The Thief of Bagdad · reception & legacy
1940 · Michael Powell
How The Thief of Bagdad has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
A hit in 1940 that won three Oscars (color cinematography, art direction, special effects), it's since climbed from 'lavish matinee entertainment' to sacred-text status — the Technicolor fantasy that Scorsese and Coppola both champion as a formative favourite.
What's debated
Fans still argue over its authorship — officially three directors, with Michael Powell, the Kordas and others all having a hand — and over how to hold its ravishing Arabian Nights fantasy alongside its very-1940 Orientalism.
Its footprint
It's essentially the blueprint for Disney's Aladdin — a villainous vizier named Jaffar (modelled on Conrad Veidt's), a thief sidekick named Abu — and Rex Ingram's colossal genie rising from the bottle remains one of fantasy cinema's most referenced images.
Where it stands
A cornerstone of fantasy and effects history with a Criterion halo: less watched than the films it inspired, but a 'you must see where this all comes from' title among cinephiles.