A Thousand and One Nights

A Thousand and One Nights is a rollicking, bawdy and unapologetically 40s vision of the ancient Arabian legend of Aladdin.

Just as Disney's animated feature "Aladdin" updated the genie-in-a-bottle storyline for the 90s mindset, this exploration fuses the epic musical film style of big-budget Hollywood films in post-War America with the cultural stereotypes surrounding the Middle East. The results are a fantastic, if laughable, adventure movie, geared towards young adults and the elderly, but with plenty to chew on even for children.

Imaginative sets and superb costumes present a lavish spectacle of colour and brilliant old school special effects combine with well-performed choreography to keep the action and laughs rolling, and the viewer suitably engaged. However, the cinematography and lighting are disappointingly one-dimensional, suggesting more of a stage adaptation than an original film.

Performances, especially vocal, are largely impressive. For a script that contains a bewildering assortment of varied characters, often singing choruses, a great cast of character actors is needed, and it's definitely the largely uncredited bit parts and cameos (Shelley Winters!) that make this ensemble memorable. With a wooden lead in Cornel Wilde (Aladdin), best friend Abdullah (Phil Silvers) really picks up the slack, with an endless stream of predictable--yet nonetheless witty--wisecracks. Even Babs (Evelyn Keyes), the emotionally-berserk female genie, manages to convincingly portray a noticeably pathetic, but likable, co- starring lead.

All told, this one's a must for film fans of days of yore and students of Hollywood Orientalism alike. If the rousing music and generous matte sets don't sweep you off your feet, the astonishingly ludicrous premise of a comedic epic musical based on an ancient tale of dread and magic will have you rolling on the floor laughing.

Aladdin (Cornel Wilde) falls in love with Princess Armina (Adele Jergens). She loves him too but she can't marry a poor man. Aladdin finds a lantern, rubs it and our comes a female genie named Babs (Evelyn Keyes). Aladdin orders her to make him a rich prince so he will be able to marry the princess--but Babs starts to fall in love with Aladdin! Abdullah (Phil Silvers), Aladdin's buddy tags along.

If you take the Arabian Nights stories seriously this will probably have you horrified. However if you take it for what it is (a fun, silly movie) you'll love it. It was shot in bright Technicolor with huge sets, a large cast and excellent special effects. It's obvious that Paramount spent a LOT of money on this. The script moves quickly and one-liners (mostly by Silvers) go flying left and right. Some of the lines are groaners but (more often than not) they're right on target.

Acting--Wilde is tall, hunky and incredibly handsome. He even sings a few songs (!!!). Silvers could have very easily been annoying--but he's actually quite funny and full of life. Jergens and Keyes are both beautiful and good in their roles. Also Rex Ingram has a pointless (but interesting) cameo as another genie and Shelly Winters plays a harem girl! Cute, colorful, lavish and lots of fun. Worth catching. Perfect for the whole family.

Harry Cohn must have gotten a little jealous at all the money Universal was raking in with those Maria Montez/Jon Hall Arabian Nights films that they were grinding out. Cohn decided Columbia deserved a bit of that market itself.

What Cohn was smart in doing was playing this one tongue firmly in cheek for his sand and sandal epic. Cornel Wilde, fresh from his Oscar nominated role as Fredric Chopin at Cohn's studio, cuts a romantic and dashing figure, playing Aladdin of Cathay for laughs in a way that more serious swashbuckling rivals like Tyrone Power and Errol Flynn would never have done.

Wilde's in love with the forbidden blonde Arabian princess Adele Jergens, but it is forbidden for him to rise above his station. Cornel's going to need some supernatural help and he finds it in the person of the genie with a lamp, in this case not Barbara Eden, but the one who must have been her inspiration, Evelyn Keyes.

Though she's crushing out on Wilde big time, Keyes does help him in his romantic quest and coincidentally works against plot by the dastardly twin brother of the sultan to usurp the throne. That would be Dennis Hoey who is clearly enjoying hamming up, both roles.

Phil Silvers is around as well as the jive talking Abdullah who rumor hath it was born some 600 years ahead of his time.

Part homage to The Thief of Bagdad and part Road to Morocco as well, A Thousand and One Nights is enjoyable enough because it doesn't take itself too seriously even as satire.

But what about hard working Evelyn, what's her reward. Think The Palm Beach Story and remember she does have a magic lamp.

"Oh, if only I had a gun... No, wait, they haven't been invented yet!". Phil Silvers brings a distinctly pantomime effect to this retelling of the Sinbad meets Arabian Nights story. To keep up the swash and the buckle, we have the dashingly mischievous "Aladdin" (Cornel Wilde) who falls in love with the ultimate in forbidden fruit, the princess "Armina" (Adele Jergens). She is the daughter of the caliph Dennis Hoey who also doubles up as his own dastardly twin with designs on both the throne and his neice. "Aladdin" and his sidekick "Abdullah" (Silvers) have a wheeze going on that sees the former entertain the crowds whilst his pal surreptitiously relieves them of their valuables. When he spots his forbidden love and faces years in the dungeon, they abscond into the mountains where he finds a lamp. Of course he rubs it, and out pops "Babs" (Evelyn Keyes) to hear and to obey. Sure, she accommodates his wishes to impress at the court, but she also has taken a little bit of a shine to her new master and she is not averse to a little mischief of her own to get her man. Fans of Silvers and his screwball, bespectacled, humour might enjoy this but I'm more a fan of the Korda-style telling of these stories (indeed Rex Ingram appears in the same red costume here from "The Thief of Bagdad" from 1940) and I found the comedic antics and the breaks for obviously dubbed musical numbers spoiled the adventure element. That really only comes to the fore in the last ten minutes and isn't up to very much. Wilde's in his element and Keyes in clearly enjoying her role here, but if there is such a thing as a fantasy purist, that is me - and this just fell between too many stools. It does look great, though, and there are a few clever visual effects, but original is usually best and this is neither.

Comical variation on the Aladdin story. Aladdin (Cornel Wilde) falls in love with Princess Armina (Adele Jergens) but is forced to flee the kingdom with his sidekick Abdullah (Phil Silvers). He finds a magic lamp with a genie (Evelyn Keyes) inside and uses her wish-granting powers to help him return to his princess.

This is definitely a different-looking Cornel Wilde than I'm used to, with somewhat effeminate hair and makeup. Particularly in the early parts where there are lots of close-ups of him. His performance is good, though. He's suited for parts like this. Phil Silvers, who I'm not always crazy about, is lots of fun here. Adele Jergens and Evelyn Keyes, blonde and redhead respectively, are both beautiful in Technicolor. Keyes is the highlight of the film for me as the genie Babs. Dennis Hoey, of Sherlock Holmes series fame, is quite good in a different role. Two roles, actually. Shows he had some range. Lovely Technicolor, great sets and costumes, and nice effects. It's a fine piece of escapism.