Episode 54: Episode 54: Ladyhawke/The Thief of Bagdad

CURSES, FOILED AGAIN: “Out of my way, you masters of one thousand fleas”. The course of true love never did run smooth. If you’re a hawk by day, your love is a wolf by night. If you are blind, your love is in a deep sleep. Curses. Sounds like it’s time for Episode 54 of Pop Art, the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic/indie side of cinema with a connection to it. This time, I am happy to welcome as my guest, blogger and film enthusiast Jeanette Ward, who has chosen Richard Donner’s medieval dark fantasy Ladyhawke, while I have chosen the Alexander Korda/Michael Powell Tales of the Arabian Nights Sabu vehicle, the classic Thief of Bagdad, both fantasy films about a thief who helps overturn a curse and reunite lovers. And in this episode we answer such questions as: What is it about fantasy films anyway? Why did Ladyhawke fail at the box office? What is a Sabu and would you want to be one? Is Leo McKern No. 1? What happened when the production of Thief of Bagdad was moved from London to Hollywood at the outbreak of the war? Who was originally cast in the Rutger Hauer role? What innovation to special effects did The Thief of Bagdad bring to movie making? Why does everyone talk to God? And what is it with Broderick’s accent? And check out Jeanette’s blog The Mundane Adventures of a Fangirl at http://jwardadventures.blogspot.com/ Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/ My books, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, The Starving Artists and Other Stories and The Five Corporations and One True Religion can be found at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=howard+casner&ref=nb_sb_noss