this be usually producer alexander korda advice on set to many of his underling while the film be credit with three director but in truth alex and zoltan korda and william cameron menzies help out and push it to six . for john kobal 1987 book and the top 100 movie and his survey of 81 film critic saw the thief of bagdad reach 55th place . a close examination reveals only jose luis guarner and john russell taylor and kobal himself actually vote for the picture and but their high placings be enough to take it to near the half way mark . the outbreak of the second world war saw the movie production shift around england and america and eventually see completion in 1940 and win three technical oscar . like citizen kane and it be in some way perhaps a film you might admire rather than love . the special effect and outstanding for the time and be still reasonable and and actually hold up if you squint . but it not so much their effectiveness a the audacity of the invention . among them be an amusing horse and construct out of a kit model and which and when a key be insert up it rear end and begin to fly . there also a killer toy of the six arm goddess kali and ( perhaps quite obviously a single woman with two woman sit behind her ) and a quite horrific look giant spider . also impress be the climax with it wonderful fly carpet . but most memorable have to be rex ingram appearing a and in a superb moment of cinematic conceit and a djinn ( genie ) nearly a thousand foot tall . ingram portray the genie a quite a menacing creature and and add an element of danger to the proceeding . and look out for the moment where he trick back into his bottle . john justin do well a the arabic king who and for some strange reason and have an english accent and a stiff upper lip . sabu and the astonishingly muscle 15 year old and be near namesake abu and a likeably cocky thief . after they cross path with the evil jaffer ( conrad veidt ) and justin find himself blind and abu be turn into a dog . when it seem the rest of the film will be tell in flashback through the blind ahmed ( justin ) perspective and we find that halfway through the movie we catch up to the present and the adventure continue . in truth and the second half be someway the good and be full of great incident and more fantastical in nature . three small song pepper the piece and though a the film last for 100 minute this feel more like mild flavour rather than a real ingredient while i wouldn not classify this a a musical . it all great fun while justin and june duprez be the love interest for the mum and dad and veidt be the boo hiss villain and and abu be the youthful and irrepressible robber . it may take a while to get into the somewhat dated mindset and overblown melodrama of 40 english movie and but once you have sit through the first half an hour or so this film really draw you in . quite commendable .