User reviews

One could think of a TV series, especially one intended for young audiences, that its quality will not match that of a movie for the big screen. That is false for Arabian Nights. Starting with a solid and well-balanced plot, good acting, superb photography and truly inspired music, plus beautiful filming locations, fantastic dressings, special effects and some touches of humor on an epic drama, all you get is top quality entertainment for all the family.

Lush and colourful mini-series based on the classic "1001 Nights". The framework works nicely; the harried sultan, initially all sweat and paranoia, set on the path to redemption by his new wife Scheherezade (Mili Avital, who is just exquisite), who must maintain his interest by telling him stories or be executed. It left me wanting more, so by that measure at least the film is a success. Cameos and star turns abound in this enormous production and refreshingly for a Hallmark miniseries, the slant is more English than American. The humour and dialogue can be just a bit twee at times (one almost expects Hugh Grant to peep around the curtain at any moment) but like Turkish delight, this film is sweet but not sickening

Arabian Night also belongs to one of the fantasy-movies which you can also put in the table with Sinbad and the 10th Kingdom. Arabian Nights is a very interesting and nice movie to watch because it takes you to a world of fantasy and mystic, in which the stories told by an Arabian woman, form actually the movie. So we will find the famous stories about Ali Baba and Aladdin and his wonderlamp. The other day i bought this movie and i don't regret it. I think that a 8 out of 10 is a qualification Arabian nights deserves because i enjoyed it 3 hours long. Don't think too much and let yourself lead back to the old legends of the Middle East, you won't regret it.

Wow. Somehow I had gone through the winter without seeing a trailer for "Arabian Nights," which was why I was all the more astounded when I caught it on tv that Sunday night. This is pure myth-and-magic candy, people, but unlike most effects-laden tv-series, it gets better. A lot better.

Okay, so it gets a little anachronistic at parts, but what really blew me away was the frame tale that held it all together. Scheherazade was played to an intelligent, beguiling perfection by Avital, and Scott was simply spectacular as the half-mad Schariar. These two had great chemistry, and their interactions made for some electric, yet subtle, scenes. Their characters -- and characterizations -- were great, better and more complex than what you normally get in this genre of telemovie-making.

It's a beautiful escapist fantasy with lead characters to root for. Music was on point, direction was well-stylized (though gimmicky and will probably be dated in a little while), performances top-notch without the actos taking themselves too seriously. If you want some classy, sexy, mystical entertainment, give "Arabian Nights" a try. You won't regret it.

"Arabian Nights" is continuing proof that it is possible to put together a highly entertaining, superbly-acted television program with a cast of primarily lesser-known actors and actresses. The performances in the movie are almost uniformly first-rate. For example, John Leguizamo is hilarious and totally believable as Aladdin's genie(s), and far better than Robin Williams' portrayal in Disney's "Aladdin." Mili Avital is enchanting as Scheherezade, and Dougray Scott and James Frain are terrific as the warring brothers Schariar and Schazenan (an interesting re-telling of the original base story line). The ever-reliable Rufus Sewell and Alan Bates give very enjoyable portrayals of Ali Baba and the Storyteller, respectively, and Jason Scott Lee gives a very amusing turn as Aladdin. I particularly enjoyed the segment of the constantly fighting Princes of Yemen, Ali, Ahmed, and Hussain (played with gusto by relative unknowns Alexis Conran, James Callis, and Hari Dhillon). While it is the acting that really shines in "Arabian Nights," the set designs and costuming are truly magical. The special effects are also very good considering the budget limitations of the small screen.

If you're going to rent or buy this on video/DVD, be careful to find the 175 minute version. I don't know what they cut from the shorter version, but honestly you won't want to miss ANY of this marvelous TV movie.

I really hope that Hallmark decides to do a sequel to this with a few more of the tales from the Arabian Nights. There is certainly a precedent for it with the "Sarah, Plain and Tall" films.

Five years after killing his unfaithful wife, the Sultan of Baghdad Shahryar (Dougray Scott) goes haywire and believes every woman is treacherous. However he needs to get married again to keep his throne, and he decides to marry a woman from his harem and kills her on the next morning. The smart daughter of the Grand Vizier, Ja'Far (Jim Carter), Scheherazade (Mili Avital), was in love with Shahryar when they were children and decides to marry him. Scheherazade tells pieces of the stories of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, The Tale of the Poor Hunchback, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, The Sultan and the Beggar and The Three Princes along the nights, stops the stories in cliffhanger to keep the interest of the Sultan and preventing her death. Meanwhile his brother Schahzenan (James Frain) plans an attack to the palace to overthrown Shahryar.

The miniseries "Arabian Nights" is one of the most delightful entertainment made for the whole family. The witty stories of the one thousand and one nights told by Scheherazade are wonderful and it is hard to point out the best one (maybe the funny "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp"). The DVD could be one of the best ever released but does not have any subtitles, what is a pity. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "As Mil e Uma Noites" ("The One Thousand and One Nights")

For a TV production, this rendition of "The Arabian Nights" is far above the average in almost every respect. The CGI is magnificent, the acting is superior - particularly by the versatile and underutilized John Leguizamo as a bad-tempered genie and his overweight, barely competent supernatural rival, and the Peter Barnes's narrative structure is unusually sophisticated for Hollywood.

So the problems with this production are especially regrettable. The various threads of the story are confusingly presented, with needlessly abrupt and disorienting cuts from one to another. This certainly interefered with my enjoyment. The other problem, which may not bother others, is the very frequent use of modern allusions (like a comic monkey-wrench in the hands of a genie) and ironic attitudes. This sort of thing can be amusing in moderation, or in an animated cartoon like Disney's "Aladdin" where no level of realism is expected. But here it clashes with the gorgeous imagery and the generally "realistic" style of storytelling. As somebody else has mentioned, there's also a problem with pacing. Events, while never boring, often lose their momentum in magnificent visuals and trivial dialogue.

Altogether, though, "The Arabian Nights" is well worth seeing, though some of the bizarre images may disturb very young children. Otherwise it really is a show "for the entire family."

EXCELLENT! EXCITING! BEAUTIFUL! CAPTIVATING! BREATH TAKING!

These are just a few of the words that I can think of to describe the television film of Arabian Nights. My whole family just loved it. This production was absolutely perfect in every way imaginable, from start to finish; ABSOLUTE TOP QUALITY. I deeply respect and appreciate all of the creative hard work that went into making this wonderful entertaining epic. I wish that there would be a way I could say thank you to all of these creative people that brought this to the television audience.

I'm not always sure what compels a network to undertake one of these massive projects, and often the final product is terrible to watch. ARABIAN NIGHTS is an exception. While it is awfully long, it is a solid and fun adaptation of Sir Richard Burton's oft-told tales of Aladdin, Ali Baba and many others in a land and time lost in the mists of history. Each tale comes with a moral, and if this TV movie gets the kids to read the actual tales, more power to it. Jason Scott Lee stands out as Aladdin, as does John Leguizamo as the genie. A sumptuous-looking production, filmed in Turkey, apparently, with an international cast.

Im a movie freak, i watch movies all the time expecially TV movies... but when it comes to fantasy movies im all over them. i recorded this movie and watch it hundreds of time and nevergotired.. this is the kind of movie that it doesn't matter how many times you watch it you;ll enjoy it and even be surprise by the ending cuz its pefect everything falls in!!!

And the actors all are Perfect for the movie, the scene, and the time in history!! And a perfect movie to watch with your family.

Simply put, this is one of the best adaptations of Arabian Nights around, and one of the best TV-miniseries ever made. The story remains true to the Arabian Nights myths. Ali Baba, Aladdin, genies, theives, and all the other favorites are present inside the wonderfully crafted frame story of Scheherezade and the King.

You'll love it!

You'd expect a 3 hour long film like this to get boring, I was so wrong. Every story is an original spin on a classic tale and is so well acted it's incredible, the sets are lush and exciting, the villain is notably slimy and looks the part.

The acting was really, really good, especially considering it's a made for TV film. Also, each story has a moral you can take into real life too as well, "don't play the same cruel joke multiple times", "don't be too greedy" etc...

The CGI isn't the best, but that doesn't matter as the practical effects blow that out the water, and you should try not to judge a film too much on the effects anyway. The use of the ancient city Petra was a nice surprise and very atmospheric.

9/10: Perfect night's entertainment, and good for children too

The movie is called Arabian Nights, however the original name for the story was "Stories of 1001 Nights". And the whole story happens in Persia( Shahrzad was the name of the queen) and the story was originally written in Arabic( official language of Iran in that era).

The story was supposed to be before Islam otherwise a lot of things would be different; But a lot of Islamic symbols are used in the movie. Alladin is an Arabic name and was not Chinese(as shown) same for Pricess Zubaida (again Arabic name) and not Chinese. The Story of Alibaba goes on in Baghdad and not Damascus. Harun-Al-Rashid was in Iran( Khorasan) and definitely after Islam. I know he was not in the story.

I want to take this opportunity to say "Arabian Nights" is perhaps one of the best made-for-TV movies I have ever seen! It is a wonderful mixture of fantasy, special effects and marvelous tongue-in-cheek comedy, and should be seen by anyone who has ever thought he/she already knew this classic story! My only regret is that it isn't a full-length motion picture, as the big screen would have absolutely come alive! Congratulations to its producers, director and stars!

It was one of the most enchanting movies I've ever seen. It draws you in and holds you there. It has everything, action, romance, comedy. You cheer for the good guy, and boo the bad. None of the damsels are in distress, they heal it. three thumbs up.

A surprise! Passionate acting and a suspenseful premise: a strong willed princess must save her life from a mad prince with storytelling.

Dated effects, but brilliant use of editing and a perfect cast.

Tragic, yet doesn't take itself too seriously with genuine laughs.

A gem! Expected to be bored, but was highly intrigued by the quality of the set, the costumes, the masterful storytelling and the gravitas the actors had.

You'll see some actors you might recognize elsewhere, like the prince from Ever After and the man who played Gollum in Lord of the Rings, and that memorable magi from The Mummy.

Enjoyed the romp into different countries and the diverse ethnicities represented, and intrigued to look into other actors more!

I have to add my praise to the many rave reviews for this outstanding miniseries. My family and I have watched this wonderful adaptation of the "1001 Nights" many times since we first saw it on Foxtel about four years ago and it has become one of my children's favourite programs and they know most of the script off by heart now.

I have a high regard for the many excellent Hallmark fairytale productions, but this is far and away their best. There is just so much to admire about it -- a funny, witty script, stunning locations, truly lavish costumes, superb makeup, excellent use of CGI effects, and above all, terrific performances from a star-studded cast, especially by the stunning Mili Avital and the very charismatic Dougray Scott, who carry so much of the story. And of course there are several other well-known stars -- like Andy Serkis and James Callis -- to be spotted in minor roles, a couple of years before they became famous.

I MUST select for special mention the brilliant dual performance by the great John Leguizamo as the two genies in the Aladdin story. His portrayal of the whining, obese Ring Genie is hilarious, and his Lamp Genie shows how CGI and good acting can work together to create an awe-inspiring character. How did he not get an Emmy for these performances?? The use of CGI is very good in this episode -- I love the cunning way that the smoke comes off the tips of the Lamp Genie's ears and fingers, and how it makes a smoke-ring every time he says a word with "O" in it. Very clever.

I also roundly applaud the decision to cast so many actors from Asian and African backgrounds, notably in the wonderful "Alladdin" story -- Jason Scott Lee and Vanessa Mae are both terrific, Vanessa Mae is utterly gorgeous *and* proves herself an excellent actor, and it's lovely to see screen veteran Bert Kwouk (Kato from the Pink Panther movies) as the Caliph. Why Jason Scott Lee not a MUCH bigger star, I have no idea -- he is truly marvellous in this role.

This is to all intents and purposes a flawless production and the best film or TV version of the Arabian Nights stories that I have ever seen. The adaptations are remarkably faithful to the original tales -- and I have read the entire Mardrus and Mathers' 4-volume translation, so I know what I'm, talking about -- but the script also has many witty additions. The exchanges between Aladdin and the Genie of the Lamp are hilarious, especially when the Genie mocks Aladdin for asking for a flying machine.

This is a gold-plated family classic which ought to be in the DVD collection of every school and of every family who cares about good, imaginative entertainment. 10 out of 10

The movie was a real turnon. I thought the costumes were Realistic for the period. The story though an old one is timeless. I truly enjoyed it . I have a few of Vanessa Maes CDs and appreciate her violin expertese.I had no idea she was so pretty. And young.

I've only seen part one of this drama but was really impressed. The casting was inspired. The script is really good, the excellent actors can really display their talents. Arabian Nights is full of memorable performances. It's also full of classic pictorials. For a production from 2000 it even has some brilliant cgi. The costumes were a delight. Nothing allows this show to be boring. It's always bright and optimistic. I highly recommend Arabian Nights. It is quality cinema for almost all ages.

Leave it to US TV to take a centuries old collection of tales of action, erotica, fantasy and humour and give it the most wooden treatment so far. You know you're in trouble when even the basic premise is modified, supposedly to suit a modern audience, thereby taking away all significance of the original tales. Ill attempts at slapstick humour serve no purpose, loosing all the humour of the originals. Only the good locations, sets and special effects save it from being completely awful. Better read the tales, preferably in Sir Richard Burton's classic translation.

Some of these network special-effect tv movies have been rather cheesy in the past, but I was very impressed with Arabian Nights. Not only am I a Dougray Scott fan, but the story was done quite well. There's a point about halfway through when you wonder if the stories will come together and if the Sultana will survive after each story. But in the end, the stories all fall together and actually make sense to what is going on in each scene. Well done!

This was a fabulous production. I was honored to work in this movie. All the cast and crew worked so hard and made this serie with pure love. Shooting locations were absolutely great i missed so much those times...

What can I say about this miniseries? Great cast, great story, locations. Special effects are done to great effect. I loved this series because all the characters were well drawn and likeable (including eventually the Dougray Scott character). The interspersing of Scheherezade's stories and her real life work well, particularly when the events in the stories begin to reflect what is happening in the real world.

Since much is made in Arabian Nights of a cliffhanger ending that keeps you wanting more, it's ironic that after being thrilled by part one of Arabian Nights, Part 2 was not shown in New York when a war between ABC and Time Warner caused the ABC station to go off the air the night part two was supposed to air. I've been seething about it ever since, but at long last I have seen the whole thing (on the sci-fi channel, even though there's nothing remotely science fiction about the Arabian Nights) and I am thrilled.

Arabian Nights is one of the best of those elaborate, special effects-laden fantasy TV movies Robert halmi Sr. has been producing since the success of Gulliver's Travels. The bookend story of the original book has been expanded, so the loose-knit collection of stories feel tightly woven together by the urgency of Scheherazade's plight. The stories themselves are wonderful, beautiful and magical and displaying the amazing sort of imagination one sees in the movies of Hayao Miyazaki. The movie is less star-studded than a lot of Halmi's films, or at least, many of the stars, being of eastern or African origin, aren't famous in the U.S., although for all I know they are all huge stars somewhere in the world. The cast is marvelous, particularly Mili Avital as Scheherezade and John Leguizamo in two very funny roles as as the movie's genies (although the genie of the lamp is a bit too hard to understand).

This movies that is so amazing that it seems a shame it's TV movie status means it gets less notice than some inferior Hollywood fantasy. It is a must-see movie.