USA,
1924, 155 min
Shown in 1972
CREDITS
- dir
-
Raoul Walsh
- prod
-
Theodore Reed
- cam
-
Arthur Edeson, Kenneth Maclean, P.H. Whitman
- cast
-
Douglas Fairbanks, Snitz Edwards, Julanne Johnston, Anna May Wong, Charles Belcher, Sojin, Brandon Hurst
- source
-
The Bolton’s Trading Corp.
-
COMMENTS
Shown at Raoul Walsh tribute. Raoul Walsh in person.
OTHER
This tributary showing of Douglas Fairbanks’ classic swashbuckler—the epitome of an Arabian nights dream-film during the silent era—is also in honor of its director, Raoul Walsh. This is a film of Mr. Walsh’s youth, and perhaps he may look upon it as a quaint, innocent movie curio, but to today’s generation, The Thief of Baghdad still has its wonders. Unlike the 1940 remake, which was shown here last year, the Fairbanks film dwells more upon the romance of a beautiful princess and the dashing thief who reforms and tries to prove himself worthy of her love. Since Mr. Fairbanks was the symbol of heroic manhood in all of his films, one expects him to move athletically from one hazardous adventure to another. This includes evil spirits, fiery monsters and traversing a valley of infernos, but with great daring and good humor, he triumphs over all. The lavishness of the production is still very impressive and the incredible-looking villain, Sojin, is altogether as fascinating to behold as Fairbanks, and one mourns the fact that most of Sojin’s films are lost in nitrate dust. There is, too, Anna May Wong, slinking about in mock mischief (fortunately we do know that she made many films after this and often told of her enjoyment while making The Thief of Baghdad and sliding down that sweeping curtain and lunch time), and Julanne Johnston’s coy Princess is the only film legacy we have to show us the one hundred differing ways to exhibit purity and rapture in the best Ziegfeld tradition.
—Albert Johnson
FACTOID #273
In 2006 the Festival widened its scope, screening films at seven satellite venues throughout the city including an arts venue (Intersection for the Arts), a pub (Edinburgh Castle) and a fire station (San Francisco Fire Station #7).
