La Rosa di Bagdad
| La rosa di Bagdad (The Rose of Baghdad) |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Anton Gino Domenighini |
| Produced by | Anton Gino Domenighini |
| Written by | Lucio De Caro Nina Maguire Tony Maguire |
| Starring |
English Patricia Hayes Stephen Jack Arthur Young Humphrey Kent Paul Hansard Julie Andrews Italian Germana Calderini Beatrice Preziosa Giulio Panicali Carlo Romano Olinto Cristina Mario Besesti Giovanna Scotto Renata Marini Lauro Gazzolo Maria Saccenti Sakella Rio Luisa Malagrida F. Delle Fornaci Giulio Fioravanti Piero Passarotti |
| Narrated by |
Stefano Sibaldi (Italian) Howard Marion-Crawford (English) |
| Music by | Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli |
| Cinematography | Cesare Pelizzari |
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Release date
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22 December 1949 (Venice) 1952 (UK) |
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Running time
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76 minutes |
| Country |
 Italy |
| Language | Italian English |
La Rosa di Bagdad (English: The Rose of Baghdad) is a 1949 Italian animated film. In 1952, the film was dubbed into English, retitled The Singing Princess and starring Julie Andrews in her first film and first venture into voice-over work. The film was reissued in 1967, at the height of Andrews' subsequent Hollywood career. It is often cited as one of the first animated movie from Europe and in Technicolor.
A snake charmer's genie helps rescue his master's sweetheart (Princess Zeila) from a wicked Sheikh. Released in the U.S. at the same time as the animated Italian feature I Fratelli Dinamite, La Rosa di Bagdad demonstrated that Disney held no monopoly on clever cartoonery. Inspired by The Arabian Nights, the story concerns a beautiful princess, a poor-but-honest hero, an evil sultan, and a slave of the lamp. Reviewers in 1949 were taken by director Anton Gino Domeghini's clever choice of camera angles and by Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli's musical score.
A long time ago, the people of Baghdad lived happily under the rule of Caliph Oman III, greatest and kindest of any Caliph. Even at the time of his niece Princess Zeila's upcoming thirteenth birthday, the people were happier still. However, the tyrant Sheikh Jafar, and his shadow of a magician, Burk, have other plans, in order to take over Oman's kingdom. After a lovely performance by Princess Zeila and her snake charmer friend Amin, a messenger attempts to give a proclamation, written by Oman's information minister, Tonko, to the princes from the three cities across the river. However, before the messenger could get any further, Burk turns him into stone.
Later, after Amin charms a few snakes, his Magpie, Calina, attempts to steal one of Amin's bells after breaking her promise while working on a tambourine. He not only attended Princess Zeila's next performance at the palace; he applied the music for it. After the performance, Jafar, who also attended, attempts to propose to Zeila, but Caliph Oman's ministers, Tonko, Zirko, and Zizibe, think otherwise, even Amin, who later overhears that Burk has put an infatuation spell on Jafar's ring, making anyone who wears it fall in love with him.
Later that night, Amin and Calina try to keep hidden from sight at Jafar's palace, stealing the magic ring. Jafar had informed Burk of the magpie's thievery, and Burk announces his plan to his master. Back at Oman's palace, Amin tells the ministers that he will bring the ring to them, and that they would give the ring to the ugliest woman they could find.
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Wikipedia