Arabian Nights (2000)

When Sultan Said discovers his wife locked in a passionate embrace with his only brother, he flings his sword at the prince and accidentally murders his adulterous queen. Tortured by his wife's ghost, the maniacal and cowardly sultan must marry another to save his kingdom, but to avoid future matrimonial disgrace he plans to have her executed the morning after the wedding. Fortunately for him, Scheherezade, the grand vicar's daughter played by the lovely Mili Avital, jumps at the challenge and the chance to marry her childhood love. A master storyteller, the newly crowned sultana escapes death night after night with her mesmerizing tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Aladdin and his Magic Lamp, countless warriors, supernatural duels, and ferocious genies.

Although the main story line falls short of Scheherezade's seductive tales, audiences will be enchanted with fantastic special effects, elaborate costumes, and the magic of Persia. Wonderfully directed and edited by Steve Barron, Hallmark's Arabian Nights will particularly appeal to fans of magical computer-effects laden television miniseries. --Melissa Asher Amazon.com

Excellent

This is one of the best investments in DVDs. For the new generation, it is a good way to get a glimpse of the rich heritage of stories told over generations. I would recommend it 100%. June 23, 2008

Arabian Knights is great

Such a fun movie, and so well done. I've watched it several times over and enjoy it as much each time. May 31, 2008

Once a night isn't enough!

Very close to the original tales of the Arabian Nights. Not an obnoxious amount of CG. Both my wife and myself enjoyed the movie. March 28, 2008

Well Done

There's something for everyone in this movie with its many different facits. It simply was a fun movie to watch. December 31, 2007

Family friendly fantasy

This retelling of the classic story of 1001 Arabian Nights (abridged somewhat to just a few nights...) works surprisingly well. A mini series edited to form one movie, it may be a little too long to take in one sitting, but this is one of those rare things - a movie that adults will enjoy, but the kids will too.
The story is in fact several stories, as told by Scheherazade to her new husband, the Sultan, in a framing story. The framing story is a rare thing - a device to hold several stories together, which works as well as the individual tales. The Sultan is on the brink of madness as a result of his late wives betrayal. He now has developed a pattern of marrying and then killing the bride in the morning... a pattern Scheherazade intends to break by engrossing him in her tales enough to keep him wanting to hear the end the next night. As she tells her tales, she aims to help his madness subside and impart wisdom to help him confront the reasons for his torment.
And so we get the classic stories of Ali Baba, Aladdin, and a couple more that might be less familiar but are no less compelling, with a surprisingly diverse and well known cast including Alan Bates, Jason Scott Lee, Vanessa Mae, Dougray Scott, Andy Serkis and others.
Scenery and sets all appear surprisingly authentic and detailed, the big budget (for TV) is evident in the terrific effects (genies, magic carpets etc..) and of course the timeless stories work well.
There are a couple of gripes - the sound is in stereo only, and the dubbing is much worse than we should expect from a big budget production these days. Also, while the overall tone works well, the slapstick in places might be a little too much for adults, and the occasional gruesome death may unnerve younger viewers.
A short featurette outlining the undeniable scale of the production completes a package which is a success, provided your expectations are simply for some light entertainment, and nothing more substantial.
December 20, 2007

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