Le meraviglie di Aladino

Pairing Henry levin (who made the best "journey to the center of the earth " that had ever been ) and Mario Bava (whose best fantasy and horror movies such as "i tre volti della paura" have remained memorable ) promised great things ;but these promises remained on hold.

It cannot hold a candle to "the thief of Baghdad " (1940) from which it borrowed the automaton (a murderous sexy girl) ;firts of all,Donald O' Connor is at least twice Alladin's age ;a cosmopolitan cast does not help :To support the American actor , Italians (De Sica as the genius in the bottle) ,and FRench comedians (Noelle Adam ,Michèle Mercier ,future Angélique )

Magis is absent all along the way ,but the film is not devoid of sadism : the soldier handed to the blood-thirsty automaton,people ending for lunch to the lions ;and what have the Amazons, who come from Greek mythology, got to do in "one and a thousand nights"?Why not Hercules or the mummy when they are at it?

The screenplay is muddled and desultory .

The wise adults would pass this up and watch the 1940 work or Pasolini's 1974 version,the latter not suitable for the children audience.