Steve Reeves, as Karim, fights for his life in THE THIEF OF BAGHDAD
The baddie is uncredited but he's most likely to be a wrestler named Chignone. In this scene, the scary fellow is, at first, invisible. Karim figures it out and removes the "cloak" around him. Both are fighting on a bridge that's way above the seashore. I like this scene but as in so many other scenes of the era, it's all too brief.
This "Thief of Bagdad" is inferior to both the 1924 silent version with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and the 1940 Technicolor one.
ReplyDeleteThere is no very scary character in the 1961 version. The 1924 film had the (admittedly pretty racist "Yellow Peril") Mongols. Similarly, in the 1940 film there was the very sinister Conrad Veidt.
The cutest actress in any of the three versions was the teenage Anna May Wong as a Mongol slave girl in the 1924 silent.
I agree that the previous two versions of "The Thief of Baghdad" are better than this one in many ways, primarily due to much bigger budgets. But among Reeves filmography, it's still one of my favourites. It's a welcome break from the mediterranean settings of so many of his other films, as is the playful feel throughout the whole movie.
ReplyDeleteKarim's encounter with the invisible wrestler is probably my favourite moment in this film, as I always thought that the actor portraying the wrestler had a startling creepy ugliness, in the most positive sense of the word; a great character.
I wonder what Reeves own opinions on the film were.
I don't compare this film with the others. Totally different approach and different kettle of fish. Even the storyline is different. The Steve Reeves one is an adventure / quest inspired by the original tale. The others are different in this regard.
ReplyDeleteI agree with PEPLUM this movie is altogether different from the other 2 and the fact is it's a Steve Reeves Movie. This movie is a fun filled and very enjoyable Peplum with good special effects for 1960's and with the majority of the film being made on location. I'm still looking for a pristine copy even though I have very good transfer I made of this movie. Are there any out there??
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