Alibaba and the 40 Thieves

          

 

      Alibaba Aur 40 Chor, a Bollywood film from 1980, will bring you through many twists and turns, and finally leave you - nicely. Because the film was directed by two directors, one Russian and one Indian, and because the film is based off of one of the Arabian Night tales, it shows a lot of mixing of cultures, not to mention India's disposition toward America. The music is still very much Indian, but it is a bit more simplistic and has a western feel to it. There is even some disco influence, especially highlighted when Fatima dances for the 40 thieves on a lit up disco floor. Not only has the music lost some of its color, but the dance sequels in the film are less authentic than other Bollywood films. There is less jerkiness, probably because of the Russian and Western influence. There are many strange special effects, including an open sesame cliff and waterfall, a giant sea turtle in Abu Hassan's hideout, Hassan's Djinn, the multiplication of Abu Hassan (and disappearance of thereafter), and the various lightings and mists in Abu Hassan's hideout. At the beginning of the film, some incredible stunts are performed by the 40 thieves on their horses. Another unusual aspect of this Indo-Russian film is the use of so many landscapes. Throughout the movie, we are taken through dessert, village, forest, mountain, and grove. There is no food in the film, but water is highlighted, as there is a shortage of it. The story itself, although adapted from the Arabian Nights' stories, is very much it's own diverse creation, with characters who disguise their messages, rather blatantly, through song.
    
     Really, the film is a mishmash of Indian, Russian, Arabian, and American culture. The disco floor is definitely American, but the real question is, why? It doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the movie. Most likely, it was added for interest and to add to the bizzare eclectic feel of Abu Hassan's creepy hideout. Disco was popular at the time and was probably listened to by a wide audience, including Indians. Some other elements seemingly added for the same reason are the giant turtle, and the misty pool where the djinn comes out of. The turtle looked as if it were green screened into the background of the room it was in. As for the djinn, herself, she served this purpose too, but she also was probably a filler in for plot gaps and a result of the Arabian side of things. The djinn looks as if she were filmed seperate, turned transparent, and edited in. The open sesame cliff and waterfall seem to have a bit of the adventurous influence of the West, but also probably originate from the Arabian story, somehow. It looks as if it is a miniature set using a split screen to edit the characters in. The stunts on the horses at the beginning are a mixture of western and Arabian influence. They are very impressive and might have been inspired from the western spaghetti's in the West. They were probably used to give the 40 thieves a sense of both recklessness and skill. The landscape aspect of the film probably had to do with the Russian influence. They were familiar with other settings and wanted to include them. Some scenes in the movie may have been filmed in Russia, in order to achieve this purpose.
 
     The result of a movie with so many fused cultures is a film that is watered down in some areas, but holds a larger range of viewers' interest. It is somewhat saddening to see the Indian culture in the movie diluted where it once was a bit more rich and distinct. Signs of this show especially in the music, dress, and speech of the characters. It is also, however, easier on the mind to watch if your not accustomed to Indian film. In the long run, however, I think it's a greater shame to lose the flavor of culture, than to retain it's flavor while holding a smaller audience.
     Another problem with the mixing of cultures is that the fine details and differences within one culture are looked over. The culture is stereotyped into a united image and loses it's variations when projected in the media. When people think of Indian culture, often they either think of Aladdin or Bengal tigers and tribesmen. In reality, India is a whole range of elements, those only being a couple.
      Alibaba and the 40 Thieves was extremely popular in India when it was released - a hit. Even without knowing, I would have guessed as much. It includes so many various elements, even besides culture, that it can relate to a lot of people (Not to mention its inclusion of Hema Malini, who's amazing). For this reason, it was an easy film to like, and very interesting too.

                                                                       Hema Malini