The Carpet from Bagdad

The Carpet from Bagdad

The Carpet from Bagdad is a 1915 American silent adventure film directed by Colin Campbell and based on Harold MacGrath’s 1911 eponymous novel. In the story, Horace Wadsworth, one of a gang of criminals also planning a bank robbery in New York, steals the titular prayer rug from its Baghdad mosque. The film is now mostly lost, although one badly damaged reel was salvaged from the RMS Lusitania in 1982.

About The Carpet from Bagdad in brief

Summary The Carpet from BagdadThe Carpet from Bagdad is a 1915 American silent adventure film directed by Colin Campbell and based on Harold MacGrath’s 1911 eponymous novel. In the story, Horace Wadsworth, one of a gang of criminals also planning a bank robbery in New York, steals the titular prayer rug from its Baghdad mosque. The theft places both men and Fortune Chedsoye, the innocent daughter of another conspirator, in danger from the carpet’s guardian. The film is now mostly lost, although one badly damaged reel was salvaged from the RMS Lusitania in 1982. Marketing for the film included a media tour of part of the set and an invitation-only screening sponsored by the publisher of Macgrath’s book.

The Carpet From Bagdad was released on May 3, 1915 to mostly positive reviews. Many praised the tinted desert scenes and realistic Middle East imagery, although some felt the scenery overshadowed the characters. Much of the film, including the desert scenes, was hand tinted. Production costs exceeded USD 35,000,000 the equivalent of over USD 900,000 in present-day terms. This was the first film distributed by Vitagraph Studios, a conglomerate created by V-L-E-S-E Studios, Lubin Manufacturing Company, Selig Polyscope Company, and Essanay Studios. It was an early example of a feature-length film being released in a location other than a theater.