A recalcitrant thief vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess.
| Tagline | "Happiness Must Be Earned" |
| Release Date: | Mar 18, 1924 |
| Genres: | Romance, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Production Company: | Douglas Fairbanks Pictures |
| Production Countries: | United States of America |
| Casts: | Douglas Fairbanks, Snitz Edwards, Charles Belcher, Julanne Johnston, Sôjin Kamiyama, Anna May Wong, Brandon Hurst, Tote Du Crow, Noble Johnson, Sam Baker, Laska Winter |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $1135654 |
| Revenue: | 1490419 |
This just goes to show - almost a century after it was made, that quality has longevity. The recently restored version of Raoul Walsh's fabulously lavish adaptation of the Arabian Nights fantasy was scored by the hugely imaginative Carl Davis (at times based around some really suitable Rimsky-Korsakov themes) featuring a charmingly athletic Douglas Fairbanks as the eponymous character who thrives as a petty thief. Soon, though, he espies the beautiful daughter of the Caliph (Julanne Johnston) who is to be married. He decides to impersonate a prince and become one of her suitors - without bargaining on the evil Mongol Prince who has designs on both the Princess and the throne of Baghdad itself. It is amazing how effortlessly the film still holds the attention - with only a minimal use of text boards - and the more you watch, the more delicate and clever the performances become. There is no script to moan about; just a hugely creative perception of the original fables - it is just a wonderful piece of imagination set to pictures and music that is a real must watch.
