Summary
A phantasmagorical descent into the cavernous depths of Orientalist folklore, this 1918 iteration of the classic tale transmutes the dusty labor of a Turkish woodcutter into a high-stakes ballet of avarice and ingenuity. Ali Baba, portrayed with a precocious earnestness, stumbles upon a geologic anomaly—a mountain vault accessible only through the linguistic key of 'Open Sesame.' What follows is a stark meditation on the corrupting nature of sudden wealth; while Ali seeks a modest reprieve from poverty, his brother’s insatiable cupidity leads to a gruesome end within the very treasure-house he sought to plunder. Amidst this cycle of theft and retribution, the narrative pivots to the visceral agency of Morgianna, a slave girl whose tactical brilliance and lethal loyalty redefine the domestic sphere as a battlefield. As the forty thieves infiltrate the domestic sanctuary hidden in oil jars, the film culminates in a sequence of boiling oil and blade-work, cementing a romance forged not just in passion, but in the shared survival of an ancient, murderous conspiracy.
Synopsis
Ali Baba, a poor Turkish wood chopper, discovers that a robbers' cave, concealed in the mountains that surround his house, opens to the magical phrase, "Open Sesame." Learning that the cave is filled with stolen treasure, he takes home as much as he can carry, but his greedy brother forces him to reveal the cave's location. After gaining admittance to the cave, Ali Baba's brother is seen by the thieves and killed. Meanwhile, Ali Baba falls in love with Morgianna, a slave girl forced to dance in the local inn, and by securing her freedom, he wins her love and loyalty. The leader of the band of robbers suspects that Ali Baba knows the secret of the treasure cave, and in the guise of an oil merchant, he visits Ali Baba with his forty thieves concealed in oil jars. When Morgianna discovers the robbers, she fills the jars with boiling oil, thereby killing them all. Ali Baba defeats the robber chief in combat and then marries his beautiful Morgianna.
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