Bagdad (1949)

Thanks for the memories!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Bagdad is a Hollywood B movie from the 1940's that was given an unusually generous budget which covered its production in Technicolor as well as the services of three actors already recognised as stars, Vincent Price, Maureen O'Hara and John Sutton. This presumably indicates the Studio bosses who approved production felt they had a better than average script, capable of generating a very successful movie. More realistically, the script was the turkey that prevented real success and with less generous budgetary decisions it would have sunk without trace within a few months of its release.Four extant IMDb User Comments on this film point out that Maureen O'Hara did not look like a Turkish Princess, an Arabian, an Iraqi, or a Bedouin Arab. These commentators were right in all four cases, she looked like the pale skin, redheaded Caucasian beauty she actually was. But two interesting observations follow - firstly the story in this film was so confused that, even among the relatively few comments already on this database, her character has been assigned four different nationalities; and secondly it seems strange the production budget could not even cover the cost of darkening her hair and skin (or that of co-stars Vincent Price , Paul Christian and John Sutton) - surely a minimal demand for the make-up department. Such discrepancies abound throughout this film and rob it of any validity as a serious work. Its setting is the pre-World War I Ottoman empire, but the language is (erratically) similar to the high society English of the early Georgian period and does not match the story any better than the makeup. The stars all appear to have been well aware of these deficiencies and, recognising that the film would almost certainly finish up being classified as a turkey, they decided not to attempt to compensate for them, but instead to overact outrageously -chewing up the scenery in grand style so that a fun time could be had by all. This type of film usually disappears quickly and totally soon after its release; instead Bagdad is still with us (both as a VHS tape and periodically on cable television) because they did this so effectively that, once we have accepted exactly what is being presented, we can still settle down and have a lot of fun watching it once in a while.It has been said this was Maureen O'Hara first real starring role. Most of her fans would not accept this, but it was one that provided her with an exceptional opportunity which she seized with both hands and feet. Not only beautiful but active and athletically graceful, she is a pleasure to watch. Her fiery temperament only adds to the fun, and watching her outwit all her very threatening adversaries probably appeals to most children of all ages. Vincent Price, as the deadliest of these, plays up to her as only he can. Overall this may not be the most convincing recipe for creating a collectible film, but after accepting its limitations (and with appropriate acknowledgments to some excellent work behind the camera) I must recognise that in this instance it appears to have largely succeeded. For me, a VCD of 'Bagdad' remains a minor but still enjoyable part of my home video collection, even though NOT to be found among my historical films.

Unintentionally funny story with Maureen O'Hara as an Arab princess avenging the death of her father. She sings! She dances! She battles the evil "Black Robes". Ms. O'Hara's possible knowledge of this movie's low worth may have enhanced her ludicrous performance. Vincent Price can always be depended on for an outrageous performance in an absurd film, but the hammy master is no match for O'Hara. Not a complete waste, as O'Hara and her leading man look lovely. It's got some action, and swell color. If everyone was as hammy as the leads, it might have been funnier - with more singing and dancing. ** Bagdad (1949) Charles Lamont ~ Maureen O'Hara, Paul Hubschmid, Vincent Price

Charles Lamont's 'Bagdad' set the tone for Maureen's 1950s film career...In past adventure movies, she had been merely the irritable and decorative female lead... Now she moved into the full limelight, demanding the screen title once held by Maria Montez, and more recently by Yvonne DeCarlo, as Queen of the period adventure tales...More than Montez and DeCarlo, Maureen is a spirited and robust actress who can stand up to any hero. She combines her surprising screen beauty with an athletic finesse that allow her to move smoothly from a star with dramatic ambition to a Queen of the B-adventure movies...'Bagdad' encloses all the fundamental escapist entertainments that flourishes Maureen's appeal: Technicolor lensing, a handsome, co-star not so dynamic, and a weak script which permits Maureen complete freedom to win her noble screen causes with her own feminine persuasion and many vigorous swashbuckling... With dishonest dealings among the sheiks of Bagdad, princess Maureen, who assumes the disguise of a café entertainer and who sings three songs, learns to her relief that Paul Christian is not the leader of the cowardly Black Riders, a desert gang in partnership with the corrupt Pasha Vincent Price...

Maureen O'Hara is not Iraqi and Vincent Price is not Turkish. Unfortunately, this film is based on the assumption that the viewer will believe that they are. The considerable talents of these two actors were wasted on a half-baked period piece with virtually no plot. Those small remnants of a story that existed were rather hard to follow. The only saving graces of this film are its luscious costumes and scenery, and they aren't nearly good enough to make the film worth sitting through.