The Thief of Baghdad

press release: Widely regarded as Douglas Fairbanks’ greatest performance, this epic swashbuckler employs groundbreaking special effects to tell the epic story of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. Fairbanks, who also wrote and produced the film, famously demanded only the best and paid meticulous attention to every detail, which lead to this film becoming one of the most expensive of the 1920s, at a cost of over one million dollars to produce.

The special screening of The Thief of Bagdad is a longer feature film, which may not be appropriate for children and will not include vaudeville acts or door prizes.

Overture Center’s 2016/17 Duck Soup Cinema celebrates the 30th anniversary of a silent film series in the Capitol Theater, beginning with a special showing of a full-length feature film Metropolis on Saturday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. Following the film, Professor Jeff Smith from the UW Communication Arts Department and organist Clark Wilson will briefly discuss Metropolis’s production history, the music used in various versions of the film and its long-term influence on more modern cinema.

For 30 years, Overture has revived and celebrated the heritage and legacy of Capitol Theater, originally built for silent film and opened in 1928.                                        

“It’s been an honor to grow this program from an idea to a full-blown series over the last 30 years,” said Rudy Lienau, Overture’s VP of Operations and Duck Soup Cinema programmer. “Keeping an art form such as this alive and thriving within the historical Capitol Theater for our community is a privilege. The fact that we still have the original Grand Barton Organ in its original home really helps maintain the genuineness of the program.”

Local vaudeville-style acts open for a silent film screening (with the exception this season of Metropolis and The Thief of Bagdad). Each show features a skilled organist who mirrors the actors’ emotions on the magnificent Grand Barton Organ, just as it was done in 1928.

Tickets are available in person at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street), online at overture.org or by phone at 608.258.4141.