“Arabian Nights: Vanessa-Mae’s debut as an actress” I ordered the video Arabian Nights simple because my favorite artist Vanessa-Mae is in it for her debut as an actress. Vanessa-Mae is a well known and celebrated violinist. However, seeing this movie I find it very entertaining. Costumes, music and special effects are very good and functional. Acting performances are good in general, but remain a little flat because of the fairy tale type setting. Dialogues are short all the time. What about the role of Vanessa-Mae? I think she made a very good choice for her acting debut. She is convincinng as the beautiful princess Zobeide. I think Vanessa-Mae can devellop herself into a good actressa. This means, if she has the ambition to do so.
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BORING  This has got to be one of the most awful made for T.V. Mini-Series since the remake of Stephen King’s The Shining. I haven’t had so much trouble staying awake watching a movie as I did trying to watch this and comprehend what it’s suppose to be about. The story lines were inept and childlike. Most of the visual effects were rather stunning, but on the whole, the special effects don’t make up for the boring and all too lame story lines. I don’t think my watching this story again or even wasting my time and money to buy it is what I would ever do. This is a classic Failure which should have been left on the cutting room floor. If you have trouble sleeping at night, I suggest buying this video and trying to watch it, you will soon be sleeping like a baby…. A VISUAL TREAT! A let down! Outstanding movie! |
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1 Comment until now
A beautiful escapist fantasy with lead characters to root for.
Some of these network special-effect T.V. movies have been rather cheesy in the past, but I was very impressed with “Arabian Nights” it was done quite well.
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 these marvelous TV movies.
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