The Thief of Bagdad

Douglas Fairbanks, the first action hero, stars in The Thief of Bagdad (1924), a lavish adaptation of the Arabian adventure fantasy A Thousand and One Nights that was directed by Raoul Walsh from a script by Fairbanks. In one of the grandest and most glorious spectacles of the silent era, Fairbanks swaggers through massive marketplace sets and cavernous throne rooms, playing an incorrigible thief and pickpocket who scales towering castle walls (with the help of a magical rope) and leads palace guards on a merry chase through crowded bazaars until he falls in love with a beautiful princess (Julanne Johnston) and vows to win her heart. And that's just the first act! Racing against three kings to retrieve the rarest treasures known to man, the lovesick robber dashes through fiery caverns, battles a smoke-belching dragon, dives for underwater treasure guarded by a spider, rides a flying horse, and creates an army out of nothingness with a special powder. Toss in a magic-carpet ride, a crystal ball, and storybook sets (gorgeously designed by William Cameron Menzies to epic scale), and the result is a classic that may show its age but will never lose its sense of wonder. Throughout, Fairbanks commands the screen with a hearty laugh, graceful athleticism, and jaunty joie de vivre. Looking superb on DVD and Blu-ray, this 2K-mastered edition features color tints and an orchestral score composed and conducted by Carl Davis. Extras include audio commentary by film historian Jeffrey Vance, and a behind-the-scenes featurette. An iconic film of the silent era, this is highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)