Various (director)
Network On Air (studio)
U (certificate)
106min (length)
26 January 2015 (released)
27 January 2015
This multiple Oscar-winning fantasy extravaganza delivers magical touches in spades! A stellar cast including John Justin, Conrad Veidt and Sabu make for an outstanding spectacle that will delight young and old alike!
With no less than three directors (Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan) aboard this magic carpet of a movie we can hardly go wrong.
Told in flashback style, the story concerns the benevolent but somewhat gauche King Ahmad (John Justin) who is tricked by his evil and scheming Grand Vizier, Jaffar (Conrad Veidt) into exploring the city disguised as a poor man in order to get to know his people. Low and behold, no sooner has Ahmad set foot among his subjects when Jaffar has him arrested on some trumped up charge and thrown into a dark dungeon. Jaffar now rules supreme whilst our hero languishes in a rotten cell… but not for long! Help is at hand in the shape of the streetwise and irrepressible Abu (Sabu), a young thief who just happens to be a master of survival. With the help of Abu, who has already pocketed the jailor’s key they are soon free to embark on a series of intriguing adventures!
In the streets of Basra, both Ahmad and Abu witness a majestic procession: seated in an ornate sedan chair on top of an elephant is the beautiful Princess (June Duprez) and for Ahmad it is love at first sight! The wily Abu is able to get his companion into the princess’ private garden and within minutes she too is smitten, but things are not destined to run a smooth course. Our baddie Jaffar lurks just around the corner and he too has fallen in love with the Princess. The possessor of magical powers he will do everything he can to thwart the blossoming romance between Ahmad and the royal beauty. In an instant he strikes Ahmed blind and turns Abu into a dog! However, the adventures are only just beginning before the obligatory happy ending (well, it’s a fairy tale is it not). We encounter a flying mechanical horse, a grumpy Djinn (Rex Ingram), a wacky Sultan (Miles Malleson), the many-armed Silver Maid (Mary Morris), a gigantic spider, and of course – how could I forget - a magic carpet…
The sets and costumes, as you would expect, are a veritable feast for the eye, and the splendid photography by George Perinal, for which he won an award, is a further bonus. By nowadays standards the special effects are not exactly breath-taking, but bearing in mind the film was made in 1940…
One can hardly go wrong with the choice of villain, in this case the ever-reliable veteran actor Conrad Veidt (who could do more with raising one eyebrow than others, like Bela Lugosi, could in an entire film). Our handsome leading man John Justin (look at him in Schalcken The Painter 39 years later and weep) makes for a dashing and sympathetic hero, whilst we simply cannot help to love the cheeky Sabu (who died tragically young) in the role of Abu the thief. Female acting laurels tend to go more towards Mary Morris (in a dual role as Jaffar’s agent Halima and also the Silver Maid) rather than June Duprez’ pretty but lacklustre Princess.
The witty script is supplied by quirky old-stager Miles Malleson (the Sultan of Basra).
As for the score, Hungarian-born composer Miklós Rózsa (The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes, Ben Hur, The Killers etc. etc.) has once again done a terrific job!
This Blu-ray release (part of the ‘British Film Collection’) features the film (produced by Alexander Korda) in a HD transfer and with the following Special Features:
• Original trailer
• Image galleries
• Instant play facility
