Review: "Arabian Nights" (1942) And "Al Baba And The Forty Thieves" (1944); Blu-ray Special Editions
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“Technicolor Sabers”
By Raymond Benson
Was this really a movie sub-genre? Colorful “Middle Eastern” action-comedy-adventures loosely derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights? Full of harem girls, saber-wielding swashbucklers, epic set pieces with beautifully designed sets and “Arabian” costumes, camels and horses and tigers, and… comedians?
The answer is, ahem, yes. During the war years of the early 1940s, Universal Pictures made several of these “exotic adventure” pictures that capitalized on the success of Britain’s Thief of Bagdad (1940). Hollywood quickly got into this act, but like the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope “Road to…” pictures, these movies set in the world of ancient Arabia were filmed on sound stages in southern California… and it shows.
The films were hugely popular at the time, but they have not aged well. We shall examine two of the more successful entries of...
“Technicolor Sabers”
By Raymond Benson
Was this really a movie sub-genre? Colorful “Middle Eastern” action-comedy-adventures loosely derived from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights? Full of harem girls, saber-wielding swashbucklers, epic set pieces with beautifully designed sets and “Arabian” costumes, camels and horses and tigers, and… comedians?
The answer is, ahem, yes. During the war years of the early 1940s, Universal Pictures made several of these “exotic adventure” pictures that capitalized on the success of Britain’s Thief of Bagdad (1940). Hollywood quickly got into this act, but like the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope “Road to…” pictures, these movies set in the world of ancient Arabia were filmed on sound stages in southern California… and it shows.
The films were hugely popular at the time, but they have not aged well. We shall examine two of the more successful entries of...
- 8/4/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Uipdated, 8: 39 Am: One World: Together at Home, the eight-hour coronavirus relief event set to air Saturday on multiple networks, has added a number of big names. Newly set to appear on the special are Alicia Keys, Amy Poehler, Awkwafina, Camila Cabello, Celine Dion, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Lopez, LL Cool J, Lupita Nyong’o, Matthew McConaughey, Oprah Winfrey, Pharrell Williams, Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Usher and Victoria Beckham.
Previously, April 6: Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert are to host a major television event to help end Covid-19 airing across NBC, ABC and CBS as well as a number of international networks.
More from Deadline'Stay At Home' Or 'You Could Kill Someone', L.A. Mayor Says On 'Real Time With Bill Maher' As HBO Show Returns'God Friended Me' Canceled After Two Seasons On CBS, Sets Series FinaleKenny Ortega Talks Reuniting 'High School Musical' Cast Members...
Previously, April 6: Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert are to host a major television event to help end Covid-19 airing across NBC, ABC and CBS as well as a number of international networks.
More from Deadline'Stay At Home' Or 'You Could Kill Someone', L.A. Mayor Says On 'Real Time With Bill Maher' As HBO Show Returns'God Friended Me' Canceled After Two Seasons On CBS, Sets Series FinaleKenny Ortega Talks Reuniting 'High School Musical' Cast Members...
- 4/14/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Tony Sokol Feb 13, 2020
Last summer's Aladdin made Disney rich enough to impress a princess. Studio stands by its oath loyalty to a sequel or three.
There's still a lot of gray area, but after the billion-dollar success of last summer’s reboot, Disney is developing a sequel to Aladdin, according to Variety. Director Guy Ritchie is scheduled to return to the helm. Aladdin starred Will Smith as Genie, Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine, who are expected to take another ride on the carpet.
Aladdin 2 will be an original story and not follow the sequels to 1992's Aladdin, 1994's The Return of Jafar or Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), which went straight-to-dvd. The Aladdin 2 screenplay will be written by John Gatins, who was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the Denzel Washington film Flight, and Andrea Berloff, who was nominated for an Oscar...
Last summer's Aladdin made Disney rich enough to impress a princess. Studio stands by its oath loyalty to a sequel or three.
There's still a lot of gray area, but after the billion-dollar success of last summer’s reboot, Disney is developing a sequel to Aladdin, according to Variety. Director Guy Ritchie is scheduled to return to the helm. Aladdin starred Will Smith as Genie, Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine, who are expected to take another ride on the carpet.
Aladdin 2 will be an original story and not follow the sequels to 1992's Aladdin, 1994's The Return of Jafar or Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), which went straight-to-dvd. The Aladdin 2 screenplay will be written by John Gatins, who was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the Denzel Washington film Flight, and Andrea Berloff, who was nominated for an Oscar...
- 2/13/2020
- Den of Geek
After a month of being attached to direct a live-action adaptation of the popular video game Minecraft, Shawn Levy has dropped out. That’s not all, though. According to Variety, writers Kieran Mulroney and Michele Mulroney have left the Warner Bros. project as well.
So what happened? Apparently, the creative team presented a new idea to the studio last month, but that idea didn’t fit with what the video game developers were looking for, so Levy and the studio thought that the best idea for them to part ways. In an interview with WSJ, Levy said,
"What happened simply is, Warners asked me to develop kind of how might this ever be a story for a movie, because it’s not a narrative game. We came up with an approach that felt good to us and I discussed it with Mojang, the game makers who make Minecraft, and they were like,...
So what happened? Apparently, the creative team presented a new idea to the studio last month, but that idea didn’t fit with what the video game developers were looking for, so Levy and the studio thought that the best idea for them to part ways. In an interview with WSJ, Levy said,
"What happened simply is, Warners asked me to develop kind of how might this ever be a story for a movie, because it’s not a narrative game. We came up with an approach that felt good to us and I discussed it with Mojang, the game makers who make Minecraft, and they were like,...
- 12/13/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
A New adaptation of the Eastern folk tales collection Arabian Nights is on its way to the big screen - and, in line with the growing trend, it will be in 3D.
Chuck Russell, who co-wrote the script with Barry P. Ambrose, is to direct the fantasy adventure.
He previously helmed 1987's A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, the 80s remake of The Blob, The Mask, Eraser and Scorpion King.
Variety reports that Arabian Nights has a $70million budget and will be financed by Inferno Entertainment, with production set to begin in April.
The story follows a young commander who, after his king is killed in a palace coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and his genie to rescue Persian queen Scheherazade and her kingdom from dark powers.
Russell said: "Through the use of a new generation of visual technologies, we will be able to quite literally take audiences around the...
Chuck Russell, who co-wrote the script with Barry P. Ambrose, is to direct the fantasy adventure.
He previously helmed 1987's A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, the 80s remake of The Blob, The Mask, Eraser and Scorpion King.
Variety reports that Arabian Nights has a $70million budget and will be financed by Inferno Entertainment, with production set to begin in April.
The story follows a young commander who, after his king is killed in a palace coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and his genie to rescue Persian queen Scheherazade and her kingdom from dark powers.
Russell said: "Through the use of a new generation of visual technologies, we will be able to quite literally take audiences around the...
- 11/4/2009
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Chuck Russell (The Mask, The Scorpion King) plans to direct a 3D remake of "Arabian Nights" that is targeting a production start date of April, 2010, reports Variety.
In a new spin on the classic, the story follows a young commander who, after his king is killed in a palace coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and his genie to rescue Scheherazade and her kingdom from dark powers.
"Through the use of a new generation of visual technologies, we will be able to quite literally take audiences around the world on a magic carpet ride," Russell said.
The new film is projecting an estimated budget of $70M.
Some of the best-known stories of The Nights, particularly "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp", "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor", while almost certainly genuine Middle-Eastern folk tales, were actually not part of The Nights in the original Arabic versions,...
In a new spin on the classic, the story follows a young commander who, after his king is killed in a palace coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and his genie to rescue Scheherazade and her kingdom from dark powers.
"Through the use of a new generation of visual technologies, we will be able to quite literally take audiences around the world on a magic carpet ride," Russell said.
The new film is projecting an estimated budget of $70M.
Some of the best-known stories of The Nights, particularly "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp", "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor", while almost certainly genuine Middle-Eastern folk tales, were actually not part of The Nights in the original Arabic versions,...
- 11/4/2009
- CinemaSpy
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