Customer Reviews

Ali Baba And The 40 Thieves [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I liked this movie because it is a delightful dose of nostalgia which mingles musical comedy, swashbuckling antics, drama and belly dancing. The film was created in 1954 by the brilliant French director Jacques Becker, featuring the most famous and beloved French comic Fernandel and the lovely and incomparable Egyptian dancer Samia Gamal. This was France's response to the big technicolor epic films of that era. Becker filmed in Morocco where he employed thousands of extras to fill the screen in the big action scenes. Samia Gamal, a well known movie star in Cairo and the most famous Oriental dancer of her time could not speak French. However, she plays her part, which is a leading role, through dance and nonverbal communication. Note how she elegantly manipulates the veil which was inspired by the Russian ballerina, Ivanova who brought veil dancing to Oriental (belly) dance in Egypt in the 1940s. The playful Ali Baba tune which Fernandel sings while riding his funny little donkey will be running through your head for days. This is a real "great escape" film for when you want to escape from the real world and be charmed in the comfort of your own home.

THIS MOVIE IS WORTH OWNING; IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES..DOES NOT STEAL THE AMOUNT OF LAUGHTER AND FUN FROM THIS 1954 VERSION OF ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES. WORTH WATCHING,WORTH BUYING AND DEFINATELY WORTH KEEPING. VERY RARE MOVIE AND DOESN'T COME CHEAP IF YOU WANT TO BUY IT.

This movie was a delightful journey to the oasis of those uncomplicated 50s genre films with ingenuous hero and heroine, evil bad guys and the former triumphing over the latter. The main charachters Ali Baba, played by the charming French comic screen actor- Fernandel and Morgiane played by the winsome Samia Gamal are enchanting. Samia was the foremost Egyptian dancer of the 1950s and is simply a real cutie-pie, displaying the artistic true Egyptian roots of classical Oriental Dance in a couple of dance scenes througout the film. The background music features a mix of theatrical orchestra pieces which are perfectly suited to Gamal and her signature graceful, glamourous dance style and some fellahin (country-village style) inspired Egyptian music. The cinematography, story line and good triumphing over evil is just the right mix of light fantasy escapism we all could use right now to bring smiles to our faces and a bit of light laughter to our lives.