If you didn't see the name Segundo de Chomón on the opening screen, then you would most likely just assume this is a film from the famous French filmmaker Georges Méliès. After all, Méliès pioneered the use of stop-motion and camera tricks to blend magic and filmmaking. And, the style of this film is 100% Georges Méliès from start to finish. So what gives? Well, back in the not so good old days, stealing was rampant in the film world. Sometimes filmmakers would slap their names on another artist's work (and this explains why the Biograph folks, for example, slapped an 'AB' on every frame to discourage this) and more often they would just copy the film's style and content. Because Méliès was so popular, lots of folks were 'inspired' (i.e., stole) by his work. And, Chomón is just one of many 'borrowers' (i.e., thieves).
Despite all this, "The Magician from Arabia" is definitely a quality product. It appears every bit as good as the real thing and its production values are as good as any film of the day. As you see the magician make flames and women and wreaths of flowers appear and disappear, you can't help but admire the skill involved. And, like some of the best films of the day, they even added some color (various yellow-gold tones) to give it some extra class. Well done but essentially a knock-off!