Movies-TV

One I REALLY looked forward to, and one I Really INJOYED!

My sister was supposed to get this for me, and when she did, I needed to wait on the mail for it, untill I learned she didn't send it. But when I finally got it, I was tottally happy. It was all I thought it would be.....REALLY GOOD! It has comady, speacle affects, even sword fights. (I like sword fights.) And the actors did a good job in it too. It was fun, so far I've seen it about 3 times and I've injoyed it every time. See ya around..... and ya problably would like to get this movie, because I sure liked it.

A massive story brought to life

What can I say about this miniseries? Great cast, great story, locations. Special effects are done to great effect. I loved this series because all the characters were well drawn and likeable (including eventually the Dougray Scott character). The interspersing of Scheherezade's stories and her real life work well, particularly when the events in the stories begin to reflect what is happening in the real world.

A Classic Tale Well Told

"Arabian Nights" tells the timeless tale of Scheherazade and the imaginary stories with which she enthralled her husband, the Sultan Schahriar, in order to save her life, over the span of "a thousand and one Arabian nights." This lavish and visually stunning production brims with fantastic images, fabulous sets and costumes, compelling characterizations, interesting stories and exotic locations. An updated version of five of the classic 2,500-year-old fantasies popularized in the 1800s by Sir Richard Burton, it features such memorable figures as Aladdin, Ali Baba and the genie of the lamp. It is sure to captivate viewers young and old.

I found it especially enjoyable because it was filmed entirely on location in Morocco and Turkey. Having vacationed in both of these countries, I recognized some of the locations, such as the leather tanneries in Fez, Morocco, and the other-worldly rock formations in Cappadocia near Goreme, Turkey. The sets and buildings overflow with the exquisite detailing common to Islamic architecture. It is a treat to the eye to take in all of the rich, delicate decorations in each scene and realize that, in many cases, these are real places, not simply movie sets.

You can easily view the main feature, running just less than three hours, in a single sitting. But more likely you'll split it up over several days, and the 40 convenient chapter stops nicely divide it up into bite-sized segments. The special features include a fairly typical 13-minute "making of" documentary, cast and crew biographies and production notes.

There were just a few areas that I found less than fully satisfying with "Arabian Nights," but none of them detracted from my enjoyment of the story. First, the sound volume and clarity tended to fluctuate, and sometimes it was hard to understand the dialogue (this is a common problem with many DVDs). Second, the computer graphics, while quite good overall, were not up to the latest standards set by the likes of "Lord of the Rings" and "King Kong." For instance, the "dragons" guarding a cave full of treasures discovered by Ali Baba were not particularly well-rendered, and the digital "smoke" that appears in many scenes was too obviously CGI. Finally, there were a few deliberate "modernisms" in speech or actions, or subtle pop-culture references to modern times. At first this was a little jarring, but I soon accepted it in the spirit with which it was probably intended. Think "Xena: Warrior Princess" and you'll understand what I mean.

This is a great DVD for the whole family to enjoy. I heartily recommend "Arabian Nights" to anyone interested in spending a few pleasant hours in a magical world of sibling rivalry, palace intrigue, genies and flying carpets.

WOW!

I adored this movie on TV which was such a surprise because I usually find their fantasy mini-series barely passable. They're usually effects-focused rather than story-driven. Not so with this one. All the tales are very interesting & the love story is very sincere. One of the other reviews claimed there were some scenes cut. No, there weren't. I have a junky copy from when it aired and it's all there. Buy this movie! You will not be sorry.

Great TV Movie

I saw this on free to air tv tonight and thought it was excellent. It moves along quickly but manages to explore each story nicely. The costumes and set pieces are wonderful, and the mood is set well.If Disney has done nothing else it has butchered the stories of old cultures... Aladdin was not originally the story of a persian peasant with a pet monkey and an eccentric genie. Aladdin was a chinese fable, and was never as child friendly as it became. I like that they have told the original tellings (of most of the stories anyway) rather than regurtitate the disney versions

The plot is simple, but the resulting story is great...

"Arabian nights" is a Hallmark mini-series based on the popular book "A thousand and one nights". Truth to be told, I enjoyed this dvd enormously, and I think many of you will like it too.

For those who haven't read any of the versions of "A thousand and one nights" yet, the plot is simple but the resulting story that the spectator can enjoy is great. A Sultan (Dougray Scott) discovers that his wife betrays him with his brother, and kills her. Hurt and almost mad, the Sultan says that he will wed again but declares that he will marry a new bride everyday, killing her the next morning so she won't betray him too. His first chosen bride is the daughter of his main advisor, Scheherazade (Mili Avital), a woman who loves him and that will try to keep herself and the other women in the palace alive, as well as make the Sultan fall in love with her. In order to do so, Scheherazade begins to tell him a story during their first night together, engaging the Sultan so much in it that the next day he postpones her execution.


And that continues for a long time, every night and with different and enchanting stories, that the director (Steve Barron) somehow manages to show to the spectator, mixed almost seamlessly with the main story. Among other tales, you will be treated to wonderful versions of "Ali Baba and the forty thieves" and "Aladdin and the magic lamp".


Of course, you will wonder how this story finishes, and what happens with the Sultan and Scheherazade. But for that, unfortunately (or fortunately?), you will have to watch this movie, or buy a good version of "A thousand and one nights". In my opinion, doing those two things one after the other would be an excellent idea. The reason for that is that even though the book and the filmic version of it that this dvd contains are quite different, they are both extremely good. Highly recommended!

Belen Alcat

Alaadin

The movie is excellent and I love such movies - the only thing which I don't like about it is that Aladin is interduced as a chinese person, which is not true.......

If you know other movies like this please email me..... ^_^

BORING

This has got to be one of the most awful made for T.V. Mini-Series since the remake of Stephen King's The Shining. I haven't had so much trouble staying awake watching a movie as I did trying to watch this and comprehend what it's suppose to be about. The story lines were inept and childlike. Most of the visual effects were rather stunning, but on the whole, the special effects don't make up for the boring and all too lame story lines. I don't think my watching this story again or even wasting my time and money to buy it is what I would ever do. This is a classic Failure which should have been left on the cutting room floor. If you have trouble sleeping at night, I suggest buying this video and trying to watch it, you will soon be sleeping like a baby.

Magical

If you like myths, legends or anything magical you will love this movie. It is about true love and lessons in life. A woman tries to save her love from madness by telling him stories. Stories that will help guide and hopeful teach him to be a good person again. Her stories paint pictures of good and evil, which include little modern touches but are not hollywoodised or Disney.

It was really enlightening. I had no idea Vanessa Mae was so beautiful.

The movie was a real turnon. I thought the costumes were Realistic for the period. The story though an old one is timeless. I truly enjoyed it . I have a few of Vanessa Maes CDs and appreciate her violin expertese.I had no idea she was so pretty. And young.

In the Lamp

Spoilers herein.One key to master storytelling is the art of folding. That includes all sorts of techniques of overlapping narrative, spanning from overarching metaphor to stories within stories. It is an ancient technique, as old as any story we know. It is especially present in the 'Arabian Nights' stories, signified by what's inside the lamp.The writer of this film understood the singular advantage of the material and made changes to emphasize the folds: the warring genies played by the same actor; the many bleeds between the framing story and the inner stories, and most particularly in the outer framing layers. The whole thing could be what we see from the magical giant, or what his wife whispers in his ear, or how the interloper makes love... or what the teller in the market tells, and that's well before you get into Scheherezade's double nesting: telling the story to her kids and/or telling to her husband.Once you have that, you have a success. Add in some beautiful faces (Vanessa Mae), some lush (but somewhat comic) costumes and really successful locations, and you've got something that works, even in the face of imperfect directing and pacing.One thing that's wonderful about these stories, the originals, is how they cover the 'orient.' This is extended here in referencing locations an peoples in various Arabian locations plus, Persia, Africa, China, even Tibet. Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Disappointment

I watched Arabian Nights on television and I loved it. I loved everything about it: the storyline, the acting, the scenery, the costumes, everything. I was so looking forward to getting this video. I was so disappointed when I realized that the editors of this movie cut out crucial scenes that were inclued in the televised movie. It's basically a choppy mess. Some of the edited out portions were subtle but I knew where the cuts were. A good movie should flow smoothly. For example, the story about Amin the beggar and Abrashield were entirely cut out. That's a crucial part of the movie. It's when the sultan realizes what his brother is doing to him. Without that part, the scene doesn't make sense. Two stars for this video, no stars for the editor.

One of the Best Adaptations of Arabian Nights

Simply put, this is one of the best adaptations of Arabian Nights around, and one of the best TV-miniseries ever made. The story remains true to the Arabian Nights myths. Ali Baba, Aladdin, genies, theives, and all the other favorites are present inside the wonderfully crafted frame story of Scheherezade and the King.You'll love it!

Vivid, Lush; A Feast for the Eyes!

Arabian Nights is a virtual banquet of mind-boggling visual pleasure... the element of special effects, the costumes and the beautiful performers (especially the ethereal Mili Avital) shall truly transport you to a parallel world; it will absorb you. Take my word, by the time the first part is over, you'll be thirsting for the second.

nice!

i bought this movie on dvd in a discount shelf, and it was worth every cent. i see ppl keep complaining about the story of aladdin, which _is_ originally a chinese story. and the book, is just a collection of fairytales from around the world, not only persian ones.

Arabian Nights

Well done and absolutely fantastic! I liked Scott's performance, and frankly, everyone did a great job. The sets were beautiful,and the plot and storyline was well adapted and acted out.This is definitly the best miniseries I've seen I a long time.

Very Entertaining...Great Quality The whole family enjoyed

This movie has a very well written script, excellent acting, engaging story. It's long, but you can watch it in segments because of the story structure. I watched it over and over and enjoyed it each time.

"havn't I heard this before"

You may have heard these stories before, but "Arabian Nights" retells them in a stunningly artistic fasion. The Storys constantly jump back to the sultan and his death-defying bride, adding to their personas all the magic, courage and senuality of the charecters in the tales that she recounts.

Captivating beautiful show

The movie is almost 3 hours long (in DVD version). It is really capturing your attention from scene one till the end keeping you hooked all time long.
The obvious pluses are:
1) Incredible scnenery, great acting and very expensive set design.
2) Intention for viewers of all ages groups, so it's safe to be recommended for family and kids.
3# Impeckable authenticity of ethnic and cultural presentation in places where movie was chosen to be shot #Chinese part looks exactly like historical China of chosen time in all features, Syria looks like Syria, stc.).

The obvious minuses are:
1) Quite distant depiction from the authentic "1001 nights" stories, which might lead the unexperienced audience in a wrong direction about the actual classical story lines (Al ad-Din never was a Chinese thief and the whole story can't possibly be happening in China since "1001 Nights" embraces only Arabic realm; Kasym, the brother of Ali Baba, did not live with him in the same house and Ali Baba, besides his servant, had a wife; etc).
2) Vanessa Mae as a Chinese princess is an obvious commercial trick based on her popularity in pop-music in the year when movie was made: as for starring she is very poor choice both by appearance and by acting.
3) Arabian epic in reality is one of exteremly erotic examples of classical literature, while the movie is so God Damm innocent that one could preach watching it.

Overall I would certainly recommend obtaining this film for your home collection, provided you don't take everything you see as the actual "1001 Nights" epic.

really fabulous story

The stories are told in a really enchanting way, the atmosphere is extremely well rendered and the suspense is omnipresent. The intrigue is classic, but still you will be enchanted by the setting and the humour.