Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1954) is a French adventure comedy by Jacques Becker that you can watch online on iFILM. The great comic Fernandel headlines this colorful take on the Arabian Nights tale.

Ali Baba is the servant of the wealthy Cassim — middle-aged, broke and clumsy, yet impossible not to like. His master sends him to the slave market to pick out a concubine, the beautiful Morgiane, and of course the servant falls for her himself. Then the fairy tale kicks in: chance leads Ali Baba to the cave of the forty thieves, where a mountain of gold swings open on a single magic phrase. "Open Sesame!" — and a poor man suddenly holds the key to a new life. Famed Egyptian dancer Samia Gamal lights up the screen.

Becker delivers a sunny, song-filled Eastern fantasy with chases, treasure and Fernandel's gentle brand of slapstick. It's an old film but a warm one — easy to share with kids or revisit for its retro charm. Stream Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1954) online on iFILM.