Wow! Such a good movie.

To me, this movie is perfection.

Thanks for the memories!

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

a film who you desire see. again. and again. perfect , seductive, fascinating, realistic in a manner who must be discovered because it seems be out of words. a simple story. about old fashion virtues. about magic and about a page from Arabian Nights and one of the best ways to discover , after a long time, the flavors and colors and voices of childhood. Sabu is more than great and John Justin is the real imagined prince. the story is dramatic and amusing and honest and fresh and seductive and full of gifts for the public from each age. its profound honesty is the lead virtue. and the source of fascination in the era of high technology who gives a so cold version of reality than a film like "The Thief of Bagdad" represents the ideal refuge.

Such daring filmmaking! The color projection effects may be comical and made me snigger a bit, but it's brave, nonetheless. Sorry, but it reminded me too much of "The Amazing Colossal Man" and "War of the Colossal Beast"! Those two laughers, of course, were made in el-cheapo black & white by Mr. B.I.G. himself, Bert I. Gordon, who seemed to have a perverse affection for 'all things enormous'! But for 1940, and even in war-time England to boot, this movie is a miraculous and stand-out gem for all ages, and for all-time. With beautiful cinematography, scenery, sets, terrific heroes, and a menacing villain, how can you go wrong? So, sit back and take in this marvelous cinematic adventure, you won't be sorry!

Yet another film where reviewers seem a bit shy about going for the high numbers. This production came out of left field even by the standards of 1940 and was not only brilliant then, it is brilliant now. How is it possible for a project almost a century old to hold up against CGI today? Maybe it really is magic. There are elements here that are unforgettable -- the genie, who yearns for nothing but to be free ... free ... free. The evil magician who does hesitate to kill or tamper with the mind of the heroine. The use of mechanical/magical devices is especially memorable because these paradoxes were indeed part and parcel of the "arabian nights" mythology and remain as big a mystery today as they were centuries ago. Agree with those reviewers who insist that this movie has never been equalled. True. A one-of-a-kind, fun for old and young, and highly recommended.

The story about how this film came to be made is almost as interesting as the film itself. Thief of Baghdad was a break-through film in many ways. British director Alex Korda put everything on the line for this film. Technicolor was new, and no one knew what could be done with color including the inventors of Technicolor. Korda placed his future in the hands of a young man who had dropped out of Burbank High School, Larry Butler. Butler was a budding genius who went on to make many important films over the next 30 years. He went to work with Korda after working in his father's special effects shop in Los Angeles, one of the first special effects workshops in Hollywood.For the Thief of Baghdad, he developed the "traveling matte" and the "blue screen." The effects first appeared in this film and have become ubiquitous in films ever since. Every special effects film since this one has made use of the visual techniques developed by Larry Butler. Butler won the Oscar for this 1940 film, and he was nominated again and again for his many achievements in special effects. Korda's bet on Butler paid off, as this film is generally considered to be a landmark in the history of film-making.