The Thief of Bagdad. An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor
In Bagdad, the Grand Vizier Jaffar has King Ahmad cast into a dungeon and takes power for himself. But Ahmad manages to escape with the help of a young thief, Abu. In Basra, the king falls in love with the sultan’s daughter. But his rival for her affections is none other than Jaffar, who uses magic powers to blind Ahmad and turn Abu into a dog ... Michael Powell, on set with Natalie Kalmus said to himself, “we are not making coloured picture postcards for Technicolor”.. Despite the fact that The Thief of Bagdad can be said to have more than 1001 colours at its disposal, each scene is composed with deliberate nuance. Earthy red dominates scenes of the masses, while blue and green signify a paradisiacal garden. The sultan’s reception rooms glitter with gold and silver, and the Bedouin tent is a study in orange. By contrast, Jaffar, the villain of the piece, appears primarily colourless, dressed in black or white. Thus the “Arabian” fantasy developed utopian touches with “its glamour, its colour, its optimism, its happiness, at a time when the whole world was trembling with fear” (Michael Powell, 1986). Even today, the film delights the “all-seeing eye” from, as Ahmad might say, “the other side of time”.
details
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Runtime
106 min -
Country
Great Britain, United States -
Year of Presentation
2015 -
Year of Production
1940 -
Director
Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan -
Cast
Conrad Veidt, June Duprez -
Production Company
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Berlinale Section
Retrospective -
Berlinale Category
Feature Film
pictures from the movie
Biography Ludwig Berger
Ludwig Berger was a German-Jewish film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.He directed 36 films between 1920 and 1969. Berger began working in the German film industry during the Weimar Republic. At Decla-Bioscop and later UFA he established a reputation as a leading director of silent films. He emigrated to Hollywood, but was unable to establish himself and returned to Europe. He subsequently worked both in France and Germany. He was a member of the jury at the 6th International Film Festival Berlin.
source: wikipedia.org
Filmography Ludwig Berger
1928 The Woman from Moscow | 1930 Playboy of Paris | 1931 Le petit café
Biography Michael Powell
Michael Powell was an English film director. He was the second son and youngest child of Thomas William Powell, a hop farmer, and Mabel, daughter of Frederick Corbett, of Worcester, England. Powell was born in Bekesbourne, Kent, and educatetat The King's School, Canterbury and then at Dulwich College. He started work at the National Provincial Bank in 1922 but quickly realised he was not cut out to be a banker. He entered the film industry in 1925 through working with Director Rex Ingram at the Victorine Studios in Nice, France.
source: wikipedia.com
Filmography Michael Powell
1946 Stairway to heaven | 1948 The Red Shoes | 1960 Peeping Tom
Biography Tim Whelan
Tim Whelan was an American film director, writer, producer and actor best remembered for his writing credits on Harold Lloyd and Harry Langdon comedies, and his directing of mostly British films. At the time of his death, Whelan was survived by his widow, former silent film actress Miriam Seegar and their two sons.
source: wikipedia.org
Filmography Tim Whelan
1933 Aunt Sally | 1935 The Murder Man | 1937 Farewell Again