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The Thief of Bagdad. An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor

Runtime:
106 min.
Year of Production:
1940
Country:
Great Britain/USA
Director:


Cast:
Conrad Veidt
June Duprez
Production Company:
Berlinale Section:
Retrospective
Berlinale Category:
Feature Film

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”.

BIOGRAFIE 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

FILMOGRAFIE Ludwig Berger (selection)

1940 The Thief of Bagdad. An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor  1931 Le petit café  1930 Playboy of Paris  1928 The Woman from Moscow 

BIOGRAFIE 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

FILMOGRAFIE Michael Powell (selection)

1960 Peeping Tom  1950/51 Tales Of Hoffmann  1948 The Red Shoes  1947 Black Narcissus  1946 Stairway to heaven  1940 The Thief of Bagdad. An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor 

BIOGRAFIE 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

FILMOGRAFIE Tim Whelan (selection)

1940 The Thief of Bagdad. An Arabian Fantasy in Technicolor  1937 Farewell Again  1935 The Murder Man  1933 Aunt Sally 

Ludwig Berger IMDb
Michael Powell IMDb
Tim Whelan IMDb
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