Arab Nights (1942)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Arab nights |
| Original title | Arabian Nights |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1942 |
| length | 87 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | John Rawlins |
| script |
Michael Hogan True Boardman (additional dialogue) |
| production | Walter Wanger / Universal |
| music | Frank Skinner |
| camera | Milton Krasner |
| cut | Philip Cahn |
| occupation | |
| |
Arabian Nights (Original Title: Arabian Nights ) is an American adventure film from 1942 by director John Rawlins . The Technicolor film was based on motifs from the fairy tales of the Arabian Nights .
action
Scheherazade is a dancer with Ahmad's traveling circus. The troupe also includes Sindbad the Navigator , Aladin and a young acrobat named Ali Ben Ali. The circus is going through tough times at the moment while Kamar, the brother of the caliph Hārūn ar-Rashīd , becomes aware of the dancer. Kamar had visions in which Scheherazade is named as the future queen. Therefore, and because he is in love with her, Kamar plans a coup. The coup failed and Kamar was imprisoned. The caliph takes pity on his brother and visits him. At that moment, Kamar's men storm the palace and free their leader. The caliph has to flee the palace.
On his escape, Harun ar-Raschid passes the traveling circus. Ali Ben Ali recognizes the caliph and helps him to hide. He only confides to Scheherazade that he is hiding a refugee, but does not reveal her true identity. The caliph sustained some injuries on his escape and is being cared for. He falls in love with Scheherazade.
Kamar believes his brother is dead and claims the throne of Baghdad. It is annoying that Scheherazade, whom he has searched for, cannot be found. The scheming Grand Vizier Nadar blackmailed the captain of the guard who was charged with the search. He is supposed to find the circus troupe, take them prisoner and sell them as slaves, but tell Kamar that the troupe has disappeared.
The caliph and the circus people can escape the slave hunters. But at the national border they are caught by Kamar's army and taken to the army camp. Kamar tries to beguile Scheherazade, but she has meanwhile fallen in love with Harun ar-Raschid, which the Grand Vizier notices. Now he is blackmailing Scheherazade. In order to free the caliph, she is said to consent to the wedding with Kamar, but poison him during the wedding ceremony. But Nadar's plans continue. He wants to become a caliph himself and instead have Harun killed as soon as he has crossed the border.
Ali Ben Ali learns of the intrigue and confides in his former circus colleagues. The acrobats can free Harun, whereupon he frees Scheherazade. Ali, meanwhile, implores the soldiers to be loyal to Harun ar-Raschid. Harun and the others are captured again, and Scheherazade learns of Harun's true identity. Kamar and his brother have a sword fight while Ahmad and his men set the tents on fire. Ali arrives with the soldiers loyal to the caliph. A battle ensues between Kamar's and Harun's soldiers.
When Kamar has the opportunity to kill his brother, he is murdered by Nadar. When Nadar also wants to kill Harun, Ali and Ahmad appear and force the Grand Vizier to flee. But a spear pierces him and he dies in a burning tent. Harun ar-Raschid, Scheherazade, the circus people and the soldiers who are loyal to the caliph celebrate a victory.
background
- It was first published in the USA on December 25, 1942 (limited to New York City), and it was premiered in Germany on December 20, 1949.
- The exterior shots of this universal production in Technicolor were filmed in the US state of Utah.
- The budget for the film was $ 2 million.
- Not a single Persian or Arab was hired to perform. Sabu was Indian, María Montez came from the Dominican Republic, Turhan Bey was Austrian, Thomas Gomez had Mexican parents, Adia Kuznetzoff (in a small supporting role as a slave seller) came from Russia, everyone else came from the USA, Mexico and Europe.
- Shemp Howard was at times a member of the Three Stooges .
- Producer Wanger was honored with an honorary Oscar in 1946 and 1949.
- The assistant director was Ford Beebe , who also worked as a screenwriter (119 films), director (102 films) and producer (13 films).
- Art director Alexander Golitzen was awarded the Oscar three times: in 1944, 1961, 1963, his colleague Russell A. Gausman twice: 1944, 1961 and colleague Ira Webb once: 1944.
- Cameraman Krasner won an Oscar after being nominated in 1955. The also nominated Greene, who won an Oscar a year later, and Skall, who won an Oscar in 1949, had been hired as camera technicians.
- Oscar-winning sound engineer Bernard B. Brown, who won his Oscar in 1940 (he received a special Oscar in 1945), and the musical director Charles Previn , who received the Oscar in 1938, came to the set.
- A US television film with the same original title was released in Germany in 2000: Arabian Nights - Adventures from 1001 Nights by Steve Barron with Alan Bates .
- Not to be confused with the German comedy of the same name from 1978 by Klaus Lemke .
Historical
In contrast to the fairy tale characters Scheherazade, Aladin and Sindbad, the caliph Harun ar-Raschid (dt. Aaron the rightly guided) really lived. Abbaside , born around 763, was the caliph of Baghdad from 786 until his death in 809. He came to power through a coup against his brother al-Hādī . The caliph, who was not undisputed among Muslims due to his brutality and his way of life, died in a campaign against the Kharijites .
Reviews
“The colorful adventure film shot in Technicolor impressed in its time not least with its elaborate equipment, which was particularly effective thanks to the color film that had only been established a few years earlier. This was honored in 1943 with four nominations at the "Academy Awards". As is so often the case in Hollywood, the content was borrowed from a classic, but freely adapted. The dancer Scheherazade no longer has much in common with her legendary namesake from "Thousand and One Nights", which does not affect the high entertainment value of the colorful spectacle. "
"An adventure story lavishly staged in bright colors based on a story from" A Thousand and One Nights "; an undemanding, entertaining fairy tale from the dream factory. "
Awards
- 1943 Oscar nomination in the categories of best color design ( Alexander Golitzen , Jack Otterson , Russell A. Gausman , Ira Webb ), best camera color ( Milton Krasner , also William V. Skall and W. Howard Greene ), best film music ( Frank Skinner ) and Best note ( Bernard B. Brown )
Bibliography
- The stories from the thousand and one nights . Complete German edition in six volumes. Based on the original Arabic text of the Calcutta edition from 1839, transferred by Enno Littmann. KOMET, ISBN 3-89836-308-2
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034465/business
- ↑ http://spielfilm.zdf.de/ZDFde/programm/0,6753,PrAutoOp_idPoDispatch:10531811,00.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Arab nights. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed August 22, 2017 .
