Le Voleur de Bagdad

Few movies appeal to both adults and children.This one does .Although there are three directors,it is most likely Michael Powell who's the brains here,his later work proves it in a definite way.There are already the incredible color search and the fabulous settings which will emerge again in such works as "a matter of life or death"(1946).Magic is everywhere and there are plenty of visual strokes of inspiration :every picture is magic itself.The script writers adapt stories from the Thousand and one Nights but make them their own .The special effects ,although absolutely extraordinary for 1940,remain tasteful ,which is not often the case today when they mainly serve to hide the weakness of the screenplays.

Conrad Veidt is a delightful villain,who might have inspired Walt Disney for "Aladdin" .June Deprez,whose talent is essentially decorative ,will play the part of Vera Claythorne in "and then there were none" (René Clair,1945).Sabu is certainly one of the best young actors of the era. John Justin is the perfect virtuous hero.

Compares favorably to Jean Cocteau's "la Belle et la Bête" (1945).

Remake by Arthur Lubin with muscle man Steve Reeves in 1961:although it's a far cry from this version,it's not bad .