Arabian Nights (TV 2000)

To cure a prince's murderous madness, Scheherezade tells him a series of wonderous stories.

Director:

Steve Barron

Writer:

Peter Barnes

Stars:

Mili Avital, Alan Bates, James Frain

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mili Avital	...	Scheherezade
Alan Bates	...	Storyteller
James Frain	...	Schahzenan / Harun al-Rashid
Tchéky Karyo	...	Black Coda (as Tcheky Karyo)
Jason Scott Lee	...	Aladdin
John Leguizamo	...	Genie of the Lamp / Genie of the Ring
Vanessa Mae	...	Princess Zobeide
Dougray Scott	...	Sultan Shahryar / Amin
Rufus Sewell	...	Ali Baba
Jim Carter	...	Ja'Far
Peter Guinness	...	Chief Executioner
Hugh Quarshie	...	Mustappa
Pik Sen Lim	...	Aladdin's Mother (as Pik-Sen Lim)
Amira Casar	...	Morgiana
Andy Serkis	...	Kasim

Storyline

Long ago, the Sultan Schariar has gone mad after his traumatizing near assassination in which his wife collaborated and died at his hands as a result. Now he has a paranoid suspicion of women which he plans to express in a diabolical plan, and that is to marry a woman from the harem and then have her executed the very next morning. To prevent this, the Grand Vizier's daughter and a childhood friend of the Sultan, Scheherezade, offers herself to be that bride. Now, she must gamble that her plan will work as she tries to cure his madness by telling him story after wondrous story which include the tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp. All the while, the Sultan's villainous brother is making plans of his own and Scheherezade's stories are more useful against him than anyone can anticipate.

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Plot Keywords:

harem | paranoia | arabian | two part tv movie | middle east | 

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Taglines:

When Night Falls, the Adventure Begins!

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Genres:

Family | Fantasy | Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

1001 noć

Filming Locations:

Antalya Studios, Turkey

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Entertainment, Studio Babelsberg, RTL Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film of James Callis.

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Goofs

Harun al-Rashid was the Caliph of Baghdad, not the Sultan of Cairo.

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Quotes

Demon's Wife: And now, you must make love to me. If you don't, I'll scream, and my husband will rip your head off.

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Connections

Featured in Open Sesame: The Making of 'Arabian Nights' (2000)

User Reviews

A true jewel of the Orient

"Arabian Nights" is continuing proof that it is possible to put together a highly entertaining, superbly-acted television program with a cast of primarily lesser-known actors and actresses. The performances in the movie are almost uniformly first-rate. For example, John Leguizamo is hilarious and totally believable as Aladdin's genie(s), and far better than Robin Williams' portrayal in Disney's "Aladdin." Mili Avital is enchanting as Scheherezade, and Dougray Scott and James Frain are terrific as the warring brothers Schariar and Schazenan (an interesting re-telling of the original base story line). The ever-reliable Rufus Sewell and Alan Bates give very enjoyable portrayals of Ali Baba and the Storyteller, respectively, and Jason Scott Lee gives a very amusing turn as Aladdin. I particularly enjoyed the segment of the constantly fighting Princes of Yemen, Ali, Ahmed, and Hussain (played with gusto by relative unknowns Alexis Conran, James Callis, and Hari Dhillon). While it is the acting that really shines in "Arabian Nights," the set designs and costuming are truly magical. The special effects are also very good considering the budget limitations of the small screen.

If you're going to rent or buy this on video/DVD, be careful to find the 175 minute version. I don't know what they cut from the shorter version, but honestly you won't want to miss ANY of this marvelous TV movie.

I really hope that Hallmark decides to do a sequel to this with a few more of the tales from the Arabian Nights. There is certainly a precedent for it with the "Sarah, Plain and Tall" films.