Thursday, November 26, 2015

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944)

Director: Arthur Lubin

Writer: Edmund L. Hartmann

Composer: Edward Ward

Starring: Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Turhan Bey, Andy Devine, Kurt Katch, Frank Puglia, Fortunia Bonanova, Moroni Olsen, Ramsay Ames, Scotty Beckett

More info: IMDb

Tagline: BOOTY... prize of a king... slave of a rogue!

Plot: A boy prince, raised by forty thieves, takes revenge on the Mongol invaders who murdered his father and stole his kingdom.



My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again?  Nah.

HOKEY SMOKES!  It wasn't until I sat down to write this up that I saw and recognized Scotty Beckett's name.  He played the young Ali Baba here but I know him better as Scotty from the early to mid-30s OUR GANG series.  I loved that kid in those.  9 years later and I didn't even recognize the little guy.  Back to this movie...it's not too shabby.  The acting is mediocre and melodramatic, the sword fighting is average and the film feels much longer than the 87 minutes allow for but the score is rousing, the sets are costume adventure fun and the Technicolor is awesome.  It's got moments of fun adventure but the romance angle takes its toll.  Kids (and kids at heart) don't want that icky stuff interrupting our adventure pictures.  The 6 year old in 1942 would've dug it more than the 2015 46 year old did but that's where the appeal for this picture lies.  The Universal DVD has a great looking print but it also offers not one single extra. 








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