Watch The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection Online
Dimanche, mai 9th, 2010 |
Watch The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection Online.
Movie Title: The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection |
Yep that’s right, I own both the MGM and now the Criterion versions of, The Thief Of Bagdad, and after comparing the opening sequence (with the boats and the cityscape), the scene where the blind man is telling his story so far, to the harem girls (where there’s slight blurring in the long shots as well as a slight over enhancement shimmer on the blind man’s face) and the registration problem area (where Sabu meets the spider in the temple) the print used is exactly the same one, as both versions have the exact same problems in exactly the same areas.
Buy,Download, Or Stream The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection! Click Here
As for the purported colour saturation differences between the two discs, from my close scrutiny of the movies, I’d have to say that there isn’t any difference at all.
The reds look over saturated to the point where the Grand Vizier’s turban bleeds slightly, the blues are sky blue bright, and the skin tones are coppery, which is true to the skin tones of the people populating this movie.
Buy,Download, Or Stream The Thief of Bagdad - Criterion Collection! Click Here
The real question now should be, why Criterion chose to release this film as is, without attempting to do any restoration?
I had thought that the reason for the exuberant prices of Criterion DVDs was because we where suppose to be getting the best possible prints of films, but in this case, we’re giving the same print with some extras, and expected to pay 3 times the price of the MGM disc.
Also of note, the chapter selection is better on the MGM disc as there are pictures with the captions, where as the Criterion chapter select, is text only (something Anchor Bay did away with years ago, because it was too confusing, i.e. the Evil Dead DVD, “Evil dead attack”, um, which evil dead attack, there are several, so the description is useless).
So, as far as I’m concerned, the choice as to whether to get the Criterion edition rests with whether you want the extras and not with the picture quality.
So if you have the MGM DVD and aren’t interested in shelling out more cash for a couple of extras (which I didn’t find all that spectacular; no feature length making of to be had on this disc) then skip it, but if you don’t own the out of print MGM disc, want the extras, or (like me) are a completes, then pick this up, just don’t expect an upgraded print.
Hope this helps.
Note: both DVD’s where viewed on a 27″ JVC higher end (but not progressive scan enhanced) tube TV with a year old model, Sony DVD player, with the TV colour, contrast, sharpness, etc., set up using the THX optimizer from the, “Cars”, DVD.
Few classic films demands or can benefit more from transfer to DVD than Alexander Korda’s magnificent THE THIEF OF BAGDAD. At a time when British cinema lagged desperately behind Hollywood in technical proficiency, Korda was nothing short of a miracle worker. Although lacking the resources that Hollywood had to offer, Korda was able to produce a movie that stood up to the best of Hollywood in beauty, creativity, color, and fantasy. Two of the greatest fantasy films ever made appeared in 1939 and 1940: THE WIZARD OF OZ and THE THIEF OF BAGDAD.
There are two reasons that THE THIEF OF BAGDAD is a great film and has stood the test of time. The first is the tremendous art direction. The movie is a function of Korda’s vision. French auteur criticism holds that the “author” of a film is the director, but this is clearly an exception to that. Korda, the producer, was the creative force behind this film, and, in fact, employed as many as a half dozen directors during the course of making the film. One of the uncredited directors and one of the credited art directors was the great William Cameron Menzies, regarded as one of the giants in art design in film history. Even today, this is a gorgeous film to look at, and in an age when computers can create absolutely anything on the screen, it is delightful to watch a film in which others managed to achieve magic working with considerably less than we possess.
The second reason that this film succeeds so marvelously is the cast. Ironically, the ostensible lead in the film is remarkably forgettable. But several of the other performances are quite unforgettable. Conrad Veidt is magnificently ominous and devious as Jaffar in what is probably one of his three most memorable roles (the others being his performance as the Somnambulist in the German Expressionist classic THE CABINENT OF DR. CALIGARI and his famous turn as Rick’s nemesis Maj. Strasser in CASABLANCA). He is so fine in his role that it is hard to imagine anyone else being better. Sabu, who plays Abu, enjoyed one of the more unusual film careers in Hollywood history (to which he returned after returning from WW II as a highly decorated war hero), and this is possibly his finest film. But apart from Veidt, my favorite performer is the great Rex Ingram’s memorable performance as the genie. In an era in which it was virtually impossible to have a film career as an African-American while refusing to compromise one’s dignity by playing subservient roles, Rex Ingram was perhaps the great exception. While other black actors forged careers playing servants and red caps and cooks and various other undignified roles, Ingram always managed to stand out as a proud, self-respectful individual. After Paul Robeson and before Sidney Portier, Ingram was perhaps the finest black actor in Hollywood. He managed always in his films to project great intelligence, pride, and self-possession. In many roles, he was more than a little imposing, and that comes out in his portrayal as the Genie. Yes, Abu outwits him and extracts a promise for three wishes, but he clearly is not a safe, tame genie. Even while doing Abu’s bidding, he radiates danger. Had Ingram’s career spanned the decades at the end of the 20th century instead of those in the middle, he would have been recognized as a truly massive talent. Today he would have been a major star, something that simply wasn’t possible in 1940.
This is a must-see film for anyone who loves great cinematic fantasy, adventure, or British film. It is also one of those rare films that can be enjoyed as much by small children as by adults.
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