Verdict
Summary
Featuring the stars who would later appear in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Arabian Nights merely takes a gander at the great ancient stories from the Arabian Nights texts and concocts its own page to tell a simple story without much grandeur or sweeping adventure, like, say The Thief of Bagdad did, but it’s colorful nonetheless.
Plot:
Get swept away on a magical carpet ride! Prepare for every wish to be answered in the dazzling film spectacular Arabian Nights!
Review:
An acrobat named Ali (Sabu) witnesses an attack on a man during a circus act, and he rushes to save him, finding him gravely wounded. He takes the man (Jon Hall) to his travelling group of acrobats and they nurse him back to health, also realizing that helping the man will bring them trouble. By chance, a beautiful dancer named Sherazade (Maria Montez) joins the acrobats and she and the mysterious wounded man fall in love, but just when things seem to be all clear, the caliph of Bagdad raids the area, making slaves of the circus performers … and Sherazade. She’s sold into slavery, but soon rescued by another man, but her capture prompts Ali and his team to break free of their bonds and find her before she disappears forever. Turns out that the wounded man who fell in love with Sherazade is the true caliph of Bagdad, and it is his evil brother who has taken over the throne. A fiery swashbuckling finale reveals all secrets and promotes the true heroes of the story to the top.
Featuring the stars who would later appear in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Arabian Nights merely takes a gander at the great ancient stories from the Arabian Nights texts and concocts its own page to tell a simple story without much grandeur or sweeping adventure, like, say The Thief of Bagdad did, but it’s colorful nonetheless. There’s very little sword and sorcery stuff in it, save an appearance by Sinbad (played by future Stooge Shemp Howard), a magic lamp, and a made-you-look appearance by a genie. That said, it’s a surprisingly violent film, with stabbings, a wheel of pain, torture, and even a crucifixion. Fans of the Arabian Nights should check it out, in any case. From director John Rawlins.
Kino Lorber’s new blu ray release of Arabian Nights is a nice upgrade from the previous Universal DVD, and the transfer is crisp and sharp. It comes with an audio commentary by a film historian, and the original theatrical trailer. This would make a fine double bill with Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, which Kino also just released.