Chu-Chin-Chow | |
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Directed by | Herbert Wilcox |
Written by | Herbert Wilcox (scenario) |
Based on | Chu Chin Chow by Oscar Asche |
Produced by | Herbert Wilcox John Hagenbeck-Film Micco-Film |
Starring | Betty Blythe |
Cinematography | René Guissart |
Music by | Frederic Norton (Chu Chin Chow) |
Distributed by | England 1923 *Graham-Wilcox productions USA February 1925 *Metro Goldwyn Mayer |
Release dates |
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Running time | European release: *3,733 meters *12,247 feet US release: *1,939 meters *6,362 feet |
Countries | Weimar Republic United Kingdom |
Languages | Silent film (intertitles: German, Finnish, English) |
Budget | £40,000 [1] or £100,000 [2] |
Chu-Chin-Chow is a 1923 British-German silent adventure film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Betty Blythe, Herbert Langley, and Randle Ayrton. [3]
As described in a review in a film magazine, [4] Abou Hassan and his forty thieves descend on a small Arabian town on the wedding day of Omar and the beautiful Zharat and kidnap them. Abou sells Zahrat to Kasim Baba, the miser and money lender of Bagdad, while posing as Prince Constantine. Later, Abou poses as the wealthy Chinese prince Chu-Chin-Chow, and bids on Zahrat when she is placed at auction. She pierces his disguise and exposes him. He robs the other bidders of their wealth and escapes with Zahrat. Promising that she will live among untold wealth, he sets her free. After she finds Omar, Abou takes them to his treasure cave, making good on his promise. Ali Baba, brother of Kasim, accidentally discovers the cave and helps himself to the treasure. He then goes for aid to free Zahrat. Kasim, led by his greed, also comes to the cave but is captured and killed by Abou. Zahrat, now free, returns to Bagdad. Ali Baba gives a great feast. Abou appears as a merchant with forty jugs of oil, in which are hidden his forty thieves. Zahrat discovers the deception and, assisted by a powerful slave, they get rid of the hidden thieves. Left alone, Abou is denounced and the multitude turn on him. Cornered, he is stabbed by Zahrat who then returns to her village and finds happiness with Omar.
The film is based on the stage musical Chu Chin Chow by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, that ran in London from 1916 to 1921. [5]
Wilcox had a box office success with Flames of Passion (1922) starring imported Hollywood actor Mae Marsh. This enabled him to raise the £20,000 to buy the film rights of the play, a record amount at the time. The cost of making the film was another £20,000. [6]
To save money, Wilcox decided to make the film in Germany. In exchange, Wilcox agreed to distribute Die Nibelungen (1924) in Britain. [1]
The film starred American actress Betty Blythe fresh from her scantily clad triumph in 1921's The Queen of Sheba at Fox. The film was shot in Berlin on the studio lot at Steglitz. [1] Sources state this film had early experimental synchronised sound, but this process could only be viewed at the special theaters outfitted for the sound equipment. [3] [7]
Chu Chin Chow was released in the United States by MGM two years after its production with a drastically reduced footage, cut by almost half. This version had noticeable jumps that ruined the continuity of the story. [4]
Wilcox later said the film "was only a moderate success". [8]
A sound film Chu Chin Chow , with the score intact, was made by the Gainsborough Studios in 1934, with George Robey playing the part of Ali Baba, Fritz Kortner as Abu Hassan, Anna May Wong as Zahrat Al-Kulub and Laurence Hanray as Kasim. [9]
"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is a folk tale in Arabic added to the One Thousand and One Nights in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard it from Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab. As one of the most popular Arabian Nights tales, it has been widely retold and performed in many media across the world, especially for children.
Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves is a two-reel animated cartoon short subject in the Popeye Color Specials series, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on November 26, 1937 by Paramount Pictures. It was produced by Max Fleischer for Fleischer Studios, Inc. and directed by Dave Fleischer. Willard Bowsky was head animator, with musical supervision by Sammy Timberg. The voice of Popeye is performed by Jack Mercer, with additional voices by Mae Questel as Olive Oyl, Lou Fleischer as J. Wellington Wimpy and Gus Wickie as Abu Hassan.
Arabian Nights is a two-part 2000 miniseries, adapted by Peter Barnes from Sir Richard Francis Burton's translation of the medieval epic One Thousand and One Nights. Mili Avital and Dougray Scott star as Scheherazade and Shahryar respectively. Produced by Dyson Lovell and directed by Steve Barron, the serial was produced by Hallmark Entertainment and originally broadcast over two nights on 30 April and 1 May 2000 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and ABC in the United States.
Chu Chin Chow is a musical comedy written, produced and directed by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, based on the story of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. The piece premièred at His Majesty's Theatre in London on 3 August 1916 and ran for five years and a total of 2,238 performances, a record that stood for nearly forty years until Salad Days. The show's first American production in New York, with additional lyrics by Arthur Anderson, played for 208 performances in 1917–1918, starring Tyrone Power. It subsequently had successful seasons elsewhere in America and Australia, including in 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922.
Ali Baba Bujang Lapok is a 1961 Singaporean Malay-language black-and-white comedy film directed by, written by and starring Malaysian silver-screen legend P. Ramlee and produced in Singapore by Malay Film Productions Ltd. Based loosely on the story of Ali Baba from 1001 Arabian Nights, the film is occasionally self-referential and contains elements of anarchic comedy, burlesque comedy, satire and farce. The title includes the suffix Bujang Lapok because it is the third instalment in the Bujang Lapok series of comedy films that star the trio of P. Ramlee, S. Shamsuddin and Aziz Sattar. This film marked the feature film debut of Sarimah, who would go on to a long movie career, and is also notable as one of the few P. Ramlee films where he plays the villain.
Herbert Sydney Wilcox CBE was a British film producer and director.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film from Universal Pictures, directed by Arthur Lubin, and starring Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Turhan Bey. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, but its storyline departs greatly from the folk tale of the same name, wedding that story to an actual historic event. The film is one of series of "exotic" tales released by Universal during the Second World War; others include Cobra Woman, Arabian Nights, and White Savage.
Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum is a 1956 Indian Tamil-language fantasy swashbuckler film directed and produced by T. R. Sundaram of Modern Theatres. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran and P. Bhanumathi, with K. Sarangapani, P. S. Veerappa, K. A. Thangavelu, M. N. Rajam, Sushila, Vidhyavathi, and M. G. Chakrapani in supporting roles. It revolves around Alibaba, a woodcutter who becomes wealthy after finding a secret treasure cave, but must keep his source of wealth a secret to lead a peaceful life.
Frederick Randle Ayrton was a British actor of stage and screen, and was also a producer and director.
Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1980 Indian-Soviet film based on the Arabian Nights story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, directed by Uzbek director Latif Faiziyev with Indian director Umesh Mehra. The film stars Indian actors Dharmendra, Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman alongside Russian, Caucasian and Central Asian actors. The storyline is slightly altered to extend as a long movie. The writers were Shanti Prakash Bakshi and Boris Saakov, the music was scored by musician R.D. Burman, and the Choreographer was P. L. Raj. It was the most successful Indian-Soviet co-production, becoming a success in both India and the Soviet Union.
Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum is a 1941 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by K. S. Mani. The first Tamil film adaptation of the story Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, it stars N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Mathuram. The film was released on 15 March 1941, and was commercially unsuccessful. No print is known to survive, making it a lost film.
Decameron Nights is a 1924 British-German silent drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Lionel Barrymore, Ivy Duke and Werner Krauss. It is based on the novel Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.
Chu-Chin-Chow may refer to:
Chu Chin Chow is a 1934 British musical film directed by Walter Forde and starring George Robey, Fritz Kortner and Anna May Wong. It was an adaptation of the hit musical Chu Chin Chow by Oscar Asche and Frederick Norton. It was shot at the Islington Studios of Gainsborough Pictures in London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Ernö Metzner.
Southern Love is a 1924 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Betty Blythe, Herbert Langley and Randle Ayrton. It is based on the verse drama The Spanish Student by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It is known by the alternative title Woman's Secret.
Annie Vera Pearce was an Australian stage and film actress. Her lengthy career was carried out in both her home country and in England.
Ali-Baba is an opéra comique in three acts, first produced in 1887, with music by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto based on the familiar tale from the Arabian Nights was by Albert Vanloo and William Busnach. After some initial success the work faded from the repertoire.
Ali Baba 40 Dongalu is a 1970 Telugu-language fantasy swashbuckler film directed by B. Vittalacharya. It stars N. T. Rama Rao and Jayalalithaa, with music composed by Ghantasala. The film is produced by N. Ramabrahmam under the Sri Gowtham Pictures banner. The film is based on a story from Arabian Nights called Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
The Sword of Ali Baba is a 1965 American adventure film from Universal Pictures, directed by Virgil W. Vogel and written by Edmund Hartmann and Oscar Brodney. The film stars Peter Mann, Jocelyn Lane, Frank McGrath, Gavin MacLeod, Frank Puglia, and Peter Whitney and is a remake of the 1944 film Ali Baba and the Forty Thives, which was derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights and the tale of the same name.
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