Some reviewers have sought to compare this movie with other, far better films. That's pointless. This was never intended to compete with 'The Thief of Bagdad.'
It suffers from a plot that borrows bits and pirces from a dozen other films, and staring everyone from Shirley Temple to Steve Reeves.
This is made worse by very weak direction. As you watch, it seems as though the director was bored one day and decided to make a movie with the other kids on the playground. No pith, no crunching drama, no real threats, no direction. The kids I watched it with enjoyed the film, but they also criticized the direction. "What direction?"
HOWEVER, this film is still lots of fun. With adults, everyone had fun identifying the stolen bits of plot, and enjoying the surprisingly good use of the technicolor process, and the equally good use of real locations. With the children, they actually simply had fun, although as noted above, today's children are very observant and knowledgeable.
It was lots of fun, and never meant to be Shakespeare.
It suffers from a plot that borrows bits and pirces from a dozen other films, and staring everyone from Shirley Temple to Steve Reeves.
This is made worse by very weak direction. As you watch, it seems as though the director was bored one day and decided to make a movie with the other kids on the playground. No pith, no crunching drama, no real threats, no direction. The kids I watched it with enjoyed the film, but they also criticized the direction. "What direction?"
HOWEVER, this film is still lots of fun. With adults, everyone had fun identifying the stolen bits of plot, and enjoying the surprisingly good use of the technicolor process, and the equally good use of real locations. With the children, they actually simply had fun, although as noted above, today's children are very observant and knowledgeable.
It was lots of fun, and never meant to be Shakespeare.