie, borrowing from the ''1001 Arabian Nights'' tale "The Fisherman and the Genie."
* ShelteredAristocrat: Ahmad.
* ShoutOut: It is the subject of a lot of them; ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'''s Abu is a monkey version of Sabu's character, and Jafar is Conrad Veidt. Not to mention that the Sultan of Agrabah basically ''is'' the Sultan of Basra, as is the King in ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler''. The ''Aladdin'' series also features the Blue Rose of Forgetfulness in one episode.
** Abu mentions Sinbad the Sailor was willing to give them berths on his ship...
** The shots with Jaffar cursing people with his eyes and menacing people with his shadow were tributes to Conrad Veidt's earlier performances in German Expressionist films.
* StreetUrchin: Abu at the start of the movie.
* TemptingFate: The Sultan of Basra promises the Princess she will never go to Baghdad with Jaffar while he lives. Guess what happens in the very next scene.
* ThreeWishes: The genie grants Abu these.
* TrueLovesKiss: Jaffar tries to exploit this by wiping the Princess' memory and ''then'' kissing her.
* TropeCodifier: For several "Arabian Nights" tropes, including GrandVizierJafar.
* VillainousCrush: Jaffar.

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'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, ConradVeidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''Literature/ArabianNights''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924 1924 silent film]] starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., but this article is about the first remake.)

* CostumePorn: And how. The film's particularily impressive for including not only fantastical fairytale costumes (everything the princess wears, basically) but also for a considerable amount of historical accuracy in the costumes, something missing in many later Arabian Nights films. Jaffar wears ''five layers'' of silks and velvets (appropriate for a high-ranking Persian lord) at one point, which can't have been easy under the massive studio lights required for a Technicolor production.

* NobleDemon: Jaffar (at first). He could kill Ahmad, but decides to blind him instead (at first). He could take the princess by force, but pleads for her to love him instead...at first.

'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, ConradVeidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''Literature/ArabianNights''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924 1924 silent film]] starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., but this article is about the first remake.) and an early 1960s Italian remake starring body builder B-movie favorite Steve Reeves of ''Hercules'' fame.

* HeroicLineage: Ahmad is the grandson of Haroun al-Raschid. Possibly parodied with Abu:

* HumansAreBastards: Jaffar tries to convince Prince Ahmed that humans are evil, and makes a good case for it himself:

--->"You're a clever little man little master of the universe, but mortals are weak and frail. If their stomach speaks, they forget their brain. If their brain speaks, they forget their heart. And if their heart speaks, they forget everything."
* HypnotizeThePrincess: Jaffar erases the princess' memories of Ahmad, hoping she'll start loving him, with the Blue Rose of Forgetfulness. Slightly subverted in that he previously refused to use his powers to make her fall in love with him directly.

'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, ConradVeidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''Literature/ArabianNights''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924 1924 silent film]] starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., but this article is about the first remake.)

* JackassGenie: TropeMaker for this.

* AlwaysAccurateAttack

* AntiVillain: Jaffar. At least when it comes to his crush on the princess. He refuses to hypnotise her at first and constantly trembles when he's around her and can't bring himself to touch her. His fingers hover just a few inches from her and only his shadow can touch her. This was a deliberate touch on director Michael Powell's part, who identified with the wizard/artificer character and the pain of unrequited love. Consequently, he told Conrad Veidt to play the tortured lover angle to the hilt.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: Abu.]].

* CoolToy: the Sultan of Basra collects mechanical toys, which makes it easy for Jaffar to bribe him with the abovementioned horse.

* EvilChancellor: Jaffar

* GiantSpider: Abu fights one while climbing a web to gets to the All-Seeing Eye.

* HowWeGotHere: the first act is told in flashback.

* HypnotizeThePrincess: Jaffar erases the princess' memories of Ahmad, hoping she'll start loving him. Slightly subverted in that he previously refused to use his powers to make her fall in love with him directly.

* InNameOnly: For a remake, this movie doesn't have ''that'' much in common with [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924 the original movie]]... [[TropesAreTools but is no less wonderful a film for all that]]

* LovePotion: Inverted. The Blue Flower of Forgetfulness is intended to make the Princess [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin forget]] about Ahmad.
* LoveableRogue: Abu

* MusicalisInterruptus: briefly, when dog-Abu is caught by the executioner.
* NobleDemon: Jaffar (at first). He could kill Ahmad, but decides to blind him instead (at first). He could take the princess by force, but pleads for her to love him instead... at first.
* ProphecyTwist: The prophecy at the start of the movie says "a tyrant shall be overthrown by the lowest of the low, who appears on a cloud"; Ahmad and the peasants believe it's about him, but it's about a slightly different tyrant.

* ShoutOut: It is the subject of a lot of them; ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'''s Abu is a monkey version of Sabu's character, and Jafar is Conrad Veidt.
** The ''Aladdin'' series also features the Blue Rose of Forgetfulness in one episode. Not to mention that the Sultan of Agrabah basically ''is'' the Sultan of Basra, as is the King in ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler''.

* StreetUrchin: Abu at the start of the movie

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* RavenHairIvorySkin: The Princess.

* InNameOnly: For a remake, this movie doesn't have ''that'' much in common with [[TheThiefOfBagdad the original movie]]... [[TropesAreNotBad but is no less wonderful a film for all that]]

* EvilLaughter: ''The Genie''. Hammy, but still evil.

* MadeASlave: Happens to the princess offscreen, and we are told Jaffar [[FetishFuel buys her.]]

'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, Conrad Veidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''Literature/ArabianNights''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a [[Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1924 1924 silent film]] starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., but this article is about the first remake.)

* CostumePorn: And how. The film's particularily impressive for including not only fantastical fairytale costumes (everything the princess wears, basically) but also for a considerable amount of historical accuracy in the costumes, something missing in many later Arabian Nights films.

--> '''Abu:''' "I'm Abu the Thief. Son of Abu the Thief. Grandson of Abu the Thief."

* HypercompetentSidekick / PussInBoots: Abu to Ahmad, who is pretty much a FishOutOfWater.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: A lot of the special effects are astonishingly good for a film made in 1940. Extensive use is made of back-projection in particular.
* TheWhitePrince: Ahmad.

'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, Conrad Veidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''Literature/ArabianNights''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a [[Film/TheThiefOfBaghdad1924 1924 silent film]] starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., but this article is about the first remake.)

'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, Conrad Veidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''Literature/ArabianNights''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a 1924 silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., but this article is about the first remake.)

** Later, the Genie has his say on the subject, after Abu's third wish goes awry:

** The ''Aladdin'' series also features the Blue Rose of Forgetfulness in one episode. Not to mention that the Sultan of Agrabah basically ''is'' the Sultan of Basra, as is the King in ''TheThiefAndTheCobbler''.

'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, Conrad Veidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''ArabianNights''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a 1924 silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., but this article is about the first remake.)

* ArabianNights: It borrows ''heavily'' from the source. For example, when Abu frees the genie, it's initially angry at being held captive and wants to kill his rescuer, but is tricked back into the bottle and finally agrees to grant Abu three wishes. This is taken directly from the story, "The Fisherman and the Genie."

* EvilDetectingDog: Taken from an ''ArabianNights'' story where a dog that's really a person in dog form functions this way, Abu as a dog can identify bad coinage.

* BlackAndWhiteBeauty: The Princess.