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The Thief of Bagdad
The Thief of Bagdad
Directed by	Karel Lamač
Written by	Gustav Kampendonk
Based on	The Thief of Bagdad; 1940 film; by Lajos Bíró
Produced by	Fritz Kirchhoff
Starring	Sonja Ziemann; Rudolf Prack; Paul Kemp;
Cinematography	Willy Winterstein
Edited by	Rosemarie Weinert
Music by	Michael Jary; Lotar Olias;
Production; company	Pontus Film
Distributed by	Deutsche Cosmopol Film
Release date	10 April 1952;
Running time	91 minutes
Country	West Germany
Language	German

The Thief of Bagdad (German: Die Diebin von Bagdad) is a 1952 West German musical comedy film directed by Karel Lamac and starring Theo Lingen, Paul Kemp, Sonja Ziemann and Rudolf Prack.^[1] It is not a remake of the 1940 film of the same name, but a comedy about the magic tricks of a female thief in Old Baghdad. It was filmed at the Bendestorf Studios in Lower Saxony. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Heinrich Beisenherz and Alfred Bütow.

Plot summary

Caliph Omar does not have it easy. He is a weak ruler who is led around by servants. In marriage, wife Suleika takes the dominant role and gives her husband so little money that he cannot even bribe the eunuchs who guard his harem. Without bribery, he is not allowed into his harem and becomes frustrated. One day, Suleika tells him that she is expecting Prince Ali to visit. He has just crossed the state border and is in an area where the king of the highwaymen, Achmed, is causing trouble. Suleika sends guards to bring Ali safely to the palace in Baghdad. Ali, meanwhile, has a prestige problem because his camel, which he brought as a gift, has died on the journey. He has a search for a beautiful woman that he could give to the Caliph for his harem. His guards choose Fatme, who can sing and dance beautifully, but robs her audience in the process. Fatme travels around with the juggler and magician Ibrahim, who is looking for a rejuvenating spell. The magic word he utters, however, causes him and Fatme to change shape. He is now in her body, while Fatme finds herself in Ibrahim's old body. Ibrahim, in the form of Fatme, is kidnapped by Ali's men. A little later, Achmed attacks Ali and finds the supposed young woman he spontaneously wants to seduce. Ibrahim steals an earring from him and then manages to escape. He and Fatme reach Baghdad, where they can lift the spell.

Meanwhile, Achmed has assumed Ali's identity, as he wanted to get into the caliph's palace anyway to steal the state treasure. He moves into Baghdad with his gang members Hadji and Ommar and feigns great interest in the elderly caliph. In the end, it is Hadji who wants to find out the location of the state treasure from Suleika through intense flirting. Fatme had recently stolen a valuable garment from Suleika and has been followed by the palace guards ever since. She gets into the palace by chance and becomes part of a dance performance. The guards recognize her as the thief, Achmed as the young woman he fell in love with in the desert outside Baghdad, and Caliph Omar as a potential new addition to his harem. After the performance ends, Fatme is initially intercepted by Achmed, who is surprised that the young woman claims to have never seen him before. Shortly afterwards, Fatme is captured by the palace guards. Suleika wants to sentence her to a severe punishment, but Fatme is able to reduce her sentence by revealing to the Caliph a magic spell that is supposed to make men fall in love with her. In reality, it is the spell that puts her in another body. Fatme is sent to prison as normal and Achmed promises to free her.

Caliph Omar used a trick to gain access to his harem, but ends up outside the palace via a trick door. Here he meets Ibrahim, who has been looking for Fatme in vain. He slips into Omar's body using a magic spell and searches for her in the palace. His suddenly confident and determined demeanor earns him respect from his servants. However, he does not find Fatme and a short time later swaps bodies with the Caliph again. Back in the palace, the Caliph is pleased that his subordinates suddenly respect him. Hadji and Suleika have swapped bodies rather unwillingly, but this allows Hadji to enter the palace's secret treasure chambers with Achmed and Ommar. At some point Fatme manages to escape and joins the trio. The theft of the treasure fails, however, and the trio is arrested. Fatme now learns that Achmed is not a prince at all, but just an ordinary criminal. Achmed is arrested and sentenced to death. The Caliph gives Fatme the choice of saving Achmed's life by agreeing to the marriage, and Fatme agrees. The wedding with the Caliph begins a short time later, but he still wants to have Achmed and Hadji executed. Both manage to overpower the guards and smuggle Fatme out of the palace. She and Achmed become a couple and Ibrahim, who has always loved Fatme, gives her up.

Cast

Sonja Ziemann as Fatme, die Diebin von Bagdad
Rudolf Prack as Achmed
Paul Kemp as Kalif Omar
Theo Lingen as Hadschi
Fita Benkhoff as Suleika
Hubert von Meyerinck as Hussa Hussa
Fritz Odemar as Ibrahim
Carl Voscherau as Sandu, Eunuch
Walter Giller as Ommar
Kurt Rackelmann as Hassan
Kurt Fuß as Halef, Diener des Kalifen
Hans Juergen Weidlich as Amento, Diener des Kalifen
Joachim Rake as Prinz Ali
Kurt A. Jung as Mansor
Horst von Otto as Selim
Horst Beck as Arzt
Liselotte Malkowsky as Singer

References

^ Bock & Bergfelder p. 158

Bibliography

Bock, Hans-Michael; Bergfelder, Tim, eds. (2009). The Concise Cinegraph: Encyclopaedia of German Cinema. New York: Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-57181-655-9.