Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Nice effects though.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

I didnt like it. Fairbanks crazy, over acting, also his age isnt right for that movie. He showed us why he will still the food from balcony. Rubed his tummy and he was smelling non- stop very bad over acting. He suppos to be clever thief but he stills peoples money bags in the day time, in the bazaar and he is not very good at it, cause they caught him. I dont know what is good in this movie i saw much better silent movies.

(Flash Review)This was an epic and entertaining adventure story with impressively creative and massive sets, especially for the era. The protagonist is in fact a brash and clever thief stealing from people in Bagdad. He uses many athletic methods for his thievery, many of which use unique filming effects. The thief later ups the ante and his goals as he changes his quest for material goods to winning over a real princess. However, she has many suiters and the princess's father has a quest for them all. The challenge is for each of them to bring back the rarest 'treasure' they can find over "seven moons"; I guess that means seven days. Will his thieving skills aid him in locating the rarest treasure and the hand of the princess? This was a really fun and amusing quest to watch play out. Fun sets and creative beasts will cross his path. Accompanied by appropriate music and striking cinematography create nice overall effect. This film is still impressive today and fun to see what they could do back then and also to see how Sci-fi adventure romps from the 50's feel a lot like this!

The thief of Bagdad can easily be one of the most enjoyable and easy silent movies that I have seen. Not once have i been tempted to make a pause or to improvise a dub on the characters using funny voices (..okay i did do it a couple of times). Apart of the central 20 minutes the whole movie is quite fast-paced filled with gags, amazing costumes and stunning scenarios.Douglas Fairbanks is just THE actor for this kind of movie. Flamboyant, athletic, awesome smile typical of an overconfident reckless man who knows he is smarter than average.. he is the perfect hero for this story. The special effects used are admirable for the time. You just keep wondering how the hell did they do that in 1924, the genius behind some of the cinematography is praiseworthy, just look at the underwater scenes (this part was very exciting for me, CGI just took the fun out of guessing how did they do this or that effect). The costumes are quite funky, which was new for me to see in these kind of movies. Seriously, the costumes are so cool, everyone looks ready for their Saturday night disco or ninja parade. And the scenography.. seeing the underwater city and the city of Baghdad during the golden age just made me want to get a time machine and go see it myself. On the other side of the coin, the film drowns in orientalist commonplace stereotypes. The ancient arabic centre of culture is represented with the typical magical-dreamy architecture which is quintessential in orientalist productions (for the record, orientalism = western representation of eastern cultures) and the parallels with Disney's Aladdin come very easy for the young viewer. The Mongols are represented as a sort of mash-up between opium-café thugs from imperial china, and weird Japanese ninja-samurai, not exactly the mongols that you would expect given their nomad history etc..One special mention goes to the christianization of Islam. The one guy which role is to be a spiritual guide to the thief doesn't fail to show how good things and happiness must be earned through hard-work and sacrifice; in doing so he shapes the perfect Christian American citizen, a man now adverse to cheating and shortcuts, ready to pursue his American Dream by undertaking a near-impossible quest to get the princess of his dreams, showing that purity and determination will get him his happiness! GO American WAY! But in the end, is it a bad thing? Does orientalism offend the history of the middle east? Maybe nowadays it would, but what would the Hollywood people know in 1924 of how did the mongols look like, or whether golden-age Bagdad had penis-shaped towers or not. Besides, this version of Arabia is the coolest and most creative one I've seen, even for today's standards. Recommend 10/10!

Citizens of Bagdad! Be wary of one who steals indiscriminately from rich and poor with complete impiety! He has no known name, but can be recognized by his shameless hoop earrings, spit curl worn under silken head scarf, and maniacal although soundless laughter while successfully carrying out his deeds of shame! He also cherishes untoward designs on the Princess of our very city!The most revered cinematic version "Thief Of Bagdad" may have come almost 20 years later, but this silent Douglas Fairbanks actioner bows to no film in creating fantastic adventure. If you like silent films, this is a must-see. If you want a case study for how Hollywood got it right early blending special effects, stunt work, and ample good humor, this is a "Thief" worth catching.Bagdad here is not exactly the Baghdad we know today. It is a "dream city of the ancient East," where Caucasians, Asians, Indians and blacks co-exist in a melting pot of simmering social and political intrigue. Swanky Doug is the title character, living his amoral life on his own terms, his only companion a snickering "bird of evil" played indelibly by Snitz Edwards."What I want - I take!" he tells a shocked gathering inside a mosque.This in-your-face turpitude would be hard to countenance if it were not for Fairbanks' ample charm and his unparalleled dash. Has any actor since given off the same sense of being able to do anything on screen?Okay, not everything. He's not one for subtlety, a casualty of silent cinema. When he's hungry, he rubs his stomach. When he laughs, he throws his head back and teeters on his heels. When he falls in love with the Princess (Julanne Johnston), he clasps his hands to his heart and bats his eyes like Clara Bow.But Fairbanks is so much fun I really don't care. He transforms a humongous spectacle flick into an intimate personal-growth saga, while making you believe in the possibility of flying horses and magic ropes. "Allah hath made thy soul to yearn for happiness, but thou must earn it," he is told, and once we allow for the conventions and limits of silent film, we come a good deal closer to earning it ourselves.The direction by Raoul Walsh is sturdy enough, supported by stunning sets by William Cameron Menzies. You know you are looking at sets, but they are so engagingly rendered (the palace gates open like a four-jawed mouth, a mountain pass is straddled by flames) you don't mind.In fact, the artificiality of the sets, along with the imaginative if primitive special effects, lend "Thief" a kind of allure all its own. It's like a fantasia version of "The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari."The film also showcases some thrilling performances. Many here point out Anna Mae Wong's turn as a sinister lady-in-waiting, but Winter Blossom and Etta Lee are just as terrific and fetching as two more loyal servants. Sôjin creates a star villain as the Mongol Prince with designs on Bagdad, playing his part with the right blend of menace and wit. "How tragic, O Prince, if you had been killed and an end put to your illustrious family," he tells a posing Thief in a moment that still delivers the right amount of chills. And Snitz is a jewel, as always.But it all comes down to Fairbanks, as it should, a master performer even when he plays to the cheapest seats and the highest dirigibles. As his own writer and producer, he can't get enough of himself, but neither can I, nor will you after watching him a-swiping and a-leaping his way into Hollywood immortality.