Arabian Nights (1974)
"Il fiore delle mille e una notte" (original title)

In this film inspired by the ancient erotic and mysterious tales of the Middle East, the main story concerns an innocent young man who comes to fall in love with a slave who selected him as... See full summary »

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writers:

Pier Paolo Pasolini, Dacia Maraini (script collaboration)

Stars:

Ninetto Davoli, Franco Citti, Franco Merli

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ninetto Davoli	...	Aziz
Franco Citti	...	The Demon
Franco Merli	...	Nur Ed Din
Tessa Bouché	...	Aziza
Ines Pellegrini	...	Zumurrud
Margareth Clémenti	...	Aziz's mother (as Margaret Clementi)
Luigina Rocchi	...	Budur
Alberto Argentino	...	Prince Shahzmah
Francesco Paolo Governale	...	Prince Tagi
Salvatore Sapienza	...	Prince Yunan
Zeudi Biasolo	...	Zeudi
Barbara Grandi
Elisabetta Genovese	...	Munis (as Elisabetta Vito Genovese)
Gioacchino Castellini
Abadit Ghidei	...	Princess Dunya

Storyline

In this film inspired by the ancient erotic and mysterious tales of the Middle East, the main story concerns an innocent young man who comes to fall in love with a slave who selected him as her master. After his foolish error causes their separation, he travels in search of her. Various other travelers who recount their own tragic and romantic experiences include stories of a young man who becomes enraptured by a mysterious woman on his wedding day, and a man who is determined to free a woman from a demon.

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Plot Keywords:

demon | love | search | slave | fate | 

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Taglines:

Pier Paolo Pasolini's Tales of the Arabian Nights

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

20 June 1974 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Arabian Nights

Filming Locations:

Eritrea

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 545,983 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA), Les Productions Artistes Associés

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min 155 min (premiere)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Italian censorship visa # 64574 delivered on 11-5-1974.

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Connections

Referenced in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Top 10 Animated Dinosaur Documentaries (2011)

User Reviews

Spellbinding and poetry made cinema

This is my favorite Pasolini film. This version of Arabian Nights does away with the slave girl telling a master tales: it tells the tale of a slave girl who outwits every man she contacts. First at the slave market she arranges to have herself bought by a young man instead of an old coot. Then she has to teach the man how to make love. Throughout the poem (it works better as visual poetry) Zummarud, the slave girl, gets into one mess after another with all kinds of men (kings, crooks, and governors): every time she outwits them. Along the way are various poetic tales of betrayal and justice (and other things.) Definitely not in the Aladdin vein and a masterpiece of cinema.