How to film the 1001 stories of "The Arabian Night"? Pier Paolo Pasolini picked a few. The 1942 Universal Studio movie of that name included some characters with familiar names (Scheherazade, Sinbad, Alladin) but none of the 1001 stories (which take up ten large volumes in the translation by Richard F. Burton) are in the movie.

What is there is the first (of seven) pairing of Dominican film star María Montez with Jon Hall (and the first of three with Sabu and the two of them), the first three-strip Technicolor production from Universal, a transparent attempt to obtain some of the viewership that made the 1940 "Thief of Baghdad" a success (recruiting Sabu from it, but not offering any of the special effects that wowed audiences in 1940). And 86 minutes of orientalist escapist hokum at a time in which the US military was far afield and doing none too well.

It has a dull and even hokier frame in which a corpulent eunuch is teaching half a dozen buxom women in a harem in South Asia to read by reading the classic collection.

This segues into heavy s&m with the Caliph Haroun-Al-Raschid (Jon Hall) in a courtyard where his seditious rebel brother Kamar (Leif Erickson) has been hung up to die a slow death. Haroun decides to put Kamar out of his misery, but an arrow drops the executioner and a large party of rebels rescues Kamar. Haroun flees across roofs, and is dropped close to the edge beyond which a circus troupe is performing.

Ali Ben-Ali (the 18-year-old Sabu) sees this while he is atop a human pyramid, touching his head to the head of Sinbad (Shemp Howard) on whose shoulders Ali is standing. Once the pyramiders tumble, Ali rushes up, removes the broken-off spear, transfers the ring of the Caliphate to a man Haroun had killed, and gets help from Scheherazade, the main attraction (a dancer) in the troupe.

The troupe goes into hiding. Only Ali knows the true identity of the man they have rescued and Scheherazade has nursed back. There is intrigue, as Kamar seeks Scheherazade and his good friend and grand vizier Nadan (Edgar Barrier) seeks to ensure that she is not found.

Do I need to mention that Haroun and Scheherazade fall in love, though she has long had her eye on the role of "first lady" to him. Ali and the audience know that the legitimate caliph (Haroun) is going to wed her, but before this can happen, they are all sold into slavery, escape, outwit (and club) a group of pursuers. After another s&m scene, Scheherazade and the group are found. Nadan does not recognize Haroun, but notices that he is in love with Scheherazade. She agrees to marry Kamar if Haroun (whose identity remains unknown to her) is released.

That Montez became a star (even in schlock like "Cobra Woman," allegedly the apotheosis of camp) is amazing. Né Maria de Santo Silas, she could not act, could not sing (she was dubbed when singing in other movies), and her dancing was done by a double. It would be difficult to imagine anyone less Arab-looking than Leif Erickson (just consider his name!), though Jon Hall runs a close second.

The movie doesn't make the slightest pretense of historical or cultural accuracy, and has mostly very broad humor. As Sinbad, Shep Howard (of the 3 Stooges) keeps trying to tell about his adventures--and being cut off. As Alladin (John Qualen) rubs every lamp he sees, hoping again to find his genie. Veteran vaudevillian Billy Gilbert plays the greedy and opportunistic circus manager Ahmad. In a fight, he belly-bounced opponents. At one point, he goes into drag, at another has one of his patented sneeze attacks. Most amazingly of all, he still manages to belly-bounce opponents in a sword fight.

I'm puzzled why Ahmad and his troupe burn down the camp during the final Big Fight (for possession of it--and the caliphate). Others might find the ever-resourceful Ali implausible (aiding a romance of Arabs played by white actors as in "Thief of Baghdad" and saying that he is a boy not a man). Some may find Montez eye candy. For me, Sabu is the eye candy.

If one can check concern about plausibility, orientalism, cultural and historical accuracy--and expectations of any of the 1001 nights' stories--the movie is fun. And with my heavy current dosage of Bergman and Antonioni films, I enjoyed it.

The only bonus features are an original theatrical trailer (showing the deterioration of film stock that was overcome in restoration for the DVD) an introduction from Robert Osborne. It is only two and a half minutes and uses his set from Turner Classic Movies, so I felt quite at home. Osborne explained the intentions of producer Walter Wanger in making such colorful escapist fare at the time.

The picture's color is less garish (though hardly naturalistic) than in some old 3-strip Technicolor movies I've seen. The sounds is relatively clean, though quite out of synch with lip movements in one scene early on.

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© 2007, Stephen O. Murray


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8