The Thief of Bagdad (1924)

(On Cable TV, July 2019) Blockbuster spectacles aren’t a new thing for Hollywood, as the first version of The Thief of Bagdad amply proves. Here we have a dashing adventurer (Douglas Fairbanks, arguably the first action hero) in the fantastical setting of old-time Bagdad, falling in love with a princess and going through special-effects-heavy adventures in order to win her affections over the villain. That sure looks like the plot summary of countless movies since then (and, to be fair, it’s lifted from The 1001 Nights of Scheherazade), except that this one was released in 1924. From the get-go, there is still, ninety-five years later, something interesting about the world featured in this film. The first act of the film has some fantastical sets, most of them built high up above the characters. Fairbanks jumps and gesticulates his way through many other adventures—the middle section of the film is particularly heavy in optical effects recreating fantastic visions for the movie screen. The Thief of Bagdad is really not bad once you get into the typical (and overlong) rhythm of silent movies—the succession of special effects, fantastical plot devices and dashing adventure is enough to keep even modern viewer entertained.