Arabian Nights

I have been worked in the production in this movie, pity my name is not on credits being Assistant to Production Manager and somewhere, transport coordinator and 2nd. unit assistant at war scene's.

The whole production was a great experience for me and fun most of the times if you ignore the non stop work and run....

Unfortunately it was the only movie shoot at Antalya Film Studios which is a great and brand new studio. We have been working over 3 months at locations in Cappadocia where I live now.

I do watch the film time to time and still enjoy fully, knowing the inside information the set and the characters etc.

I did buy a lot of props from the movie and have pictures, raw video materials etc. Do you think one can sell those on e-bay etc. I have more than plenty... So I can spare some out.

If you did not watch the movie yet its well worth it to find a copy and watch.

Happy viewing, Murat

This was a fabulous production. No movie can do justice to the entire story of "Arabian Nights", but this did an admirable job. The visual effects were stunning and the actors were well cast. The way the production moved back and forth between the stories and the storyteller's (and listener's) situation was very creative (reminded me of "The Neverending Story"). The humorous sections and modern jokes were unexpected, but fun and not overdone. My only complaint was that the end came too soon -- after 4 hours I still wanted more.

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.

"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.

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!