Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944 film)

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Original film poster
Directed by	Arthur Lubin
Produced by	Paul Malvern
Written by	Screenplay: Edmund L. Hartmann
Starring	Jon Hall Maria Montez Leif Erickson Kurt Katch Turhan Bey Frank Puglia
Cinematography	W. Howard Greene George Robinson
Edited by	Russell F. Schoengarth
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	United States: January 14, 1944
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	3,634,679 admissions (France)

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event. The film is one of series of "exotic" tales released by Universal during the war years; others include Cobra Woman, Arabian Nights and White Savage.

The story takes place in Persia, yet Jamiel hoists the shahada, which is the traditional Saudi Arabian flag.

The story begins in the immediate aftermath of the successful Mongolian conquest of Bagdad by Hulagu Khan (Kurt Katch). The caliph Hassan (Moroni Olsen) has escaped captivity, together with his young son Ali (Scotty Beckett), and prepares to regroup the renmants of his troops. While staying at the mansion of Prince Cassim (Frank Puglia), Ali and Cassim's daughter Amara (Yvette Duguay), fearing that they will not see each other again, betroth themselves via blood-bond.

As the caliph prepares to leave, Cassim stops him at the last moment. This, however, is the initiation for an ambush by the Mongols, to whom the cowardly prince has sworn allegiance; the caliph and his retinue are massacred, and only Ali escapes. Alone and lost in the desert, he comes across a mountainside where he sees a group of riders exiting a hidden cave. Deducing its opening phrase, he enters the cave and finds it filled with treasure. When the 40 thieves return, they find the boy asleep in their hideout. Upon learning that he is the son of the caliph, and impressed by his courage and determination, the thieves allow him to stay, and their leader, Old Baba (Fortunio Bonanova), adopts him as his son, Ali Baba.