Arabian Nights (1974)

Ancient Arabia. A youth is chosen by a beautiful slave girl to be her new master; she is kidnapped and they must search for each other. Stories are told within stories; love, travel and the whims of destiny.

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writers:

Pier Paolo Pasolini, Dacia Maraini (script collaboration)

Stars:

Ninetto Davoli, Franco Citti, Franco Merli

1 win & 3 nominations.

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)
Claudia Rocchi	...	Budur (as Luigina Rocchi)
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 Mid-West Asia, 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:

love | slave | demon | human becoming an animal | pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

Pier Paolo Pasolini's Tales of the Arabian Nights

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | History | Romance

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Certificate:

NC-17

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian Arabic

Release Date:

20 June 1974 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Arabian Nights

Filming Locations:

Zabid, Yemen

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produzioni Europee Associate (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

This film is the final entry in director Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Trilogy of Life", following The Decameron (1971) and The Canterbury Tales (1972).

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Goofs

When Aziz sees Budur for the first time, the moon is waxing or waning. When he returns after two days to sit under her window, the moon is full.

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Crazy Credits

"Truth lies not in one dream, but in many." - Arabian Nights

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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.

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Connections

Follows The Canterbury Tales (1972)

User Reviews

Third (and best) part of the trilogy of life.

"Fiore delle mille e una notte" ,which won special prize at CANNES 1974 is the third part of what Pasolini called the trilogy of life which encompasses "il decameron" (1971) and" racconti di Canterbury" (1972). It's the most accessible of all Pasolini movies ,and weren't it for the numerous nudities,it would appeal to large audience.

This must be the script:it's much better than the two first films because the story is built à la Shéhérazade ,with plots ,subplots and subsubplots which fit into each other;and although sex is the main vector,it features enough twists to sustain the interest throughout.It does not forget magic (the segment which features Ninetto Davoli,Pasolini's favorite actor,uses a lot of symbols)and mystery (the adolescent who must be killed when he's fifteen ).Humor is less vulgar than in "di racconti di Canterbury" The little riddle "the aromatic grass of the fields" "the slit pomegranate" and "the inn of the warm welcome " is witty.

Little did we know that Pasolini would follow his trilogy of life with the most depressing work ever made :"Salo" (1975).