Product Details

• Actors: Roddy McDowall, Kabir Bedi, Peter Ustinov, Frank Finlay, Pavla Ustinov
• Directors: Clive Donner
• Region: All Regions
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Studio: East West Entertainment
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000KLVFC6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #236,271 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

The cover art might be animated but this film is not it's the 1978 live action film THIEF OF BAGHDAD a wild adventure with a Genie, a prince, beautiful maidens, a happy go lucky thief and lots of magic and with an all-star cast of Roddy McDowall, Kabir Bedi, Peter Ustinov, Terence Stamp and much more. A resourceful thief (McDowall) helps a handsome prince (Bedi) fight an evil wizard (Frank Finlay) and win the hand of a beautiful princess played by the lovely Pavla Ustinov and her real life dad Peter plays her father The Caliph. Great fun for the whole family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best of the family of films with this title, February 28, 2001

By 

"[e-mail]" (Greenville, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Thief of Baghdad [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The 1978 version of The Thief of Baghdad is probably the best of the family of films under this title. Unlike the Sabu (1940s) and Reeves (1960s) versions, this film takes a fairly serious attitude to the story. A made-for-television movie, this film has fairly good special effects for its era. The flying carpet and genie scenes convey the excitement of the quest to find the All-seeing Eye and rescue the Princess Jasmine from the evil Vizier. Roddy McDowell's rendition of the amiable thief/street magician, Hasan is pleasant relief without the slapstick found in earlier versions of the film. The test of the Temple of Truth and the final scene in which Prince Taj smashes the Vizier's soul (found hidden in a giant egg) is a combination of The Arabian Nights and European folklore. Great stuff! I enjoyed watching this film as much now as I did back in 1978.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent film; impoverished presentation, June 19, 2008

By 

R. C. Walker "catu11us" (Encinitas CA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thief of Bagdad (DVD)

Boasting an all-star cast (Roddy McDowell, Peter Ustinov, Terence Stamp, Kabir Bedi; Ian Holm in a minor role), this version of the classic tale is also blessed with a find script. Unfortunately the presentation lacks the chutzpa to do the material justice. The special effects are dated, but that we can accept, since they're pretty good for the time. However, the focus on the DVD is on the fuzzy size, while the color is dull and somewhat faded. While this film was originally made for TV in a time when TV presentations were 1.33:1, it was also filmed for theaters in an aspect of 1.85:1. The version on this DVD is therefore mutilated, alas. There seems to be some confusion as to timing. I can assure you-all that it is the original 102 minutes. The confusion arises because the film is inexplicably divided into 2 parts. At 52:15, there is a tiny pause, and a new timing appears for the 2nd half (39:26). I've played the DVD; any other timing listed is wrong.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good classic for the collection..., October 29, 2000

By 

Super Styles - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thief of Baghdad [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is an excellent addition to any film buffs collection. Although it cant compare to the first and original piece, it combines extraordinary film techniques and backgrounds, (especially for its time) And shows an arabian adventure for the ages.