THE PRINCE WHO WAS A THIEF

US, 1951, 88 minutes, Colour.
Tony Curtis, Piper Laurie, Everett Sloane, Peggy Castle.
Directed by Rudolph Mate.

This entertainment was very popular in its day. It is Saturday matinee Arabian Nights type of material. Tony Curtis was at the beginning of his swashbuckling career and a popular young star. Piper Laurie was a favourite companion in films like Son of Ali Baba, No Room For The Groom and Johnny Dark. Curtis was to grow as a good dramatic actor as well as a comedian. Piper Laurie was to leave films and make rare appearances such as the Hustler for which she received and Oscar nomination and then revived her career in the mid-70s with Carrie. Entertaining conventional matinee adventure.

1. The appeal of Arabian Nights adventure?

2. The traditional cinematic style and conventions, atmosphere, colour, exotic aspects?

3. The conventions of plot, the way that they were used here? Hero, misunderstandings, poverty and riches, the Court, thieves and the revelation of the truth, battles and action?

4. Tony Curtis as an Arabian Nights hero? Hollywood style? Poverty, origins, young, dashing and handsome, famous exploits, love, ambition fulfilled, saving people?

5. The traditional villains of such film? The Court situation?

6. Heroine, her father, her capacity for romance, adventure? Background? Happy ending?

7. Ordinary people, their lives, day-by-day in such film? The father and his attitudes, the courtiers? Soldiers, What do they contribute to the atmosphere?

8. The Arabian Nights, the initial view of the Prince, the details of the robberies, his life in the Arabian towns?
questions of identity ?

9. The value of the details of the adventures, fights and romance?

10. Audience presuppositions for such tales? Traditional right and wrong, justice and revenge, happy endings? Was this a good example, of this kind of adventure?