| The Thief of Bagdad | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Thief_Of_Bagdad_(1940).jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Powell Ludwig Berger Tim Whelan |
| Written by | Lajos Bíró Miles Malleson |
| Produced by | Alexander Korda |
| Starring | Conrad Veidt Sabu June Duprez John Justin Rex Ingram Mary Morris |
| Cinematography | George Perinal |
| Edited by | Charles Crichton |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,750,000[1] |
| Box office | over $1 million (US/Canada)[2] 5,134,653 admissions (France, 1946)[3] |
The Thief of Bagdad is a 1940 British Technicolor historical fantasy film, produced by Alexander Korda and directed by Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger and Tim Whelan, with additional contributions by William Cameron Menzies and Korda brothers Vincent and Zoltán. The film stars Indian-born teen actor Sabu, Conrad Veidt, John Justin, and June Duprez. It was released in the US and the UK by United Artists.
Although produced by Alexander Korda's company London Films in London, the film was completed in California due to the outbreak of World War II.
Georges Périnal, credited as George Perinal, won the Academy Award for Cinematography, Vincent Korda for Art Direction, and Lawrence W. Butler and Jack Whitney for Special Effects[4] (marking the first use of the "manual bluescreen technique"[5]). Miklós Rózsa was also nominated for Original Music Score, a first for a British film at the Academy Awards.[6]
Although this production is a remake of the 1924 version, the two films have differences, the most significant being that the thief and the prince are separate characters in this version. The screenplay is by Lajos Biro and Miles Malleson, who also appears in the film as the Princess's father, the Sultan of Basra.
- ^ "UA Meeting". Variety. 20 November 1940. p. 20.
- ^ Balio, Tino (2009). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-23004-3. p172
- ^ French box office of 1946 at Box Office Story
- ^ "The 13th Academy Awards (1941) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
- ^ Mark Fischetti (1 February 2008). "Working Knowledge: Blue Screens—Leap of Faith". Scientific American.
- ^ "NY Times: The Thief of Bagdad". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2008.