Thanks to Irfan for passing on the link to the full version of the 1924 silent film Thief of Bagdad. Despite the datedness of some of the special effects this film is actually quite good and an important addition to the Nights film corpus. Its scenery and sets are still at times unmatched in their opulence and detail and at times I feel like this film really kind of captures the "true" rogue nature of the "thief" much more than the remake and the Disney version which both insist on a sort of 'heart of gold' undertone with endings that suggest a reinstatement of political norms (Disney and the other Thief remake both end with the "thief" becoming the new political ruler).
Fairbanks' version never gives up the rogue element of the main character and has him and his "love" not becoming the new rulers of the kingdom but rather escaping on their carpet to who knows where.
Enjoy! It's only like three hours long!
And sorry, for some reason archive.org embedded videos overstretch my menu. This one has Spanish subtitles though.
You can download the whole thing (for a long plane ride?) and other goodies at: http://www.archive.org/details.php?identifier=ThiefOfBagdad1924
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