Arabian Nights (1942 film)
Encyclopedia
Arabian Nights is a 1942 adventure film starring Sabu
, Maria Montez
, Jon Hall
and Leif Erickson
and directed by John Rawlins
. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
but owes more to the imagination of Universal Pictures
than the original Arabian stories. Unlike other films in the genre (The Thief of Baghdad), it features no monsters or supernatural elements.
The film is one of series of "exotic" tales released by Universal during the war years. Others include Cobra Woman
, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
and White Savage. This is the first film by Universal to use the three-strip Technicolor
film process.
(which strangely has the Taj Mahal
in sight, even though it is supposed to be located in Persia), where the elderly overseer bids his young charges to read the story of Haroun al-Rashid (Hall) and his wife Sheherazade
(Montez), unfolding the film's plot in the process.
Sheherazade, a dancer in a wandering circus owned by Ahmad (Billy Gilbert
) - whose troupe also includes Sinbad the Sailor
and Aladdin
, who have seemingly fallen on hard times -, had captured the attention of Kamar (Erickson), the brother of caliph
Haroun al-Rashid. In his infatuation with her, and because of a prophecy which names her as the future queen, Kamar had attempted to seize the throne, but was captured and sentenced to slow death by exposure. As Haroun visits his brother, for whom he feels pity, Kamar's men storm the palace and free their leader; outnumbered, Haroun is forced to flee. He manages to get near the plaza where Sheherazade's circus is performing and is spotted by the young acrobat Ali Ben Ali (Sabu
), who finds out his identity and decides to hide him in the cirus, confiding only in Sheherazade (though he does not tell her about the fugitive's true identity). Upon awakening from the wounds he had received in his flight, Haroun beholds Sheherazade and instantly falls in love with her.
Meanwhile, Kamar, thinking that Haroun is dead, assumes the throne of Baghdad
, but to his chagrin Sheherazade is not to be found, and he orders the captain of his guard (Turhan Bey
) to find her. But then the scheming Grand Vizier
Nadan (Edgar Barrier
) approaches the captain with the order to make Sheherazade 'disappear', and upon finding them the captain decides to sell the troupe into slavery. But due to a witness the captain is exposed, and in order to preserve his plans, Nadan first gets him to confess and then murders him.
Haroun, Sheherazade, and the acrobats manage to escape the slave pens and flee to the border, where they are found by Kamar's army and taken to a tent city in the desert. Kamar proposes to Sheherazade, but she has in the meantime fallen in love with Haroun. Also, Nadar recognizes the caliph and his affection for Sheherazade, and he uses this knowledge to blackmail Sheherazade into helping him in his scheme: in exchange for Haroun's freedom, she is to poison Kamar during the wedding ceremony, upon which Nadar would assume rulership for himself. In secret, however, he plans to have Haroun killed once he has crossed the border.
Upon learning of this insidious scheme, Ali confides in his fellow performers, and they rush to free Haroun; then Haroun decides to free Sheherazade with the help of the acrobats, while Ali is to summon the troops still loyal to him. Haroun and the others are quickly captured, and Sheherazade and the retainers learn of his true identity. Kamar engages his brother in a sword fight, while Ahmad and the acrobats set the tents on fire; the arrival of Ali and the caliph's army triggers a massive battle with Kamar's men.
Finally, as Kamar prepares to deliver the deathstroke to Haroun, Nadar shows his true allegiance by assassinating Kamar personally. But as he prepares to finish Haroun, Ahmad and Ali interfere, forcing him to flee. But a spear thrown into his back stops him, and he dies in a burning tent; Haroun, Sheherazade, their friends and the loyal subjects celebrate victory.
, Best Cinematography
, Best Sound (Bernard B. Brown
) and Best Art Direction
(Alexander Golitzen
, Jack Otterson
, Russell A. Gausman
and Ira S. Webb
).
Sabu Dastagir
Sabu Dastagir was a film actor of Indian origin—although he later took American citizenship. He was normally credited only by his first name, Sabu, and is primarily known for his work in film during the 1930s-40s in Britain and America.-Early life:Born in 1924 in Karapur, Mysore, Kingdom of...
, Maria Montez
María Montez
María Montez was a Dominican-born motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s as an exotic beauty starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure films. Her screen image was that of a hot-blooded Latin seductress, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling...
, Jon Hall
Jon Hall
Jon Hall was an American film actor.-Biography:Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California, and raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty...
and Leif Erickson
Leif Erickson
Leif Erickson was an American film and television actor.-Background:Leif Erickson was born William Wycliffe Anderson in Alameda, California. His father was commander of a fleet of ships and his mother was a noted newspaperwoman and writer...
and directed by John Rawlins
John Rawlins (director)
John Rawlins was an American film director. He directed 44 films between 1932 and 1958. He was born in Long Beach, California and died in Arcadia, California.-Filmography:* Lost Lagoon...
. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age...
but owes more to the imagination of Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
than the original Arabian stories. Unlike other films in the genre (The Thief of Baghdad), it features no monsters or supernatural elements.
The film is one of series of "exotic" tales released by Universal during the war years. Others include Cobra Woman
Cobra Woman
Cobra Woman is a 1944 American melodrama/adventure film of the South Seas genre, directed by Robert Siodmak. It was mad in and starring Jon Hall, Sabu, Mary Nash, Lon Chaney, Jr. and, in a dual role, Maria Montez...
, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944 film)
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is a 1944 adventure film starring Maria Montez and Jon Hall, and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film is derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights but its story departs greatly from the tale of the same name and includes an actual historic event...
and White Savage. This is the first film by Universal to use the three-strip Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
film process.
Plot
The story starts at a haremHarem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
(which strangely has the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
in sight, even though it is supposed to be located in Persia), where the elderly overseer bids his young charges to read the story of Haroun al-Rashid (Hall) and his wife Sheherazade
Shéhérazade
Shéhérazade is the title of two works by the French composer Maurice Ravel.Shéhérazade, ouverture de féerie, written in 1898 but unpublished, is a work for orchestra intended as the overture for an opera of the same name...
(Montez), unfolding the film's plot in the process.
Sheherazade, a dancer in a wandering circus owned by Ahmad (Billy Gilbert
Billy Gilbert
Billy Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,...
) - whose troupe also includes Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor is a fictional sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid Caliphate – the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin...
and Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
, who have seemingly fallen on hard times -, had captured the attention of Kamar (Erickson), the brother of caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Haroun al-Rashid. In his infatuation with her, and because of a prophecy which names her as the future queen, Kamar had attempted to seize the throne, but was captured and sentenced to slow death by exposure. As Haroun visits his brother, for whom he feels pity, Kamar's men storm the palace and free their leader; outnumbered, Haroun is forced to flee. He manages to get near the plaza where Sheherazade's circus is performing and is spotted by the young acrobat Ali Ben Ali (Sabu
Sabu Dastagir
Sabu Dastagir was a film actor of Indian origin—although he later took American citizenship. He was normally credited only by his first name, Sabu, and is primarily known for his work in film during the 1930s-40s in Britain and America.-Early life:Born in 1924 in Karapur, Mysore, Kingdom of...
), who finds out his identity and decides to hide him in the cirus, confiding only in Sheherazade (though he does not tell her about the fugitive's true identity). Upon awakening from the wounds he had received in his flight, Haroun beholds Sheherazade and instantly falls in love with her.
Meanwhile, Kamar, thinking that Haroun is dead, assumes the throne of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, but to his chagrin Sheherazade is not to be found, and he orders the captain of his guard (Turhan Bey
Turhan Bey
Turhan Bey is an American actor of Turkish and Czech descent. Bey was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. He was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans for his exotic handsome looks...
) to find her. But then the scheming Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Nadan (Edgar Barrier
Edgar Barrier
Edgar Barrier was an American actor who appeared on radio, stage, and screen. In the 1930s he was a member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre and played Simon Templar on The Saint radio show....
) approaches the captain with the order to make Sheherazade 'disappear', and upon finding them the captain decides to sell the troupe into slavery. But due to a witness the captain is exposed, and in order to preserve his plans, Nadan first gets him to confess and then murders him.
Haroun, Sheherazade, and the acrobats manage to escape the slave pens and flee to the border, where they are found by Kamar's army and taken to a tent city in the desert. Kamar proposes to Sheherazade, but she has in the meantime fallen in love with Haroun. Also, Nadar recognizes the caliph and his affection for Sheherazade, and he uses this knowledge to blackmail Sheherazade into helping him in his scheme: in exchange for Haroun's freedom, she is to poison Kamar during the wedding ceremony, upon which Nadar would assume rulership for himself. In secret, however, he plans to have Haroun killed once he has crossed the border.
Upon learning of this insidious scheme, Ali confides in his fellow performers, and they rush to free Haroun; then Haroun decides to free Sheherazade with the help of the acrobats, while Ali is to summon the troops still loyal to him. Haroun and the others are quickly captured, and Sheherazade and the retainers learn of his true identity. Kamar engages his brother in a sword fight, while Ahmad and the acrobats set the tents on fire; the arrival of Ali and the caliph's army triggers a massive battle with Kamar's men.
Finally, as Kamar prepares to deliver the deathstroke to Haroun, Nadar shows his true allegiance by assassinating Kamar personally. But as he prepares to finish Haroun, Ahmad and Ali interfere, forcing him to flee. But a spear thrown into his back stops him, and he dies in a burning tent; Haroun, Sheherazade, their friends and the loyal subjects celebrate victory.
Cast
- SabuSabu DastagirSabu Dastagir was a film actor of Indian origin—although he later took American citizenship. He was normally credited only by his first name, Sabu, and is primarily known for his work in film during the 1930s-40s in Britain and America.-Early life:Born in 1924 in Karapur, Mysore, Kingdom of...
- Ali Ben Ali - Jon HallJon HallJon Hall was an American film actor.-Biography:Born Charles Felix Locher in Fresno, California, and raised in Tahiti by his father, the Swiss-born actor Felix Locher, he was a nephew of James Norman Hall, one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty...
- Haroun-Al-Raschid - Maria MontezMaría MontezMaría Montez was a Dominican-born motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s as an exotic beauty starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume adventure films. Her screen image was that of a hot-blooded Latin seductress, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling...
- Scheherazade - Leif EricksonLeif EricksonLeif Erickson was an American film and television actor.-Background:Leif Erickson was born William Wycliffe Anderson in Alameda, California. His father was commander of a fleet of ships and his mother was a noted newspaperwoman and writer...
- Kamar (as Leif Erikson) - Billy GilbertBilly GilbertBilly Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,...
- Ahmad - Edgar BarrierEdgar BarrierEdgar Barrier was an American actor who appeared on radio, stage, and screen. In the 1930s he was a member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre and played Simon Templar on The Saint radio show....
- Nadan - Richard Lane - Corporal
- Turhan BeyTurhan BeyTurhan Bey is an American actor of Turkish and Czech descent. Bey was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. He was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans for his exotic handsome looks...
- Captain of the Guard - John QualenJohn QualenJohn Qualen was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles....
- Aladdin - Shemp Howard - Sinbad
- William 'Wee Willie' DavisWee Willie DavisWilliam "Wee Willie" Davis was an American film actor.He had previously been a wrestler. He worked in the Jefferson County Jail in Louisville in 1972-75 as the gym guard....
- Valda - Thomas GomezThomas GomezThomas Gomez was an American actor.Born Sabino Tomas Gomez in New York City, Gomez began his acting career in theater during the 1920s and was a student of the actor Walter Hampden...
- Hakim - Jeni Le GonJeni Le GonJeni Le Gon is an American dancer, dance instructor, and actress. She was one of the first African-American women to establish a solo career in tap. She was born Jennie Bell in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were Hector Ligon, a chef who also worked as a railway porter, and Harriet Bell Ligon, a...
- Dresser / Dancer's Maid - Robert Greig - Eunuch
- Charles Coleman - Eunuch
Awards
It was nominated for four Academy Awards; Best ScoreAcademy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
, Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
, Best Sound (Bernard B. Brown
Bernard B. Brown
Bernard B. Brown was an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award in the category Sound Recording and was nominated for seven more in the same category. He was also nominated three times in the category Best Visual Effects...
) and Best Art Direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
(Alexander Golitzen
Alexander Golitzen
Alexander Golitzen, oversaw art direction on more than 300 movies.Prince Alexander Golitzen was born in Moscow, but fled the country with his family during the Russian Revolution. Travelling via Siberia and China, they arrived in Seattle, where Alexander graduated from high school...
, Jack Otterson
Jack Otterson
Jack Otterson was an American art director. He was nominated for eight Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction...
, Russell A. Gausman
Russell A. Gausman
Russell A. Gausman was an American set decorator. He was won two Academy Awards and was nominated for five more in the category Best Art Direction...
and Ira S. Webb
Ira S. Webb
Ira S. Webb was an American film producer, set decorator, screenwriter, art director and film director. He won an Academy Award and was nominated for two more in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
).