Sunday, April 6, 2008

Underlying Themes: Present-Day Perspective



Even with all of its inaccuracies, the 1944 version of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves carries much relevance for today. At the time of production, WWII was still being fought overseas. When considering the plot of Lubin’s Ali Baba, it is interesting to draw comparisons. The film involves an outside invader (figuratively speaking) that sacks the current leader of Baghdad and overtakes the city. People are killed by the new leader (Hugleu Khan) everyday, and much to the dismay of Baghdad’s citizens, he cannot be stopped. Eventually, resistance builds and with the help of Ali Baba the people of Baghdad are able to regain control of their city and protect the lives of future generations.
Does this sound at all familiar? The plot very closely follows events similar to those of WWII. Adolf Hitler and his cohorts gained power through a similar form of intimidation and deception. Once in power, Hitler oversaw the slaughter of millions upon millions of people—whether they be Jews, homosexuals, the mentally retarded, etc—anyone that did not fit his idea of the ideal human race. However, as in the movie, help eventually comes in the form of worldwide resistance to Hitler’s operations. Not everyone lived happily ever after in this case, but the storyline is relatively the same. With this clear representation of WWII infused within the plot, again, it is surprising that more literature is not present on the subject when such obvious relations clearly can be made—relations that today can be used for commentary on the War In Iraq.
In addition to its relation to war, Lubin’s Ali Baba also has much to say on the subject surrounding modern views of women. A majority of the time, dialogue on women is concentrated between Andy Devine and Jon Hall. The two consistently argue concerning Hall’s (Ali Baba’s) obvious love of Montez (Amara). At one point Devine (Abdullah) bellows, “Why do you give her all this freedom?” It seems Lubin harbors a modern view of women for his time—though women’s suffrage had been around for many years, women were still expected to be submissive to men in the 1940s. Even as Amara is somewhat a damsel in distress by the end of the movie, she does exercise some freedom and proves to be of relatively strong character and moral resolve. Clearly, with the fate of Baghdad sealed and in his grasp, it is clear that Ali Baba will treat Amara with the respect she deserves, much unlike the treatment of Hugleu Khan.

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