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The Thief of Baghdad – Colosseo-Film (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/France, 1961
Director: Arthur Lubin
Writers: Augusto Frassinetti, Filippo Sanjust, Bruno Vailati
Cast: Steve Reeves, Giorgia Moll, Arturo Dominici, Edy Vessel, Daniele Vargas, Antonio Battistella, Fanfulla, Giancarlo Zarfati, Gina Mascetti

Release Date: December 6th, 2019
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 3 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: FSK 6 (Germany)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono German
Subtitles: Italian, German
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: 14,99 EUR

"Karim is a handsome thief who specializes in robbing the rich in Baghdad to give small gifts to the poor. With the help of disguise, wit and acrobatics, he invades the Sultan's palace at a festival, where he falls in love with Princess Amina. The power-hungry suitor for her hand, Prince Osman, tries to win her over with a magic potion, after which she falls into a deep sleep. A sorcerer sends Karim in search of the "blue rose" that Amina can resurrect. After battles against snake trees, an invisible giant, a beautiful witch and other adventures, he rides into the Temple of the "Blue Rose" on a flying horse..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

The Thief of Baghdad comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.5 GB

Feature: 21.1 GB

Though no information is provided about this transfer source, it is in great shape, and print debris has been cleaned up. Colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is good. Also, there are a few minor instances where the quality of the source drops; these are transition shots.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and a DTS-HD mono mix in German. For this review, I only listened to the English-language track. This track is in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented. Included are removable German and Italian subtitles. It should be noted that when watching the English-language track, there is some dialog that is in Italian, and these moments come with removable English subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (43 images - posters/lobby cards/stills), an interview with Steve Reeves stunt double Giovanni Cianfriglia (7 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable German subtitles), and reversible cover art.

Summary:

Directed by Arthur Lubin, who is most known for The Phantom of the Opera (1943) and directing six Francis the Talking Mule films. Notable collaborators on The Thief of Baghdad include cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli (Once Upon a Time in America), art director Flavio Mogherini (The Pyjama Girl Case), and composer Carlo Rustichelli (Blood and Black Lace).

The narrative revolves around Karim, a Robin Hood-like thief who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. One day he crosses paths with a princess while impersonating a prince, and when she falls in love with him, the real prince gives her a potion that puts her in a deep sleep. Her fate lies in the hands of the blue rose, which will reverse the potion's spell.

Though a film like The Thief of Baghdad falls into what is referred to as peplums, It is one of this genre's many subgenres of Italian-made films that feature mythical or biblical characters, and some are loosely based on Italian history. That said, a film like Thief of Bagdad falls into the Babylon/Middle East subgenre of peplum.

Over the course of ten years, Steve Reeves made sixteen films in Italy. And though all but two of these films fall into one of the many peplum subgenres, Most of his films cast him in the role of a hero who used his physical attributes. In a film like The Thief of Bagdad, it is one of the few times where he relies mostly on his acting since he has only a few moments where he uses his brawn. That said, performance-wise, he does a very good job capturing the essence of Karim’s mischievous behavior.

The Thief of Bagdad is an Arabian Nights-themed film that throws in some Ray Harryhausen-like special effects for good measure. The well-executed narrative is briskly paced, and though humor plays a role throughout, that is not to say that there is not ample action. The first fifty minutes are more lighthearted than the last forty minutes, in which the fantasy elements go into overdrive as Karim's quest for the blue rose takes him on a wondrous journey. Some things he would encounter include deadly trees that use their branches to kill, women who turn into stone, and a horse that flies. Ultimately, The Thief of Bagdad is a whimsical tale that does a fantastic job mixing action, fantasy, and humor.

The Thief of Baghdad gets a strong audio audio/video presentation from Colosseo-Film, recommended.