Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Manthast Absolutely amazing

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Kirpianuscus it is the purpose of each film of Pasolini. to discover the truth. to show it. as careful , hard work of search of origins. the eroticism, the exoticism, the references to the great cultural things are clothes for a noble idea. "Arabian Nights" is not an exception. only inspired trip in the essence of an universe . fascinating, old, reflection of yourself, part from an golden age, impressive for the details, colors and flavors. his actors. his challenges. his web of dreams. his magic and love stories as embroideries of flesh, shadows and dark. a beautiful, bitter film. useful way. to the truth.

vegfemnat I would have accepted this movie for what it is, if it were to be from the 40s or 50s. But it is hard to believe this ludicrous piece of nonsense was made in the 70s. I was not present in that generation, but after watching enough movies from the time before my birth; I can tell for certain the craft of film-making had come a long way by the year 1974 than this movie implies. I have no clue which aspect of film-making the director was working on because every aspect of it looks clumsy and unplanned. There's no composition or framing whatsoever, the acting is laughably amateurish, the blocking complexity is that of a kid playing with his toys. Its not uncommon to see such wooden direction styles in the period before the 40s when film-making was still in its novice stage. But to pull something like this in the 70s and get the Grand Prix prize in 1974 is puzzling to say the least for a movie buff born in the 90s. Which happens to be the same year the absolutely magnificent "The Conversation" got the PalmDOr and the very underrated "The Last Detail" was also competing for the same.

cynthiahost This movie is a very exotic and beautiful film, from the master film maker Pasolini,I kiss his feet. He's better than Orson Wells.Shot in the beautiful locales of Yemen,Nepal,Africa and Iran.Beautiful? A big poverty stricken region!filled with unemployment.Pier saved the day when he came to that country.This film has a lot of nudity,especially the emphasis of the male body as well as the female body.It also has some less explicit simulated sex.like the yoga position sex act scene between Aziz ,played by Ninetto Davoli and Budur,played by Luigina Rocchi.There's a mild gay story in it too.When an Ethiopian king is peeping ,from the bushes, a naked women cleaning herself,until she catches him,he later ask his gay poet to write a poem about it.Later on this old fart of a poet pick up three hot young Ethiopian black studs,with 1974 Afros.They end up having a suggested four way.Although the 3rd remake in 1978 and it's sequel in 1986 had real sex in it,this story is very complex.What should I say? The blond blue eyed Christian ,stolen Nur Ed Din, played by Franco Merli, slave Zumurud,played Ines Pellegrini.Now as he's searching for her .This is when some of the stories are told.Like when one of the prince's survives a gang attack in the desert and he gets rescued by a man who offers him his home,He,the prince eventually meets this women who is in hostage by this man ,who plays a demon,played by Franco Citti.Once he finds out about the two lovers,he chops the women and send the prince to a desert and the demon turns him into monkey.Until some one rescue him ,the monkey and the kings daughter turns the prince back into human.But he turns the kings jobs down chooses to be a truth seeker.The kings son want to take a trip on his father ship.He does and a curse hits the ship causing a wreck.He end sup on a island and discover a 15 year old boy who live their.They both like each other Platonic level ,but,the second prince ends up being put under a hypnotic spell and stabs the boy to death while the boys a sleep.the father rescues the prince but he too become a truth seeker.The Cinema photography is great.The movie was shot silent and the dialog and sound effects were looped in.This movie was as good As Piers version of Canterbury tales.which I saw at the Forrest hill 4theater in 1980 04/12/13

dancebeneaththebrokensky That the appalling disfigurement of this film should draw nothing but clichéd comments of 'poetic', 'mythical beauty' and 'lush', the last of which this film is so obviously not, that I am forced to wonder if this isn't a case of the Emperor's New Clothes. Surely, a man Sartre admired would not have made this tripe?Oh but what tripe it is. Poetic? Bergman is poetic; this is the sputtering realisation of a non-vision. Where is the grandeur? More often than not there is chaos, a shuffling, unfocused composition exacerbated by an unsophistication of dialogue worthy of ancient primates. I cannot believe anyone could find this film aesthetically pleasing, but I am willing to be corrected. The one shot of true beauty is on the DVD cover of the film. Grand it isn't.Subversive maybe? Of what? The fact that Arabian Nights is meant to be an ornate and gilded tale of beautiful people and beautifully woven moral tales. Take the beauty, wit and wisdom out of the characters and make them country bumpkins who grin like apes throughout the film and you have a subversive film, yes? Not to mention the 'bold' frontal nudity (mostly male) and gratuitous intercourse (neither art nor realistic but revolting and redundant); old men who bugger young boys for what joy, God alone knows; the shooting in Yemen, Iran and where-not and make it a slice of untouched Arabiana.No. That the director has forgone the sublime is obvious, but that he should forgo unity of design, is unforgivable and the results are obvious. What is the point of this deviant retelling? If I were a less confident being, I'd almost be worried that the constant, incessant and continuous (sic) giggling throughout the film were aimed at me. Most trying and exasperating film I have ever seen.