Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp

One of Tim Burton's early projects is this work-for-hire on a Faerie Tale Theatre episode of Aladdin. Somehow within the limitations of the budget and using video he made it his own which is surprising in fortitude and creativity of production design and utilizing some crazy choices in casting. It's a fairly similar plot as you might remember from the Disney film: Aladdin gets conned by a man in a funny beard and mustache (Leonard Nimoy, having a LOT of fun in the role and especially the costume) into retrieving a magic lamp from a dangerous cave, only to suddenly get the lamp for himself when locked back into the cave. The Genie (James Earl Jones, colored green for the 'Ring Genie' and Blue for the regular lamp one) is a boaster and man of hard words but mostly one to laugh heartily (maybe too much so), but grants Aladdin his one big wish: get with the Princess and butter up the Sultan in the process.

Even with some cheesy acting from the likes of Robert Carradine and Valerie Bertinelli it's all worth it for the likes of Nimoy and Jones. The two of them alone ham it up so much that you're bound to smell pork rising up from the DVD. But it's joyously over-playing and exaggerating, doing it like live-action cartoon characters. All Nimoy needs to do is to take a cue from Allen to stroke his beard AND twist his mustache and he would make it his best non-Spock performance), and Jones takes on two genie performances with the blue common one being one for the ages for the actor: we've never seen him like this before or since, and it's a hilarious joy to see him take it on. And all the while we see Burton directing it with flair and skill, circumventing the conventional aspects to put his own stamp on the material if only in small ways with certain drawings or just crazy flights of fancy like when the one guy is running down the spinning thing with Jones's face dissolving in and out of the side of the frame.

For Burton fans it shouldn't be too much of a disappointment since it shows the director taking on kiddie fare like both a professional and an artist paying his dues, and it provides campy treats for fans of Nimoy and Jones.

There is a lot to like about the 'Faerie Tale Theatre' series. Many of their adaptations of various well-known and well-loved fairy tales are charming, clever and sometimes funny, a few even emotionally moving. 'Faerie Tale Theatre' puts its own magical spin (whether playing for laughs or straight) on the best of the episodes while still capturing the essence of the stories, while also giving further enjoyments in seeing talented performers in early roles or in roles that are departures from their usual roles.

Notable for being directed by none other than Tim Burton very early on in his career, style-wise and directorially "Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp" is somewhat of an atypical effort for him, as far as other early (early-mid-80s) 'Vincent' and 'Frankenweenie' are more typical of the Burton one is familiar with. "Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp" is not one of his best and is not quite one of 'Faerie Tale Theatre's' gems, but it is a lot of fun to watch and has some interest value. Despite being on atypical form, Burton does do a great job with the directing, making the episode as fun and charming as possible, especially considering the time and budget constraints he was under.

Robert Carradine for my tastes does play Aladdin as too much of a hammy buffoon, and while he does share good chemistry with Valerie Bertinelli the romantic elements are not where "Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp" is at its most interesting, being somewhat more of a plot device.

The low budget also does show at times, not in the colourful costumes (especially the quite elaborate one for the villain which is like a character of its own) but more in the slightly too drab sets that do lack a sense of wonder.

Music is fitting to the setting and is rousing in some places and lush in others, though nothing as unforgettable as the music in Disney's 1992 version. Which on its own merits is better, but this is much more faithful to the original Arabian Nights story while adding its own additions which add rather than distract. Then again 'Faerie Tale Theatre' were always far more faithful treatments of the stories they were adapted from than their Disney counterparts.

Writing is funny and charming, especially with the character of the genie, and the story does have the sense of wonder and danger that some of the production values lack.

Performances are mostly of a good standard, apart from Carradine. Valerie Bertinelli is a luminous Princess, however it's Leonard Nimoy's menacing and gleefully enjoyable villain and particularly James Earl Jones' hilarious and appealingly boisterous Genie who steal the show seamlessly.

All in all, a worthy and entertaining charmer that is well worth watching for Nimoy and Jones, as well as to see how well Burton fares early on in his career which is quite well considering. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The Farie Tale Theatre series is excellent in its own right, known for off-the-wall, low-budget productions, and the addition of Tim Burton and such actors as James Earl Jones, Leonard Nimoy, and Valerie Burtinelli makes "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" one of its very best. I urge anyone in the mood for something completely different from most hackneyed portrayals of this story, or even just for a short, hilarious film, to see it. I love these people!

Seriously. The story is different, sometimes cheesy, but the acting is better imo. Characters have more personality.