Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Arabian Nights

Original title: Il fiore delle mille e una notte
  • 19741974
  • XX
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
7,251
286
Arabian Nights (1974)
ComedyDramaFantasy
In ancient Arabia, a beautiful slave girl chooses a youth to be her new master, then she is kidnapped and they must search for each other. Stories are told within stories: love, travel and t... Read allIn ancient Arabia, a beautiful slave girl chooses a youth to be her new master, then she is kidnapped and they must search for each other. Stories are told within stories: love, travel and the whims of destiny.In ancient Arabia, a beautiful slave girl chooses a youth to be her new master, then she is kidnapped and they must search for each other. Stories are told within stories: love, travel and the whims of destiny.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
7,251
286
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Pier Paolo Pasolini
    • Writer
      • Pier Paolo Pasolini
    • Stars
      • Ninetto Davoli
      • Franco Citti
      • Franco Merli
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Pier Paolo Pasolini
    • Writer
      • Pier Paolo Pasolini
    • Stars
      • Ninetto Davoli
      • Franco Citti
      • Franco Merli
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 35User reviews
    • 48Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:34
    Official Trailer

    Photos22

    Franco Merli in Arabian Nights (1974)
    Arabian Nights (1974)
    Franco Merli and Ines Pellegrini in Arabian Nights (1974)
    Arabian Nights (1974)
    Arabian Nights (1974)
    Ninetto Davoli in Arabian Nights (1974)
    Arabian Nights (1974)
    Arabian Nights (1974)
    Franco Citti in Arabian Nights (1974)
    Arabian Nights (1974)
    Arabian Nights (1974)
    Arabian Nights (1974)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ninetto Davoli
    Ninetto Davoli
    • Aziz
    Franco Citti
    Franco Citti
    • Il demone
    Franco Merli
    Franco Merli
    • Nur Ed Din
    Tessa Bouché
    • Aziza
    • (as Tessa Bouche')
    Ines Pellegrini
    Ines Pellegrini
    • Zumurrud
    Margareth Clémenti
    • Madre di Aziz
    • (as Margaret Clementi)
    Luigina Rocchi
    • Budur
    Alberto Argentino
    • Principe Shahzmah
    Francesco Paolo Governale
    • Principe Tagi
    Salvatore Sapienza
    • Principe Yunan
    Zeudi Biasolo
    • Zeudi
    Barbara Grandi
    • Ragazza trattenuta dal demone
    Elisabetta Genovese
    Elisabetta Genovese
    • Munis
    • (as Elisabetta Vito Genovese)
    Gioacchino Castellini
    • Giawàn
    Abadit Ghidei
    • Regina Dunya
    Christian Aligny
      Salvatore Verdetti
      • Barsum
      Jocelyne Munchenbach
      • Director
        • Pier Paolo Pasolini
      • Writer
        • Pier Paolo Pasolini
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      More like this

      The Canterbury Tales
      6.4
      The Canterbury Tales
      The Decameron
      7.1
      The Decameron
      Teorema
      7.1
      Teorema
      Medea
      6.9
      Medea
      Oedipus Rex
      7.3
      Oedipus Rex
      Porcile
      6.6
      Porcile
      The Gospel According to St. Matthew
      7.7
      The Gospel According to St. Matthew
      Mamma Roma
      7.8
      Mamma Roma
      The Hawks and the Sparrows
      7.2
      The Hawks and the Sparrows
      Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
      5.8
      Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
      Accattone
      7.7
      Accattone
      Arabian Nights
      6.1
      Arabian Nights

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        This film is the final entry in director Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Trilogy of Life", following The Decameron (1971) and The Canterbury Tales (1972).
      • Goofs
        When the chimpanzee is writing, it's clearly visible that it's not actually the chimp writing but an actor wearing a glove made to look like the chimp's hand.
      • Crazy credits
        "Truth lies not in one dream, but in many." - Arabian Nights
      • Alternate versions
        The 1990 Water Bearer Films video release (WBF 8001) is marked "Original Uncut Version" with a runtime of 133 min. It is rated X.
      • Connections
        Edited into Porn to Be Free (2016)

      User reviews35

      Review
      Top review
      6/10
      At least it's different...
      'Il Fiore delle mille e una notte', or 'Arabian Nights', is Pier Paolo Pasolini's final film from his "trilogy of life" and his second to last film in general. His last of course is 'Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom', the controversial first film from his "trilogy of death".

      With 'Arabian Nights' Pasolini combines a couple of stories from the book 'A Thousand and One Nights' into one story, although the film itself still feels very episodic. All parts of the story deal with love, or actually I should say lust, ending in sex. Especially the penis gets enough screen time here, it might as well be the leading character. The sex scenes themselves are, in my opinion, not very sensual or erotic (although they admittedly are when you compare them to such scenes in any other Pasolini film) which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it becomes exactly that when more than half the movie exists out of them.

      On the other hand the film is pretty entertaining, mostly for its oddness. That again, is something we see in almost any other Pasolini film. His distant approach adds to that feeling, especially when he shows violent images. One might not expect them in a film that arguably celebrates love and sex. Another factor for the oddness is the terrible acting, especially from the men. Maybe good acting is impossible for them here since Pasolini presents them as a bunch of whiners who would do anything for love. Of course, once again, with love I mean sex. The Italian language in the Eastern setting is another thing that feels pretty weird as well. All these elements add to the oddness which makes the film more entertaining than it probably should have been.

      I have to conclude with saying that I sort of admire Pasolini. I think only his 'Il vangelo secundo Matteo' can be considered as a truly great film, mostly since his approach is the distant one. I think that is a good thing when it comes to a religious film like that. that approach in his other films is not always the right one, but it is one aspect of why his films are different, often daring. Even when not much is happening, or when we have no clue what is happening, or when we normally would not care that much, Pasolini keeps it kind of interesting.
      helpful•23
      9
      • rbverhoef
      • Dec 4, 2006

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • June 20, 1974 (Italy)
      • Countries of origin
        • Italy
        • France
      • Languages
        • Italian
        • Arabic
      • Also known as
        • Flower of the Arabian Nights
      • Filming locations
        • Mesjed-e-Imam, Esfahan, Iran
      • Production companies
        • Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA)
        • Les Productions Artistes Associés
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        2 hours 10 minutes
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.85 : 1

      Related news

      Contribute to this page

      Suggest an edit or add missing content
      Arabian Nights (1974)
      Top Gap
      By what name was Arabian Nights (1974) officially released in Canada in English?
      Answer
      • See more gaps
      • Learn more about contributing
      Edit page

      More to explore

      View list
      List
      The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in August
      See the full list
      View list
      List
      Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
      See the full list
      View image
      Photos
      Double Take: Celebrity Twins
      See the full list

      Recently viewed

      Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
      Get the IMDb App
      Sign in for more access
      Sign in for more access
      • Get the IMDb App
      • Help
      • Site Index
      • IMDbPro
      • Box Office Mojo
      • IMDb Developer
      • Press Room
      • Advertising
      • Jobs
      • Conditions of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interest-Based Ads
      IMDb, an Amazon company

      © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.