Fantasy film, released in
1940. Directed by
Ludwig Berger,
Alexander Korda,
Zoltan Korda,
William Cameron Menzies,
Michael Powell, and
Tim Whelan. Yes, it really had that many
directors, partly because they had to stop filming during
World War II and finish up afterwards. Starred
Sabu as the cunning
thief Abu,
Conrad Veidt as the evil
sorceror Jaffar, and
Rex Ingram as the gigantic
djinn.
The
plot is lightweight but
sturdy enough: Jaffar covets the
kingdom and the beautiful
princess, so he kills the
sultan and runs off the
handsome prince, who goes into hiding and teams up with Abu to
save the day and make everything right. Along the way, they run into a
flying carpet, a
clockwork flying horse, and a powerful
djinn who reluctantly grants Abu
three wishes, grumbling, "
To hear is to obey, little master of the universe." The
special effects were
stunning when the film was released, and they still hold up pretty well today. It's a
beautiful movie--
gorgeous photography, damn good
acting (especially from the previously-unknown Sabu), exciting effects,
magic dripping off the screen. If you can find this movie,
rent it,
buy it, or
steal it--watching it is worth the
money/
jail time.
Some research from the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com)