Presently he began wandering about the highways and market streets of the capital crying aloud: "Ho! Who will exchange old lamps for new lamps?" But when the folk heard him cry on this wise, they derided him and said, "Doubtless this man is Jinnmad, for that he goeth about offering new for old."

Works of Art Inspired by the Nights

Literature / Music / Film & TV / Computer Software / Illustrative

Literature:

Geoffrey Chaucer: "The Squire's Tale" from "The Canterbury Tales" dates from the late 1380's and has a close resemblance to the story of "The Ebony Horse" and "The Tale of Taj al-Muluk and the Princess Dunya". In fact the latter tale must have been the origin of the section of "The Squire's Tale" that tells of a magical ring that can interpret the language of birds.

William Beckford: "Vathek: An Arabian Tale". English novelist and eccentric, William Beckford squandered the massive fortune of his wealthy merchant father (who died when he was young) on rebuilding the family home of Fonthill Abbey in Wiltshire as an Arabian Nights fantasy. The tower eventually became unstable, and its collapse lead to the demolition of the whole building. His novel Vathek, written in 1782, is described by Irwin as "one of the strangest in English literature".

Thomas Paine: "The Age of Reason" (1796) - "Take away from Genesis the belief that Moses was the author, on which only the strange belief that it is the word of God has stood, and there remains nothing of Genesis but an anonymous book of stories, fables, and traditionary or invented absurdities, or of downright lies. The story of Eve and the serpent, and of Noah and his ark, drops to a level with the Arabian Tales, without the merit of being entertaining, and the account of men living to eight and nine hundred years becomes as fabulous as the immortality of the giants of the Mythology."

Adam Oehlenschläger: "Aladdin eller den forunderlige lampe" (Aladdin of the Wonderful Lamp) was composed by the Danish poet in 1820.

Théophile Gautier, the French poet, critic and novelist, received the inspiration to write the scenario for the a ballet called "La Péri", an oriental fairy tale, as a vehicle for the Italian ballerina Carlotta Grisi in 1843. Gautier also notably created Giselle in this way.

In "Godey's Lady's Book" of February 1845 the American poet and short story writer Edgar Allan Poe first published his short story "The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade". In this Arabian Nights parody, Poe revealed a secret insight into what really happened on the one thousand and second night, thus purporting to correct history. On this night Scheherazade decided to complete the hitherto incomplete adventures of Sindbad. The famous sailor in his last adventure seems to have attained a special insight into images of the scientific achievements and discoveries of Poe’s contemporary world without actually understanding what they were. In the end, after Sindbad has grappled with the description of such things as iron ships, diving equipment and electro telegraph printing apparatus, the Sultan is so shocked by the trend of modern women to bolster their backsides with a bustle that he interrupts the flow of Scheherazade’s story, and decides to execute her anyway. Scheherazade is consoled by the fact that the Sultan would never hear the end of the tale, and that his petulance has deprived him of more such "inconceivable adventures".

Charles Dickens: "A Christmas Tree" (1850)
Hush! Again a forest, and somebody up in a tree--not Robin Hood, not Valentine, not the Yellow Dwarf (I have passed him and all Mother Bunch's wonders, without mention), but an Eastern King with a glittering scimitar and turban. By Allah! two Eastern Kings, for I see another, looking over his shoulder! Down upon the grass, at the tree's foot, lies the full length of a coal-black Giant, stretched asleep, with his head in a lady's lap; and near them is a glass box, fastened with four locks of shining steel, in which he keeps the lady prisoner when he is awake. I see the four keys at his girdle now. The lady makes signs to the two kings in the tree, who softly descend. It is the setting-in of the bright Arabian Nights.
Oh, now all common things become uncommon and enchanted to me. All lamps are wonderful; all rings are talismans. Common flower-pots are full of treasure, with a little earth scattered on the top; trees are for Ali Baba to hide in; beef-steaks are to throw down into the Valley of Diamonds, that the precious stones may stick to them, and be carried by the eagles to their nests, whence the traders, with loud cries, will scare them. Tarts are made, according to the recipe of the Vizier's son of Bussorah, who turned pastrycook after he was set down in his drawers at the gate of Damascus; cobblers are all Mustaphas, and in the habit of sewing up people cut into four pieces, to whom they are taken blind-fold.
.......
Yes, on every object that I recognise among those upper branches of my Christmas Tree, I see this fairy light! When I wake in bed, at daybreak, on the cold, dark, winter mornings, the white snow dimly beheld, outside, through the frost on the window-pane, I hear Dinarzade. "Sister, sister, if you are yet awake, I pray you finish the history of the Young King of the Black Islands." Scheherazade replies, "If my lord the Sultan will suffer me to live another day, sister, I will not only finish that, but tell you a more wonderful story yet." Then, the gracious Sultan goes out, giving no orders for the execution, and we all three breathe again.

Robert Louis Stevenson: "The New Arabian Nights" (1882) and "Island Nights' Entertainments" (1893) provided Stevenson with a vehicle for short stories.
In "A Gossip on Romance" (1882) Stevenson wrote: 'There is one book, for example, more generally loved than Shakespeare, that captivates in childhood, and still delights in age - I mean the ARABIAN NIGHTS - where you shall look in vain for moral or for intellectual interest. No human face or voice greets us among that wooden crowd of kings and genies, sorcerers and beggarmen. Adventure, on the most naked terms, furnishes forth the entertainment and is found enough.'

John Meade Falkner's classic children's novel "Moonfleet" first appeared in 1898. Right on the second page John Trenchard reveals that, of the books he loved to read as a child, the Arabian Nights was his favourite; and that Aladdin was to inspire him in his later adventures. He finds his incarcerating 'Aladdin's cave' in my home town, and trapped in the vault under Moonfleet church he nearly dies; however unlike Aladdin, the booty that he finds himself buried with is liquor.

John Barth, the American metaphysical novelist, wrote "Chimera" in 1972. This contains three tales, one of which explores the relationship between Scheherazade, the Sultan and her sister Dunyazade. In 1991 he went on to write a more fully developed Nights parody entitled "The Last Voyage Of Somebody The Sailor", which, I gather, has a whole section written in the style of Burton.

Jorge Luis Borges, the great Argentinian short story writer, was indebted to and besotted by the Nights. He was a particular admirer of Burton's translation, and wrote an essay in 1935 on "The Translators of the 1001 Nights". He also published a lecture on the subject of the Nights (one of seven given by Borges at Buenos Aires in 1977) in a volume entitled Siete Noches or "Seven Nights".

Italo Calvino, the Cuban born Italian writer, wrote Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore ("If on a Winter's Night a Traveller") in 1979; and it was translated into English in 1981. Calvino's novel belongs to the genre of novels known as ‘magic realism’ - novels that are inspired by the ‘story within a story’ framework of the Arabian Nights. The narrative focuses on a fictive reader whose quest to find the continuation of a book that he has started reading leads him into a literary vortex of forged novels and faked identities. In the process we find out about the literary history of the Cimmerian race and the Irish master of pulp fiction (Silas Flannery) together with his enigmatic forger (Ermes Marana). There is also a cameo appearance by a modern-day wife of an Arabian Sultan whose voracious reading habits have to be provided for. This book is alternately amusing and thrilling, but on another level it also provides deep psychological insights into the processes of reading and writing. The author’s indebtedness to the Arabian Nights is acknowledged at various stages, but most particularly right at the end.

Najib Mahfouz: "Arabian Nights and Days" (1982) starts where the Nights leaves off, telling us what really happened to Shahrzad and Shahriyar and several of the famous Nights characters. All these characters now live in one medieval city, and their individual stories are linked by one major theme - corruption. The accusing finger of the author seems to point through the book towards those in positions of responsibility today. Each story ends with the downfall of several high officials; and even the bloodthirsty Sultan is made to feel very uncomfortable in his position. In fact the constant and bewildering stream of governors and Chiefs of Police must have given the citizens apoplexy.

The first and most striking thing one notices when first encountering this novel is the way that it is written. To the reader unfamiliar with the work of Mahfouz (or any contemporary Arabic novelists) the different style of writing is noticeable as soon as one opens the book. His sentences are sparse, and he gives the reader no more than is absolutely necessary for the telling of the story. Nothing is wasted - every word is important. Wit abounds throughout, not only in the inherent cynicism of authority, but also in the way the author plays with the familiar characters. I shall never think of Dunyazad in the same way again; and one of my favourite passages involves Sindbad the Porter, who, encouraged by the stories he has heard from the mouth of Sindbad the Sailor, goes on his own travels; returning towards the end of the novel to make a report of his adventures to the Sultan.

Robert Irwin: The Arabian Nightmare (1983). A thriller by the Arabian Nights guru. The story is set in Cairo in 1486, at the time of the Mamelukes. It is told by Yoll, an Egyptian storyteller who is also secretly engaged in writing the "Thousand and One Nights". He tells of Balian, a Franciscan pilgrim from Norwich, and his brush with the "Arabian Nightmare".

Salman Rushdie: "The Satanic Verses" (1988). Simultaneously one of the most brilliant and notorious novels of the twentieth century. Bollywood film-acting megastar Gibreel Farishta and Anglicised Indian actor Saladin Chamcha are kidnapped for many days when their aircraft is hijacked. Caught in a tale of Nights-like wonder, Farishta's madness progresses, and he dreams that he is the archangel Gibreel, involved in the transmission of the word of God to the Prophet. The last chapter of of Rushdie's work is called "A Wonderful Lamp", the title being symbolic of the reconciliation between Saladin Chamcha and his father Changez before the final outcome of the novel.

Even more reliant on the tales of the Nights is "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" (1990) by the same author. This book, intended (in my estimation) for mature children of upwards of twelve, combines elements of the Nights and the Indian story collection known as the 'Ocean of Story' (Kathasaritsagara ) and, together with the whiff of Gulliver's Travels, whips them all together into a fantasy involving the story-telling father Rashid Khalifa and his son Haroun (the names might sound familiar!). Rashid and Haroun are magically whisked away from an unhappy existence on earth and up to earth's second moon, Kahani (Hindustani for 'story'), where they become involved in a battle to protect the evil power of Chup from polluting the magical waters of the Ocean of the Streams of Story. The inevitable happy ending is infused with a wonderfully fresh feeling of genuine forgiveness. Throughout the adventures the inquisitive Haroun ponders the rhetorical question "What's the use of stories that aren't even true?" There is also an implied allegorical relationship between the lack of vigilance of the Guppees in their responsibility for protecting their Ocean of Stories and the modern apathetic disregard of the ancient sources of wisdom, such as the Arabian Nights.

Mary Zimmerman adapted the Arabian Nights for the Chicago company "Lookingglass Theatre," receiving considerable acclaim in 1992.

Dominic Cooke's play "Arabian Nights" (1998) retells several of the favourite tales (including Sindbad the Sailor and The Tale of the Hunchback) in a manner suitable for adults and older children alike.

Githa Hariharan, the Indian feminist author and noted reformer, won the Commonwealth Prize for the Best First Book in 1993 with "The Thousand Faces of Night"; and in 1999 she came out with "When Dreams Travel", which is her view of what happened after Shahrzad completed the telling of the stories. Frustrated by the refusal of a bank to allow her to open an account for her son, she recently encouraged an Indian court to recognise her, as a mother, as a legal guardian of her child.

David Ives - "Arabian Nights". The American playwright's stage version came out in 2000, and is based around an American businessman who thinks he has found his soulmate in an Arabian gift shop. The play is published in a volume called "Lives of the Saints".

Kelly Godel's novel "The Amazing Voyage of Azzam" was published in December 2000. It is a testament to the influence of the films of Ray Harryhausen (and particularly "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad") on the author. Azzam is a mariner, and a bitter rival of a certain better known contemporary. The book starts in a Star Wars-like whirlwind of action as Azzam attempts to rescue Princess Sakari from the grip of fate in the harem of the Spider-King. Azzam, his mentor Maruf and his beautiful and mysterious pouting slave-girl Fatima become embroiled in the fight to stop an evil sorcerer from obtaining the lost treasure of Solomon. In the process they roam the lands surrounding the Arabian peninsula and ward off many creatures recognisable as being from the fertile mind of Ray Harryhausen (creator of the Sinbad films).
The book at first appeared unpromising to me with its simplistic title, cheap cover and the opening few chapters of carpets flying all over the place combining to make it appear as if it is aimed at children (although its content dictates otherwise). As I read on I realised that the author is clearly steeped in the folklore that surrounds the Solomon legend and the Arabian Nights in general - particularly the story called "The City of Brass". All in all, Godel's five year labour of love is a thoroughly enjoyable read; but (unlike the Harryhausen films) I would give the book at least a 12 certificate.

Music:

Mozart's great opera "Die Zauberflöte" (The Magic Flute) was first performed in Vienna in 1791. A fairy tale linked with Masonic ritual, the libretto by impressario and great man of the theatre Emanuel Schikaneder (who wrote the Hans Wurst part of Papageno for himself) was to some extent based on a story called "Lulu oder Die Zauberflöte" by Jakob August Liebeskind, included in a volume of German Nights-inspired fairy tales entitled Dschinnistan (Djinnestan being the supposed land of the jinns, but not referred to by that name in any of my reference works) and assembled by Christoph Martin Wieland (collated 1786-9). The story of Lulu is followed until the beginning of the finale of Act 1, when masonic influences begin to become more prominent. Nonetheless, this story donated its setting (Egypt), plot basis and title to the masterpiece.

The Tomb of Mevlana Rumi (1207-1273) at Konya, Turkey Persia would have been a very different place when this great man of peace, the founder of the whirling dervishes, was alive.

Boïeldieu’s opera "Le Calife de Bagdad". French composer François Boïeldieu’s opera was first performed in 1800, and being "fashionably exotic", was such a great success, that Cherubini asked him ‘Are you not ashamed of such undeserved success?’ and took him on as a pupil. Nowadays it is only the overture that is remembered. Weber's opera "Abu Hassan" was written in 1810 and is based on the comic tale of "The Story of the Sleeper Awakened" (see above). According to one source, "The music is skilfully written, imaginative, sprightly and full of good tunes." Strauss, Johann II’s first completed operetta was called "Indigo und die vierzig Räuber" (Indigo and the Forty Robbers). It was first performed in 1871. This event is considered as marking the beginning of the ‘golden era’ of the Vienna operetta. The libretto was based on the story of ‘Ali Baba’, and the hit number was the waltz song (‘Yes, that’s how it is sung in the town where I was born’). Despite initial success, it didn’t last long in Vienna. It was performed in Paris in 1875 with a new libretto and title, La reine Indigo - this was subsequently retranslated into German. Strauss later arranged a waltz based on themes from the operetta, Tausend und eine Nacht (A Thousand and One Nights) which enjoyed greater success than the operetta. The operetta is still occasionally performed now under this title.

Lutz: The German composer Wilhelm Meyer Lutz wrote scores for burlesques and operettas; and particularly for John Hollingshead's Gaiety Theatre (now demolished), which was in the Strand, London. "The Forty Thieves" was performed in 1880, and "Aladdin" in 1881.

Lecocq's operetta "Ali-Baba" was premiered in Paris in 1887.

Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral fantasy "Scheherazade" (1888). The great Russian composer originally seems to have had a notion of a programmatic work; and initially named the four movements "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship", "The Story of the Kalendar Prince", "The Young Prince and the Young Princess" and "The Festival at Bagdad"; but then retracted the idea of linking the music too closely to the story, and referred to it later as "a kaleidoscope of fairy-tale images and patterns of Oriental character." Clearly, however, he did not retract the title; and he freely admitted that the solo violin plays the part of Scheherazade telling the tales to her stern husband. Furthermore he headed the score with a brief outline of the frame story. The fourth movement, "The Festival at Bagdad", is the background music for this page.

Ravel's overture "Shéhérazade", inspired directly by the Arabian Nights, was written in 1899. The opera to which it was intended to belong never materialised. The composer was dissatisfied with the overture, and it remained unpublished until his death. In 1903 he returned to the Arabian theme when he wrote a song cycle (for voice and orchestra) of the same title based on three of the poems of León Leclère. Shéhérazade does not tell a story; however it paints a picture of the exotic Middle East - and came to be acknowledged as one of the composer's great masterpieces.

Dukas’ ballet "La Péri" (poème dansé), with its famous fanfare, was first performed in Paris in 1912.

Romberg's musical "Sinbad". This musical by Sigmund Romberg was first performed in 1918, and starred Al Jolson, who appeared in ancient Bagdad as a comical chap named Inbad who poses as Sinbad the Sailor. The hit song was "Rock-a-bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody".

Norton / Asche: "Chu-Chin-Chow" opened in 1916 and was a version of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" with the character of the Chinese merchant of the title thrown in. It has been described as "the first smash hit of the British musical theatre", surviving for 2,238 performances and lighting up the British theatre during the First World War. During the musical's first run, the Lord Chamberlain's Office became involved in investigating a complaint of "near nudity and non controlled breast movement." The British film of 1934 starred George Robey and Anna May Wong.

Puccini's great opera "Turandot" (1926) is based on a play by Carlo Gozzi (1720-1806), Turandotte; which was in turn based on a short story from the Nights apocrypha* called The Story of Prince Calaf and the Princess of China by Pétis de la Croix; from his translations of oriental stories, collected together as Mille et un jours. For Pétis de la Croix's involvement with Galland's translation of the Nights, please see The History of the Nights. The Princess Turandot proclaims that any potential suitors must answer three riddles or be beheaded. Prince Calaf answers the riddles correctly, yet although he loves her, faced with her horror he decides to give her an escape clause and offers to die if she can discover his name before dawn. His confidence that he will gain her love is declared in the mighty aria Nessun Dorma (None Shall Sleep).

* Is not, in some uniquely Nights-like way, the Nights its own apocrypha? - Don't worry - just a rhetorical question.

Borodin / Wright / Forrest: "Kismet" (1953). This great musical is described as a "Musical Arabian Night". It is set in ancient Baghdad, where a poet goes through a series of adventures that include drowning the Wazir, appointment as Emir of Bagdad and eloping with the Wazir's wife. Hit numbers included "Stranger in Paradise", "Baubles, Bangles and Beads", "He's in Love" and "And This Is My Beloved". The music was adapted by Wright and Forrest from such pieces as the Polovtsian Dances, the String Quartet in D and "In the Steppes of Central Asia" by the great Russian composer Alexander Borodin. The film version, made in 1955, starred Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Sebastian Cabot and Dolores Gray.

Lombardo: Carmen Lombardo’s stage version of the "Arabian Nights" with lyrics by the composer and John Jacob Loeb opened on June 24, 1954 at the Jones Beach Marine Theatre, New York. The songs were: "What a Pity", "It's Great to Be Alive", "A Thousand and One Nights", "The Grand Vizier's Lament", "Hail to the Sultan", "The Hero of All My Dreams", "A Whale of a Story, "The Bath Parade", "How Long Has It Been?", "Teenie Weenie Genie", "A Long Ago Love" and "Marry the One You Love". Original cast included: William Chapman, Helena Scott, Gloria Van Dorp, Ralph Herbert, Hope Holiday, James McCracken and Lauritz Melchior.

Porter: Cole Porter's musical "Aladdin" was premiered on American television on February 21st, 1958. The London stage production started in December 1959. Hit songs were "Aladdin", "Trust Your Destiny to a Star", "I Adore You" and "Opportunity Knocks But Once".

Toch: This German Jewish émigré composer's opera "Die letzte Maerchen" (The Last Tale) was written in California in 1960; right at the end of his life, and in collaboration with librettist Melchior Lengyel. It was not performed until 1995 in Bautzen, Germany. In Lengyel's romantic version of the story, Scherazade has reached her thousandth night, and anxiously awaits the prearranged return of her lover Alcazar with his troops. Scheherazade racks her brains to think up another tale, and starts to tell her own story. The Sultan is so rapt in the tale, that when Alcazar does arrive with his troops, he completely fails to notice. Alcazar finally holds Scheherazade in his hands, but, alas, she is a pale spent force. Exhausted by her travails, she dies.

The classical/rock fusion band Renaissance came out in 1975 with an album that is regarded as their greatest, and which is still currently available. It is called "Scheherazade and Other Stories", and a large part of it is taken up with "Song of Scheherazade", from which come the numbers "Fanfare", "The Betrayal", "The Sultan", "Love Theme", "The Young Prince and Princess as told by Scheherazade", "Festival Preparations", "Fugue for the Sultan", "The Festival" and "Finale". There are some obscure and academic references to Rimsky Korsakov's "Scheherazade" (see above), however "Song of Scheherazade" is most definitely an original work for all sakes and purposes; and it is to provide the basis for a new musical, which was projected to appear on the West End stage, (although this seems to have gone quiet at the moment).

Amirov: The Azerbaijan composer Fikrat Amirov wrote a two act ballet to the Arabian Nights, which was first performed in 1979. In the ballet Scheherazade tells several of the better known stories, such as those of Sindbad, Ali Baba and Aladdin.

In 1997 the Iranian singer ZaZa (Scheherazade Saleh), born in France and now residing in California, released her acclaimed album "Nights One and A Thousand". ZaZa's website tells us that she 'has given this old traditional tale some surprising twists and turns making this a unique album with songs that are linked by a romantic theme. Both traditional Persian musicians and noted jazz artists (e.g. Peter Apfelbaum) have lent their talents to this new collection of songs with stunning results.'

Don't forget to visit the Arabian Nights Picture Gallery!

Film & TV:

Lubitsch: The German director Ernst Lubitsch's 1921 silent, "One Arabian Night" starred Pola Negri and the director himself who played a clown who vows revenge on the wicked sheik who killed his lover (Pola Negri) in the harem.

Walsh: "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924). Silent movie starring Douglas Fairbanks, Julanne Johnston and Anna May Wong.
The screenplay of this film was written by Fairbanks (under his pseudonym of Elton Thomas), and the lion’s share of the production was also by Fairbanks. He had been inspired by Edward Knoblock’s play "Kismet" (later turned into a musical) and Fritz Lang’s 1921 film Der Müde Tod. Fairbank’s tale is of Ahmed, a thief who sets his mind on stealing the heart of the Caliph’s daughter. In achieving this, Ahmed proves that “Happiness must be earned”.
This Arabian Nights oriental potpourri of a tale (which is a mixture of tales concerning Harun al-Rashid, with a heavy dose of the story of Prince Ahmed with a few added twists) is augmented by references to other mythology. For example, oblique references are made to Marco Polo’s Travels when a rival for the princess’s hand appears in the form of a Mongol Prince from China. With its awe-inspiring recreation of the gleaming palaces of Bagdad, the film looks as beautiful today as it must have done in 1924.
Truly one of the few intelligent Arabian Nights films that was intended for an adult audience, and a cinema classic.

Butler: "Ali Baba Goes to Town" (1937) starred American comedian and singer Eddie Cantor.

Korda: "The Thief of Bagdad" (1940). 'A witty, magical, full-blown fantasy.' The Film Handbook - Geoff Andrew.
N.B. The American actor Milton Burle once styled himself as The Thief of Bad Gags (!!!!)

Rawlins: "The Arabian Nights" (1942). This film starring Jon Hall and Maria Montez bore little relation to the Nights, but provided an essential element of distraction in the midst of the war.

Lubin: "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (1944)

Green: "A Thousand and One Nights" (1945). The soppy, serenading, handsome adult Aladdin (Cornel Wilde) certainly doesn't look as if he's 'of the gutter born and bred'. Indeed this Aladdin, as with the other principals of this film, are out-and-out Americans lost in a benign and romantic Arabian Nights wonderland. The principal character is known as Aladdin "of Cathay" in a feeble attempt to atone for the fact that the story has been removed from its correct location - China. Phil Silvers (the stereotypical American in Arabia) adds vibrancy to the film as 'Abdullah', and Adele Jergens adds beauty as the princess. The old story is totally thrown out of the window when Evelyn Keyes turns up as the very feminine and all too human genie of the lamp. Dated, but still entertaining.

Wallace: "Sinbad the Sailor" (1947) starred Douglas Fairbanks Jnr, Walter Slezak, Maureen O'Hara and Anthony Quinn.
'Well staged but humourless' - Halliwell's Film and Video Guide (13th edition)

De Cordova: "The Desert Hawk" (1950) starred Yvonne DeCarlo, Richard Greene, Jackie Gleason, Rock Hudson and George Macready. It is about a chap called Omar, who by day is a humble blacksmith, but by night battles against the oppressive regime of Prince Murad. He tricks 'Princess' Sharazade into marrying him in order to topple the regime.

Neumann: "Son of Ali Baba" (1952) starred Tony Curtis, Piper Laurie and Susan Cabot. This is about a greedy Caliph who attempts to steal Ali Baba's treasure. It is Ali Baba's son, Kashma, who thwarts the Caliph's plans and saves the day.

Becker: "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" (French - 1954)

Juran: "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" (1958) starred Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant and Torin Thatcher. Sinbad, with the help of a genie, battles Shakura, a magician (clearly based on the evil magician from the Aladdin story, magic lamp and all) who has shrunk a princess to the size of a human thumb, in an endeavour to reach the Island of Colossus. On his way he is beset by various animated characters including a Cyclops and a two-headed version of Sindbad's massive bird known as the 'roc'. This film is worth seeing for Ray Harryhausen's first stunning attempt at animating a feature length mythological tale. Criticism of Mathew's performance seems churlish, to say the least, when considering the technological difficulties he must have been up against when acting alongside animated characters and a shrunken princess.
'Lively fantasy with narrative drive and excellent effects.' - Halliwell's Film and Video Guide (13th edition)

Rawlins: "1001 Arabian Nights" (1959) is an animated feature, and was also known as "Mr. Magoo - 1001 Arabian Nights". The soundtrack featured Hans Conried and Kathryn Grant; and the story is about Myopic Magoo (also known as Uncle Abdul Azziz Magoo) who battles a tyrant for the hand of a beautiful princess - with a little help from a genie.

Lubin: "The Thief of Bagdad" (1961)

Haskin: The movie "Captain Sindbad" (1963) does have some things going for it. The name of Sindbad is spelt correctly in the title for one thing, but that is where the resemblance with the Arabian Nights ends. Sindbad was never the captain. However, this movie does have a nice oriental-fairy-tale feel, with beautiful looks and a reasonable score. The acting and plot, however, leave a lot to be desired; though when I watched it I was mildly interested in the decision to give the mythical country of Baristan attributes that resemble Ottoman Turkey. Guy Williams played Captain Sindbad, and Heidi Brühl Princess Jana.

Vogel: "The Sword of Ali Baba" (1965) starred Peter Mann, Jocelyn Lane & Peter Whitney. It was an outrageous remake of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" using some footage from 1944 movie. Frank Puglia repeated his role as Prince Cassim to link the old and new footage!

Salvi: "Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens" (Italian - 1965)

Lacey: "A Thousand and One Nights" (1968). This Spanish fantasy film starred Jeff Cooper and Raf Vallone.

Hessler: "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" or "Sinbad's Golden Voyage" (1974), starred John Phillip Law as Sinbad, Caroline Munro as the slave girl Margiana, Tom Baker (known to British fans as Doctor Who) as Prince Koura and Kurt Christian as Haroun. This was the second in the trio of Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films. In this one, Captain Sinbad gets involved in a plot to find a gold tablet and therefore thwart the plans of the evil sorcerer Koura. He also obtains the ‘crown of untold riches’, with which he can crown the ruler of Marabia. Once again the story is influenced by mythology, this time classical and Hindu. Sinbad has to encounter the Oracle of All Knowledge, a centaur, and the greatly armed Hindu goddess Kali - greatly armed in both senses.

For a plot summary of the film, please click here.

Pasolini: Italian poet, novelist and film-maker Pier Paolo Pasolini created Il Fiore Delle Mille e Una Notte (literally “The Flower of the Thousand and One Nights” but generally known in Britain as The Arabian Nights) in 1974. It was the third film in his "Trilogy of Life" (following "The Decameron" and "The Canterbury Tales") and the gorgeous scenery that comes over so beautifully in the film was found in Ethiopia, the Yemen, Iran and Nepal. The film stars Nineto Davoli (Aziz), Franco Merli (Nuradin), Ines Pellegrini (Zumarud), Franco Citti (a demon), Tessa Bouché (Aziza) and Margaret Clementi. It remains the only version of the Nights made for adults - a tribute to youth and sexuality, and Pasolini certainly chose some of the raunchiest of the tales. It seems to have been made on a low budget with wobbly camerawork, poor cuts and (in some places) very amateurish acting. Why therefore has the film recently been released on DVD by the British Film Institute?

Prefacing the film with the statement that "Truth lies not in one dream, but in many dreams", Pasolini searches for truth in several Nights stories. The conclusion that he comes to is that dreams are a poor teacher - one dream will not give you the whole picture. In order to make his point he turns the stories of the Nights on their head. The traditional frame story is dispensed with, and in its place we find a hybrid starting out like Noureddin and the Fair Persian and ending like Kamar al-Zaman. Other stories from the Nights include that of Táj-el-Mulook and the Lady Dunyà, Abu Nowas With the Three Boys and the Caliph Harun Al-Rashid, the Tale of the Second Dervish and the Tale of the Third Dervish; as well as a few shorter references to other tales. The camera liked the good looking actors, and there is indeed excessive nudity. Despite all its faults, this is an intelligent interpretation of a selection of the stories; and the film is compelling because it successfully manages to capture the theme of the inevitability of destiny that pervades the story collection. The compilers of these stories knew that the boxed story format could add so much depth to the characters and to the main story. It helped to provide a sense that the characters had lived before and will carry on living after the story that is currently being told. Pasolini himself said that "Every tale in the Thousand and One Nights begins with an appearance of destiny which manifests itself through an anomaly. The end of every tale … consists of a ‘disappearance’ of destiny, which sinks back into the somnolence of everyday life. The protagonist of all the stories is in fact Destiny itself."

The sparse but appealing soundtrack of the film (predominantly performed by string quartet) is by Ennio Morricone, and the film won the Cannes Special Jury Prize. Within a year the producer Pasolini had been murdered. The DVD of his penultimate film has been released by the British Film Institute in a plain version with no extras, other than sleeve notes. The soundtrack is Italian, and the English subtitles are not removable. However, with all its faults, it is essential that all Nights connoisseurs are familiar with this film.

NB. This film was passed by the BBFC as being suitable for people of 18 years and over. There are scenes that might offend those of a sensitive disposition. The soundtrack is, as I have mentioned, in Italian.

For a plot summary of the film, please click here.

Wanamaker: "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" (1974) starred Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power and Jane Seymour, and was the last in the trio of Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films.
'Lumpish sequel to a sequel' - Halliwell's Film and Video Guide (13th edition)

Donner: "The Thief of Bagdad" (1978)

Connor: "An Arabian Adventure" (1979). "An engaging entertainment for all the family with the requisite amount of *flashing swords, intrigue and flying carpets along with a welcome cast of old pros such as Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Mickey Rooney." The Daily Express.
'Resolutely well mounted, but somehow lacking that necessary fillip of Hollywood vulgarity or exuberance.' John Pym, MFB
*I can't think of a single genuine Nights story that features chivalric sword fighting. Swords are featured a lot, but only generally to swipe off limbs from defenceless people. Burton, in one of his writings, sneeringly tells us that "None of these Orientals knows the point which characterises the highest school of swordsmanship".

Yabushita: "Sinbad the Sailor" (1987) - Japanese animated comic-book - type adventure following Sinbad and friend Ali on a quest for South Seas Island which hides many precious jewels.

Castellari: "Sinbad of the Seven Seas" (1988) starred Lou (Incredible Hulk) Ferrigno & John Steiner. Sinbad and his cohorts chase the evil Wizard who has stolen sacred gems.

Philippe de Broca produced "Les Mille et Une Nuits" in 1990. It is known as "Scheherazade" in England and "La Schiava di Bagdad" in Italy. The film starred Catherine Zeta-Jones as Scheherazade and Gérard Jugnot as "le Génie". This Scheherazade manages to flee from the Sultan with the help of a friendly genie, who projects her to the country of eternal rain; modern day England. A French web site reviewer atones for this slur by declaring that the incredibly long film does have its good moments - but it they are buried in the middle of the drudge.

Disney Studios: "Aladdin" (1992). Songs by Alan Menken and Tim Rice include "Arabian Nights", "You Ain't Never had a Friend Like Me" and "A Whole New World". This version of the story is not set in China, but in a veritable Arabian Nights wonderland of a city called Agraba, which is peopled by some of the famous characters from other Nights stories. The ferocious Caliph Haroun al-Raschid has been powered down to the status of a puppet monarch, manipulated by the envious and scheming hands of his powerful sidekick Jafar (who also assumes the role of the evil African sorcerer). The magic carpet, from the story of "Prince Ahmad", appears and has a character of its own; and also Prince Ahmad himself makes a fleeting appearance as a potential suitor for the Princess. Speaking of which, her name is now Jasmine, and not Badroulbadour. Those parents who think that this is 'dumbing down' may be pleased to know that Disney's story is so different from the original that it could not assuage a child's pleasure in reading the original if he or she so desired. If you don't believe me, then tell me where that most famous phrase from the original story, "New lamps for old!" appears in this film.

I don't really need to add that this is great entertainment. The characterisations are superb, especially those of the genie of the lamp, and Jafar's trusty parrot.

Disney followed the spectacular success of this film with two straight to video follow-ups, "The Return of Jafar" (1994) and "Aladdin and the King of Thieves" (1996).

Barron: "Arabian Nights" - Hallmark Entertainment Network (2000). This is (once again) a loose fantasia on the Nights theme, and therefore it is not the story collection known and loved by connoisseurs. In fact the question that nags more and more as the movie goes on is this - just how altered does an adaptation of a classic of literature have to be before it can no longer be considered an adaptation? There are so many departures from the original that it would be ridiculous to list them all; however the dropping of the character of Dunyazad, Shahrazad’s little sister to whom she actually tells the stories, is not only a great shame but it has created a problem, because it has left Shahrazad telling the stories directly to the King; thus making the film script less credible than the original. Shahrazad is depicted as being the first potential victim of the Sultan’s wrath, rather than the one to break the mould of his killing spree; thus making Shahriar seem more of a nice guy than he actually was. A handy way of removing the most distinctive characteristic of one of the cruellest kings in literature also partially removes Shaharazad’s underlying motive for telling the stories in the first place, because in the original Shahriar’s track record has been proven and the city has been nearly decimated of available young ladies.

However, the chosen script has been acted well and looks visually stunning, helped by magnificent Turkish and Moroccan backdrops. In the first part of the film Shahrazad tells the tales of "Ali Baba", "The Hunchback" and "Aladdin". Only the first half of the tale of "The Hunchback" is told, which is a shame because is has been done well; and I was looking forward to "The Story of the Tailor". Curiously the character of ‘the Christian’ was replaced with a totally out of place Englishman (who just happened to be wandering through Basrah in the 11th century). In this movie Aladdin’s cave is filled with terracotta warriors rather than treasure! These warriors are guarding the lamp, which is therefore quite easy for Aladdin to find because its position behind the statues is obvious.

The second part of the film concludes the story of "Aladdin" (rather slowly) and tells the tales of "The Sleeper Awakened" and "Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Peri Banou". "The Sleeper Awakened" is in fact a telling of a part of the original, this version ending with the Polonius-like death of the eves-dropping Haroun Al-Raschid. Also in this part an invented dispute between Shahriar and his brother Shahzaman becomes more and more intrusive.

NB. Shahriar was a Persian king; not an Arabic sultan - and his capital may have been Ctesiphon. It certainly was not Baghdad, which was not built until 762 AD, 121 years after the end of the Sassanid dynasty. Whilst this is enough of an inaccuracy, the original story actually implies that he ruled the eastern half of the Sassanian empire and Shahzaman the western half, so his capital may well have been much farther east - after all we are told in the prologue that Shahriar "lived and ruled in India and Indochina".

The film stars Mili Avital, Dougray Scott, Alan Bates, Rufus Sewell, Jason Scott Lee, Vanessa Mae and Alexei Sayle.

Currently in Production