"Thief of Bagdad" Criterion DVD...

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/2/08 at 9:31pm

Watching it now.

It looks FANTASTIC. What a wonderful, imaginative film.

It looks like it was made yesterday, not in 1940!

The Technicolor restoration is great. I have to say, it makes the guys and gals look really... um... nice.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/2/08 at 9:49pm

I will also say that so many color schemes, images, and designs for Disney's "Aladdin" were lifted directly from this movie.

I mean DIRECTLY.

If it weren't so long ago, I would think someone would have sued them.

I'm guessing this film is in Public Domain now. That's the only answer I can come up with.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 8/2/08 at 9:52pm

Have you seen Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST? Seems Disney "borrowed" a lot from that, too.

[TomMonster]

Posted: 8/2/08 at 9:58pm

I love "Thief of Bagdad" one of my all time favs! I'll have to pick me up a new copy!

[tazber]

Posted: 8/2/08 at 10:04pm

I love this film. And Criterion has done an amazing job with the transfer.
You can see why it won the Oscar for visual effects that year.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 8:59am

"Have you seen Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST? Seems Disney "borrowed" a lot from that, too."

They definitely did borrow many things. But a film that borrowed more from Cocteau's "Beast" is Coppolla's "Bram Stoker's Dracula."

Many shots, photographic techniques and special effects were taken directly from it. And Coppolla freely admits it too.

Steal from the best, I always say!

(I'm sure I stole that line from someone.)

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 12:33pm

my Dad used to hang out with Sabu. My Dad was in LA ready to ship out overseas, and met Sabu at one of those canteen things. The studio didn't let their actors carry any cash, and my Dad had pockets full he wanted to spend before shipping out. Sabu had a motorcycle.

They spent a coupla weeks picking up chics in LA. What with Sabu being a movie star with a cool bike, and my Dad in uniform, it was easy pickins'.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 5:29pm

What a great story, Chevstriss!

My mom had the biggest crush on Sabu when she was a girl (probalby 12-ish).

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 7:18pm

It must have been a treat seeing this in the Arabian Nights themed theater the Avalon in Chicago

It stands today as the New Regal on the South Side. There is a story that the furnishings from the theater were sent to Hollywood to be copied for the film & than sent back to the theater. Most of them are sadly gone when many of these theaters sold their interior furnishings as the owners felt they were no longer needed & would generate needed cash.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 8/3/08 at 9:34pm

I actually perfer the remake, which has a different storyline. I wish it would get a remaster and a DVD release, as well.