The first recording today is the Alexander Korda production of The Thief of Bagdad (co-directed by Michael Powell) which I remember watching as a young boy and enjoying a lot. And I still think it’s great fun.
The story concerns a blind beggar, and his dog, who’s brought to the palace because it’s said he has the magic power to wake a princess from a deep sleep. He tells his story to the women there.
He says he was once a King, and his dog was once a young thief in Baghdad.
The King’s Vizier is Jaffar. It’s interesting, as the film goes on, to see how much it must have influenced Disney’s Aladdin. Obviously they’re both based on the same material, but I’ll mention one or two other things that suggest to me that it was an influence on Disney’s version.
Jaffar keeps the King ignorant of the things done in his name, but when the King asks, he suggests that he go out in the night and talk to the people anonymously. He hears a man telling of a legend. “For there one day in the blue you shall see a boy, the lowest of the low, mounted upon a cloud. But the cloud shall be as strong as the hills beneath the snow, and from the ranges of the sky you shall destroy this tyrant with the arrow of justice.”
Jaffar has the King arrested, and tells his men to tell everyone he’s a madman when he says he’s the King. In prison, he meets the young thief Abu, which is quite useful as they’re both to be executed in the morning, and Abu has stolen the keys from his jailer.
Ahmed and Abu escape, and travel to Basra. Ahmed’s costume here looks more than a little like Aladdin’s.
The Sultan’s daughter arrives, and everyone is driven off the streets as nobody can look at her. Naturally, Ahmed hides and look, and is immediately smitten, and needs to see her again.
In the Sultan’s garden, her handmaidens see a face in the water and think it’s a genie. The Princess is curious, and goes to look. It’s Ahmed’s reflection, and he talks to the Princess. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not a genie.” “Who are you?” “Your slave.”
He drops down from the tree he’s hiding in. “Where have you come from?” “From the other side of time, to find you.” “How long have you been searching?” “Since time began.” “Now that you’ve found me, how long will you stay?” “Till the end of time. For me there can be no more beauty in the world, but yours.” “For me there can be no more pleasure in the world than to please you.” I think they’re hitting it off.
The evil Jaffar visits the Princess’s father, the Sultan. Now, he’s almost exactly the same as the Sultan in Aladdin. All he cares about his his collection of toys and machines.
Jaffar has brought a present for the Sultan. A mechanical horse which is brought in pieces, and assembled there.
When the Sultan mounts it a pulls the reins, it takes him flying around the city.
Jaffar will exchange the horse for the Sultan’s daughter. She she hears this, she disguises herself and flees the city, heading for Samarkand. But the guards find Ahmed and Abu in the garden waiting for her, and bring them before the Sultan and Jaffar. Ahmed recognises Jaffar and demands a sword to fight his enemy but Jaffer turns him blind, and turns Abu into a dog, cursing them to stay that way “until I hold her in my arms”.
And so the flashback ends, and the now blind Ahmed is told that the Princess in in the palace. “Your princess was captured by slave traders and sold here in our slave market. The richest merchant in the town bought her. But no sooner was she taken to his house than she fell into the strangest trance. She lives, but is as dead. No doctor can restore her. Night and day, she calls upon the genie of the poor.” “I was that genie.” “And you alone can bring her back to life.” She does indeed wake up when he comes to her.
Ahmed is told to hide, for his safety, and the Princess is told there’s a doctor who can cure his blindness, but when she’s taken there, it’s a ship, and she’s told to go on board, at which point the ship (under the command of Jaffar) sets sail. Abu the dog follows her on this ship. And when Jaffar finds Abu, he proves he’s completely evil by ordering Abu thrown overboard.
Jaffar tells the Princess that the moment he takes her in his arms, Ahmed will see again. So she reluctantly agrees. Yes, I know, maybe not all hugs.
Abu manages to swim to land before the curse is lifted, and he finds Ahmed, who is now adrift because he’s lost his love again.
They sail to find the ship the Princess is on, but Jaffar whips up a huge wind, and they are shipwrecked and separated. Meanwhile, Jaffar takes the Princess to her home in Basra and her father. Her father promises to protect her, but Jaffar shows him a new toy, the Silver Maid. “Does she do anything more?” “She can embrace you.” “But any of my wives will do that.” “Embrace. As no other woman ever has. Or ever will.” “Do you mean I might get rid of all my wives? Have a collection of these things.” Unfortunately for him, her embrace comes with a knife in the back, and the Sultan is killed.
Elsewhere, Abu comes across a bottle on a beach. He opens it, and a very large genie pops out. He’s not blue (although the film’s very early bluescreen process does give him a tinge) but you can definitely see the influence it had on Robin Williams’ genie in Aladdin.
The genie is a rather dangerous character, and almost kills Abu, until Abu tricks him into going back into the bottle. Only then does he offer the three wishes – this film is made in a world where the three wishes isn’t a universally understood thing.
Abu wants to find out where Ahmed is, so the genie takes him somewhere to steal the All Seeing Eye which will show him, in the head of a giant statue. The scale of these places is fabulous.
There’s a genuinely scary fight with a giant spider.
Abu gets the eye, and the genie takes him to where Ahmed is. Ahmed wants to see the princess, but when he does he sees she has a blue rose. “I’ve heard about that. That’s the blue rose of forgetfulness. If she inhales its fragrance she’ll forget… everything.” And she does, as they watch.
Ahmed gets very mopy. “Why did you give me this? Take it back and break it into a thousand pieces.” “I only stole it to help you.” “You stole it because you enjoy stealing.” “Without my stealing, you’d be dead.” “I wish I were dead. I wish I’d never seen you. I wish I were in Baghdad.” “I wish you were.” Oops. Schoolboy error from the lad Abu there, making a random wish without thinking about it. He regrets it as soon as Ahmed fades out of sight. Then the Genie tells him he’s had his three wishes, and leaves him stranded on the mountainside.
Looks like Jaffar’s rosehypnol has done the trick. “Everything of the past is forgotten. I have been in love with you. I am in love with you. I shall always love you.”
Ahmed appears in the palace, evades some guards, and sees the princess with Jaffar. He call out – “Jaffar!” which is odd, except this princess is never actually given a name, so he can’t actually call to her. The sound of his voice snaps her out of the forgetfulness.
There’s some surprisingly graphic swordfighting, quite unexpected in this film.
Ahmed can’t fight all the guards, and Jaffar has both of them chained up in prison, facing each other. They seem resigned to their fate. “We are together. And shall be for the rest of our lives. We shall never again know the torture of being apart. And if death is not the end, we shall go on together.”
Ahmed still has one regret. “Abu and I parted quarreling. I wish I could tell him I’m sorry. Abu, my friend, goodbye and forgive me.” Abu is watching them. “No, I won’t say goodbye. I’ll help. But how? How?”
Angry at his helplessness, he smashes the All Seeing Eye, which causes something of an earthquake, and he does a lot of spinning around, then finds himself somewhere else. as he enters the tent, he’s greeted as a Prince. They are in the Land of Legend. They tell him “We are the remnant of the Golden Age. Golden, because gold was nothing. No more than the sand beneath your feet or the stone that we became.” “How did you become stone?” “We were petrified with horror for the evil done among men, and they ceased to be children and to believe in the beauty of the impossible. Whenever the heart of a child returns to us and comes into us, we live again. And so, as that child, you ought to be my successor.”
He gives him the “two insignia of true Kingship” a quiver of arrows and a crossbow. “Aim this only at injustice and you cannot fail.” “Oh, no, father of kindness. I don’t want it. I don’t want to be a king. I only want to save my friend.” “Well, this will help you.”
“I do homage for you, our king, and all in our kingdom is yours. Except that carpet, which I keep for myself. For on that carpet, which flies when it is bidden, fly carpet, I shall go to paradise at the hour appointed.” Oh yeah, Abu is having that carpet.
Sure enough, Abu sneaks in, and prays to Allah. “I know you don’t much like stealing. I’ll never steal again. You can trust me just this once more, just this little carpet so as to get to Baghdad in time. When the old king’s hour comes, you won’t want a carpet to fly to paradise. Then you, oh Allah, will take him by the hand, gentle and kind as he is, and lead him into eternal place.” He’s so wholesome. And the old King is watching as he prays, and lets him go with the carpet.
He arrives in Baghdad as Ahmed’s execution is happening.
Again, this is quite violent.
Ahmed jumps on the carpet, as all the people in the square rise up, because a boy flying in is a prophecy that the great tyrant will be destroyed.
Ahmed and Abu arrive in time to stop Jaffar taking the princess with him on the magic horse. And Abu sees that Jaffar doesn’t escape either.
Ahmed is king again. “My people, I owe everything to Abu, and when he grows into a man, he shall be my grand vizier. He shall be sent to the best school in Baghdad, and all the wise men of the East shall teach him all the wisdom of the world. He shall be the wisest of men, and in those future days, when he will be full of knowledge, science, and dignity, he will be the shining example for the youths of Baghdad. And they may remember how the little thief became the dignified… Hey, Abu! Where are you going?”
“You’ve got what you wanted. Now, I’m going to find what I want.” “What’s that?” “Some fun, an adventure at last.”
What a fantastic film this is. And one that looks amazing for something made in 1940.
Media Centre Description: Oscar-winning fantasy, based on the fables of the Arabian Nights, about a cunning young thief who helps a prince regain his throne from a powerful magician. With the help of a devious genie, flying carpets and magical arrows, the thief helps the prince to win back his crown and rescue a beautiful princess.
Recorded from More 4 on Saturday 5th January 2008 13:23
After this, the recording ends with the start of Grand Designs Abroad.
The other recording today starts with an iPlayer promo with David Attenborough and a trail for Top of the Pops: The True Story.
Then, there’s a repeat of Lead Balloon – Lucky
Media Centre Description: Sitcom about ex-celebrity comedian Rick Spleen. Rick is sick of doing endless corporate gigs and accuses his writer Marty of lacking ambition, but a call from Hollywood changes everything. One of Mel’s clients is going through a divorce, Ben and Sam start their own dog-walking business and Michael the café manager has started going to ‘cuddle parties’.
Recorded from BBC FOUR on Saturday 5th January 2008 20:58
BBC Genome: BBC FOUR Saturday 5th January 2008 21:00
After this there’s the behind the scenes promo for Mad Men. Then the recording ends with a few minutes of a repeat of Stingray – The Reunion Party.
Here’s the ad breaks from The Thief of Bagdad.
Adverts:
- beatthatquote.com
- MFI
- trail: Dispatches: The Truth About Your Food
- Rankin on taking criticism
- trail: Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Just For Men
- Charlie Wilson’s War in cinemas
- Surf Small & Mighty
- MFI
- Sicko on DVD
- Abbey
- HSBC
- National Lottery
- Comet
- Lovefilm
- Volvo
- trail: The Trial of Tony Blair
- Sainsbury’s
- P.S. I Love You in cinemas
- rightmove.co.uk
- Sunday Telegraph
- Comet
- Renault Laguna
- L’Oreal Derma Genesis
- MFI
- Rosetta Stone
- Actimel
- trail: The Big Food Fight
- P&O Cruises
- Malta
- The Kite Runner in cinemas
- moneysupermarket.com
- Skoda Fabia
- Fixodent
- Activia
- parship.co.uk
- Sony Centre
- trail: Tonight on More 4
- trail: City of Vice
- Volvo
- Sicko on DVD
- Andrex
- Confused.com
- MBNA
- Lovefilm
- rightmove.co.uk
- Nicotinell
- HMRC Self Assessment
- Comet
- Actimel
- Dan In Real Life in cinemas
- Kwik Fit
- trail: The Trial of Tony Blair
- Richard O’Brien on his dress sense