The Thief of Bagdad

film by Walsh [1924]

Written by

Lee Pfeiffer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

The Thief of Bagdad, American silent swashbuckling film, released in 1924, that cemented Douglas Fairbanks’s reputation as a matinee idol.

(Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.)

To win the hand of the caliph of Bagdad’s daughter (played by Julanne Johnston), a thief (Fairbanks) embarks on a dangerous and mystical journey to secure the most desirable treasure imaginable. The film was a popular success, and Fairbanks made women swoon as one of the screen’s first superstars. Known for his dashing demeanour and incredible stunts, Fairbanks, who would also routinely contribute to the scripts of his films under the pseudonym Elton Thomas, actually created the story for this version of The Thief of Bagdad and included types of special effects and production design never previously seen by audiences; the film also featured Anna May Wong, one of the first Asian Americans to have a successful film career in Hollywood. The film was remade several times, of which the most notable is the 1940 British film directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, and Tim Whelan.