The Thief of Bagdad
Influenced by the opulent German superproductions of the early twenties, Douglas Fairbanks spent a record $2 million on The Thief of Bagdad, a film that remains a monument to Fairbanks' spirit of adventure, and a delight to our own. The lavish Arabian Nights fantasy is achieved on sets built all out of human proportion (under the direction of William Cameron Menzies), painted, polished and photographed to effect buildings that float, carpets that fly, and entire armies that spring up then disappear on command. The thief, sent by a holy man on a quest for a magic box with which he will earn his happiness, overcomes innumerable obstacles and imaginative perils, saves Bagdad from the Moguls and wins the love of a beautiful princess. Typical Fairbanks self-humor is matched by director Raoul Walsh's wit; here, lack of pretension defeats evil, and thieves and heroes alike are, above all, human. The Thief of Bagdad was not the enormous box office success that Robin Hood, made for one-third the cost, was. Critics were impressed by the film's stunning visuals and special effects, but fans called for more energetic gymnastics, which Fairbanks here supplanted with stylized grace.