Le meraviglie di Aladino (1961)

Directors:

Mario Bava
Henry Levin

Writers:

Luther Davis (writer)
Franco Prosperi (writer)

Release Date:

13 December 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy

Plot:

A poor young man finds a magic lamp that possesses a genie, who will grant the boy three wishes if he sets him free from the lamp. |

Plot Keywords:

Lamp | Magic | Genie | Secret Passage | Evil Vizier

Cast

Donald O'Connor	...	Aladdin
Noëlle Adam	...	Djalma
Vittorio De Sica	...	Genie
Aldo Fabrizi	...	Sultan
Michèle Mercier	...	Princess Zaina
Milton Reid	...	Omar
Terence Hill	...	Prince Moluk (as Mario Girotti)
Fausto Tozzi	...	Grand Vizier
Luigi Tosi
Marco Tulli	...	Fakir
Raymond Bussières	...	Magician
Alberto Farnese	...	Bandit Chieftain
Franco Ressel	...	Vizier's Lieutenant
Vittorio Bonos	...	Lamp Merchant
Adriana Facchetti	...	Aladdin's Mother Benhai

Also Known As:

Les mille et une nuits (France)
The Wonders of Aladdin

Runtime:

Italy:100 min | USA:93 min | UK:92 min | West Germany:93 min

Country:

France | Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Titanus Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Compagnie Cinématographique de France

Trivia:

This one of three films that Lux was going to produce starring 'Steve Reeves' (they had co-produced Ercole e la regina di Lidia (1959)). They were able to get Reeves for the other two productions, Il ladro di Bagdad (1961) and Morgan il pirata (1960).

Not so much a review but a nostalgic anecdote...

Years ago when the first Ninja Turtles movie made its way to VHS, my five-year-old neighbor girl (who liked coming by to play with my toddler), knocked on my door, pressed her copy of the movie into my hands and said, "You've *got* to watch this. It's the *best* movie ever made." When I first saw "The Wonders of Aladdin," I thought it was the best movie ever made. I was eight. My favorite thing in the world at that time was listening to the Broadway cast album of "Kismet" (the movie of which I didn't see for many years) and reading 1001 nights tales in picture books. When I saw "The Wonders of Aladdin" on television with my family, I remember being absolutely enthralled. (I remember my mother being surprised that Vittorio de Sica was in it.) I loved every plot twist. The genie appearing in a matte shot, smaller and smaller with each appearance, made perfect sense to me. I rooted for Donald O'Connor. I was thrilled when he won the princess (who I'd thought was Annette Funicello).

When I saw it again, about age 12, I was appalled. What a cheesy picture, I thought. The wink-wink-nudge-nudge joke of O'Connor (but not the audience) accidentally seeing the princess (not Funicello after all) nude seemed embarrassing. The "special effects" were just cheap.

When I caught the movie again at college age--after several years of reading about films and seeing films of all eras--I was ready to forgive "The Wonders of Aladdin" its failings and enjoy it again.

If you like 1001 nights type stories and you appreciate films of different eras, "The Wonders of Aladdin" is an enjoyable B-movie fantasy.