The Powell & Pressburger Pages Dedicated to the work of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and all the other people, both actors and technicians who helped them make those wonderful films. A lot of the documents have been sent to me or have come from other web sites. The name of the web site is given where known. If I have unintentionally included an image or document that is copyrighted or that I shouldn't have done then please email me and I'll remove it. I make no money from this site, it's purely for the love of the films. [Any comments are by me (Steve Crook) and other members of the email list]

The Thief of Bagdad
Capsule by Dave Kehr
From the Chicago Reader

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Alexander Korda's opulent Arabian Nights fantasy (1940) suffers from pallid performances and frequently succumbs to kitsch, but it still casts its fragile spell. The special effects--mostly a matter of matte painting and optical printing--may look quaint in their relative crudeness, but they have a naive enthusiasm and fancy mostly lacking in current techniques. The disjunctive visual style is a consequence of the three-man directorial team--Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan, and Michael Powell, the latter being the only genuine stylist in the lot. With Conrad Veidt, John Justin, June Duprez, and the ineluctable Sabu. 106 min.

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