Rating: 
Summary: It's got it all, darlings
Review: A few years ago, there was a television movie on ABC called "The Arabian Nights." It was a two night series and I absolutely loved it. So, when it came out on DVD, I got it right away. It truly captures the beautiful stories I used to hear as a young boy from one of my aunts. More than anything, the film is so funny. One of the most funniest scenes is when Ali Baba's brother, Abu Kasim, dies and he rents the Damascus Mourners for the funeral. A bunch of men and women show up and wail all over the burial. Later, the leader of the group comes up to Ali Baba and says, "Remember us if you have more deaths in the family." That is perhaps the funniest thing in the film. Truly, the director, Steve Barron, who also directed the supernatural Merlin, makes this film one of the, by far, best films I have ever seen. The effects are so much fun to watch and the acting is so good. A group actors, who are so diverse, make this film delicious. And don't forget to watch for people showing up in different scenes. For example, the women of the Harem have some women who also play in different characters, elsewhere. And the Jinns - both the cute gay one and the evil one - are played by Leguizamo. You can't miss this one, darlings.AJ
Rating: 
Summary: Arabian Nights
Review: A really Cool Movie. Initially before watching, I had the impression that TV movies were not that great.... I was wrong. It had great CGI effects, story line and theme. Yes, TV movies cannot compete with Big Screen in budget.. but with Cable bills rising... more people are staying at home.This movie was nice.
Rating:
Summary: Mythology and Fantasy as it should be.
Review: After reading these reviews, I was finally able to get my hands on Arabian Nights and watch it myself. Now, I must say this: This 4-hour movie was worth every dollar in my piggy bank. The movie takes place a long time ago, in the distant lands of Arabia. The Sultan's wife falls in love with his brother, and together they plot his assassination. The Sultan manages to stop the killers and enraged that his wife tried to kill him, kills her himself. Five years later his position as Sultan is under threat and unless he gets married, his brother will become ruler. Still plagued and wounded by the betrayal of his first wife he decides that he will get married, have his wedding night, and then have his wife executed the next day. The 'secret' spreads like wildfire through the land. People were horrified. Some women feel that the Sultan will get a taste for killing, and have it done again and again. Then the daughter of the Sultan's vizier announced that she wished to become Sultana. Now, Shaharizad has a plan. She's a great storyteller, and that night she begins the tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. By the time the sun rises, the story is not finished, and Shaharizad is allowed to live, to end the story. However, the stories do not end that night or the following night. From Ali Baba to Aladdin, the Sultana weaves her magic around the Sultan and the viewers. Breathtaking special effects are proof that the movie is from the 21st Century. Actors from Arabia to India to China make the 4-hours authentic. Since I got it two months ago, I've watched Arabian Nights 17 times. I recommend it as a great story on love, romance, adventure, fantasy and mythology. It's pure magic. My entire family agrees, and I hope you will too.
Rating:
Summary: The Finest TV Movie Ever!
Review: Arabian Nights is a spectacularly lavish fantasy!
Based on the 1001 Arabian Nights that Schiharazade told the sultan every night to keep him in suspense and keep him from executing her! The story is marveously played out. It does not suffer the burden of being a TV movie and lacking the budget and grand scope of a movie but instead acts takes advantage of the fact that it is a TV show! Originally on television the story was divided into two separate two-hour parts, told different nights. But on DVD it plays just as a movie would, with lavish, larger-than-life sets that needed to be just right for the movie to succeed. And succeed the movie does, marvelously in fact.
Telling 5 main stories in addition to the main story that's being played out. The stories are, in order: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (An expertly told adaption of the classic arabian tale with fine acting and even a twist ending that will please everyone), The Sultan's Jester (An amusing story that I had not heard before about a court jester who accidentally chokes on a fishbone and dies, the people who he was dining with, thinking that they had killed the Sultan's beloved jester, leave the body at the door of a doctor who also believing he'd killed the jester, brings him to another person's house and so on, all and all an amusing, well told tale), Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (The longest, biggest and most lavishly told of the 5 tales, Aladdin recounts the tale we all know, but a seemingly different, more authentic, and interesting version. Look for John Leguizemo of Moulin Rouge, and Collateral Damage as the genie), Never Tell the Same Joke Twice (A very interesting and seemingly new tale that ties the two main characters in the real story into this story. A tale that has the sultan playing jokes on one of his particular citizens by having him go from a drunk to waking up as the Sultan and then back and forth. All and all very amusing and even funny), The last story, surely one of the best, is a magical tale that tells the story of three brothers who go out on a quest to find the greatest gift on earth. A tale of love, hope, and brotherhood. Spectacular), abrubtly after this story ends we are thrust into a battle between the sultan and his evil twisted brother bent on revenge. The sultan uses something from each one of the stories told to him by the beautiful Schiherazade to fight the battle.
The running time for the entire film is just under 3 hours.
The time moves fast though, and the virtues of having this movie on DVD are clear once you see it on the disc. One wishes they could have recorded a commentary for the movie but alas, there is none as it is a TV movie. All in all a spectacular epic fantasy!
Rating:
Summary: A magical and moving tale!
Review: Arabian Nights is an amazing mini-series. It has a great and timeless story. It has great sets and special effects. The directing was wonderful. The thing that especially impressed me about this mini-series was the acting. Mili Avital(Shraizad) was phenominal, she captured the spirit of the character with amazing easy and charm. Douray Scott was extremely effective as the sultan who is going mad. The two leads chemistry, I think, really carried the movie and made you really care about what happened to them. All the actors who were in the stories being told did great jobs. It almost seemed like they were in the room with Shraizad. I think Arabain Nights and The 10th Kingdom are the best things that Hallmark Entertainment have ever done...now if the 10th kingdom got a sequel that would be great. Arabian Nights is one of the best and also one of my favorite films...along with the 10th Kingdom.
Rating: 
Summary: The Power of Stories
Review: Arabian Nights is the story of Sultan Schariar (Dougray Scott) who unfortunatly married an unfaithful wife who was conducting an affair with his brother Schahzenan. The two of them had plotted Schariar's death so that Schahzenan could take over the kingdom and upon discovering this, the Sultan hurled a sword at his brother which instead killed his wife. The guards were called in, but Schariar had forever lost his faith in love, in his brother, in trust, and most of all - in women.
When the time came for him to wed again he was very reluctant to go ahead with it in case history repeated itself, so he formed his own plan with the royal executioner - after the wedding night he would have his new wife killed. When the women in the harem hear of this, they fear greatly for their own lives and turn to the wise Scheherezade (the beautiful Mili Avital) the Visier's only child, who spends most of her days in the village, listening in wonder at the stories that the Storyteller (Alan Bates) tells to the crowds. When Scheherezade hears of their plight, she offers herself up as a bride for the Sultan, certain that she can help save her childhood love from his madness.
But the Sultan is very far gone, and is a selfish, paranoid man who harbors no guilty feelings over having her killed the next morning. And so Scheherezade begins to tell him stories - an adventure (Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves), a comedy (the story of BacBac the hunchback), a romance (Aladdin) and a tragedy (the story of a drunk that wakes up in the Sultan's bed), leaving each one at the climax till the following night so that Schariar must spare her life if he is to learn what happens next. Slowly he begins to find himself again. But at the same time Schahzenan is gathering forces at the edge of the kingdom to overthrow his brother. Confused and afraid, the Sultan tries to heed Scheherezade's advice: "Stories can save us, if we use our imagination."
Arabian Nights is a very atmospheric movie, full of the magic of eastern lands, customs and costumes. The combined efforts of Mili Avital, Jason Scott Lee as Aladdin and John Leguizamo in the duo role as both the genie of the lamp and the genie of the ring make this a very watchable movie.
There are some faults however - any attempt at humour or jokes doesn't quite work, sometimes it drags on a bit, and a few of the special effects don't look very real, but the story itself is very touching - the rather strange plot (which is basically Scheherezade telling the Sultan lots of stories) works wonderfully as she draws inspiration from things around her; and the blending from the 'real world' into her stories is perfect. Morals are drawn mostly from Scheherezade, as she is rewarded for her unfailing love for Schariar, and her teachings in the power of stories is a good lesson to be learnt in the days of technology.
Rating:
Summary: Hallmark does it again!
Review: Arabian Nights was breathtaking and a super movie! I doubt I can say anything here to give it just credit. Magic Jinn from rings and lamps, magic flying carpets, battle scenes, its all in here!
This one along with the Odyssey and Jason and the Argonaughts all by Hallmark stay at the top of My collection because I find I watch them so much.
The battle between the Ginies, one of the ring and one of the lamp is just kewl.
Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Buy the DVD and savour it at night
Review: As other reviewers have pointed out, the VHS edition of this movie has been hacked to bits and re-edited. There are a few other versions floating around, one is recorded on EP (bad quality) and the other is in a set and rather expensive. I saved the time by buying the DVD instead. The DVD offers a few extras like cast bios and a making of featurette (which is basically just them patting themselves on the back for a lavish production, something we could tell by ourselves) The movie is the star in this case. If you have any sort of access to a DVD player, buy the movie in this format. The tale of Arabian Nights is an ancient one about the beautiful Scheherezade (played by lovely Israeli actress Mili Avital, best known to Americans from Stargate) who tries to cure the mad Sultan Schahriar (Scottish actor Dougray Scott) through her considerable story telling ability. At first, Schahriar is a suspicious, childish man but then as his wife's tales grip him, he begins to see the lessons she is teaching him. So, what starts as a marriage based on convenience and murder becomes a truly deep relationship. Scheherezade's tales are brought to life by a variety of stars in a variety of settings. Some of the "Saturday Morning Cartoon" feel of the stories is removed and many of them return to their roots. The tale of Aladdin, for example, was originally set in China with the bad guy as a sort of African Shaman and that is what is used in this version. Also, the fact that there were two genies is brought to light. (American John Leguizamo is very good in the duel roles as the genies of the lamp and ring) Historical findings are also used (the clay sldiers used in a Chinese tomb to guard the dead are incorporated) And lesser known tales such as the story of Bacbac are used. It is facinating to watch the friendship between Schahriar and Scheherezade develope. He alternately loves her, needs her, hates her and wants to kill her throughout the first half of the movie. And she knows it. Talk about spooky, being in the hands of a homicidal madman who could have her killed at the snap of his fingers. But, self-sacrifice is what make Scheherezade's character so great, she is doing it to save other women, the kingdom but most of all to save Schahriar from himself. The camera work is imaginative and the sets and scenery (much of this was filmed in Turkey) are lavish. The costumes are breathtaking, particularly anything Scheherezade puts on. The his/hers matching armor at the climax was just too cool. The music is always appropriate without being intrusive. The special effects are pretty good (especially for TV), a few are a bit cheesy but I still liked the movie. All the trimmings aside, the cast of international stars is the main reason to watch this film. One more note, I found that I enjoyed this movie more when I watched it at night with the lights out. Maybe Scheherezade was right when she said it was hard to create the right atmosphere with the sun shining. This is the best of the Hallmark mini series that have been on TV lately and I do hope everyone is able to enjoy the complete and unedited version. Find an evening, get some friends, make some tea and I am certain you will be enchanted.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely delightful!
Review: First, a caveat: this is not a film for purists. The actual tales on which the film is based are far more sensual and involved. The film takes a great deal of liberty with the original tales, so one ought not expect a "faithful" reproduction. That said, I must say that I found this film to be an absolute joy to watch. The sets and costumes are wonderful eye candy, and the stories (prior caveat aside) are a great deal of fun. The script is tightly written and the acting excellent. The tale of Aladdin is particularly well done and humourous (John Leguizamo was the perfect casting pick for the roles of the two genies). Very highly recommended for everyone (though with a warning to prudes: there is one very brief scene, a bath, in which the camera-work doesn't quite manage to obscure a rather "revealing moment" for Dougray Scott).
Rating:
Summary: Great story!
Review: Great story, this 3 hour long movie takes you to mystical places in persia and china, great adventure with lots of action!
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