STATE THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 October 1941, Page 8

STATE THEATRE

“THIEF OF BAGDAD.” “The Thief of Bagdad,” which will be shown tonight is a brilliant fantasy in the spirit of the Arabian Nights. The use of technicolour, which brings out the full beauty of lavish eastern settings is little short of a stroke of genius. The film is a fascinating one, as much for the splendour and novelty of its settings as for the weird and magical situations unfolded in its plot. The scene is in old Bagdad—with the grandson of the great Haroun al Raschid on the throne of Persia. The sun of the Golden Age is nearing its setting, however, and djinns and black magic are sufficiently rare' for their manifestation to be regarded as a little unusual. The tale is that of the young king, who ousted from his throne by a trick played by his vizier Jaffar, enlists the services of a little thief to win his. throne, the most beautiful princess in Persia and presumably his life-long happiness. It is a duel between the black magic of Jaffar and an interesting team headed by a djinn several hundred feet high, a magic carpet, a Bone of Justice, an all-seeing eye, and Sabu. The little Indian youngster is the star of the show, though he is probably outshone by the evil genius of the film Jaffar (played by Conrad Veidt). Jolm Justin is a most convincing exiled king, and as the object of his search June Duprez leaves little to be desired. Rex Ingram plays his biggest part to date as the djinn, and makes a great success of it. The picture will open its season tonight and will be shown tomorrow at 10.30 a.m., 2.15 p.m. and 8 p.m.