The Thief of Bagdad: Difference between revisions

'''''The Thief of Bagdad''''' is a 1940 movie, starring Sabu, John Justin, Conrad Veidt, and June Duprez. It borrows heavily from stories of the ''[[Arabian Nights (Literature)|Arabian Nights]]''. (There have been several movies using the name, including a [[The Thief of Bagdad (1924 (Filmfilm)|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 -- andBagdad—and the dungeon keys -- inkeys—in his pocket.

* [[Arabian Nights (Literature)|Arabian Nights]]: 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."

* [[Cool Toy]]: the Sultan of Basra collects mechanical toys, which makes it easy for Jaffar to bribe him with the abovementionedabove-mentioned horse.

{{quote| '''Merchant''': "Allah be with you. [beat] But I doubt it."}}

* [[Everything's Better With Princesses|Everything's Better with Princesses]]: The Princess. She doesn't even have a name.

* [[Evil-Detecting Dog]]: Taken from an ''[[Arabian Nights (Literature)|Arabian Nights]]'' story where a dog that's really a person in dog form functions this way, Abu as a dog can identify bad coinage.

* [[Death Byby Sex]]: This is the subtext in the sultan of Basra's murder.

* [[Genie in Aa Bottle]]

{{quote| '''Abu:''' "I'm Abu the Thief. Son of Abu the Thief. Grandson of Abu the Thief."}}

* [[Humans Are Bastardsthe Real Monsters]]: Jaffar tries to convince Prince Ahmed that humans are evil, and makes a good case for it himself:

{{quote| "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."}}

{{quote| "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."}}

* [[Love Potion]]: Inverted. The Blue Flower of Forgetfulness is intended to make the Princess [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|forget]] about Ahmad.

* [[Sealed Evil in Aa Can]]: The genie, borrowing from the ''1001 Arabian Nights'' tale "The Fisherman and the Genie."

* [[Shout -Out]]: It is the subject of a lot of them; ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'''s Abu is a monkey version of Sabu's character, and JafarJaffar 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 ''[[The Thief and The Cobbler (Animation)|The Thief and Thethe Cobbler]]''.