I was even surprised a bit myself that the magic was still there when watching it the other day - even though I saw the wires, the painted backdrops and the miniatures some of which were very advanced and unusual for the 40s.
It's still a beloved fairy tale, the colors are still fresh, the details wonderful and the love story classic.
And of course there is the jinn. We all know one wish always goes wrong.
Abu has stolen the magic eye from a temple and Ahmad, the king of Bagdad who not only lost his kingdom to the villain Jaffar, but is about to lose the love of his life to him as well, uses it to look at his beautiful princess and has to watch how she smells the blue rose which makes her forget him.
Ahmad: I can't look anymore. There are worse things than blindness. Knowledge can be more terrible than ignorance if one can do nothing. Nothing ... Why did you give me this? Take it back and break it into a thousand pieces.
Abu: I only stole it to help you.
Ahmad: You stole it because you enjoy stealing.
Abu: Without my stealing you'd be dead.
Ahmad: I wish I were dead. I wish I'd never seen you. I wish ... I wish I were in Bagdad.
Abu: I wish you were.
Ahmad disappears.
Abu: Ahmad! Ahmad! Ahmad! Ahmad! Ahmad! Ahmad! Where are you?
Jinn: Where you wished him, on his way to Bagdad.
Abu: Then take me out of this place! Don't you hear? I want to get out!
Jinn: You stay where you are. You're a clever little man, little master of the universe, but mortals are weak and frail. If their stomach speaks, they forget their brain. If their brain speaks, they forget their hearts. And if their hearts speak ... *laughs* ... if their hearts speak, they forget everything!
Abu: Am I not your master?
Jinn: No longer. You had your three wishes. Now I'm free. Free!
The Thief of Bagdad, UK, 1940
No comments:
Post a Comment