Film Review
Having directed one of the best of Amicus' anthology horror films,
From Beyond the Grave (1973),
and the sci-fi classics
The Land
That Time Forgot (1975) and
At
the Earth's Core (1976), director Kevin Connor lent his talents
to another fantasy extravaganza, this time in the
Arabian Nights line.
You'd have thought that, post-
Star
Wars, audiences would have shied away from all that 'mystique of
the Orient' malarkey, with its wish-granting genies, flying carpets and turban-wearing
sorcerers, but whilst the genre was undoubtedly well and truly on the wane
by the late 1970s Connor and his screenwriter Brian Hayles deliver a
colourful fantasy adventure that appeals to adults and children
alike, taking a tried and tested formula and giving it a modern gloss.
Horror icon Christopher Lee, as ever, makes a superlative villain, absolutely
revelling in his character's malevolence, whilst his old Hammer sparring
partner Peter Cushing makes a pleasing cameo appearance. Mickey
Rooney covers the comedy angle magnificently and eye-catching
Suzanne Danielle spices things up with her exotic dancing. The
star of the film is however none of the above but 11-year old Puneet
Sira, a prominent child actor of the period who later went on to have a
distinguished filmmaking career in Britain and India. With his
equally attention grabbing little monkey, Sira eclipses all of his
co-stars (Lee excepted) and somehow manages to give a post-modern
ironic spin to virtually all of his homespun dialogue.
Most of the fun of this film arises from the fact that it doesn't take itself too
seriously. Indeed, rather than just lazily roll out the old clichés
it mischievously inverts them, so that,
for example, the genie in the bottle turns out to be an ungrateful old git and a
particularly unconvincing fire-breathing monster is shown to be
unconvincing for a very good reason. Admittedly things do get a
little
out of hand in the flying carpet sky battle, which looks like a too
obvious attempt to reproduce the climax to the first
Star Wars
film - it's a classic example of the special effects guys getting a
little too full of themselves (when what they should really have done
is just said
no).
Although the central plot is a tad pedestrian and some (but by
no means all) of the special effects are somewhat feeble by today's
standards,
Arabian Adventure
is overall an enjoyable flight of fancy that offers thrills and laughs
aplenty.
© James Travers 2011
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
The ancient city of Jadur is ruled by the tyrannical Caliph Alquazar,
an evil sorcerer who employs mystical powers to prevent his people from
rising up against him. Alquazar lacks only one thing to make him
the most powerful of all men, the enchanted Rose of Elil. He
promises his beautiful stepdaughter, the Princess Zuleira, to Prince
Hasan if he can find the legendary rose and return it to him.
With the help of a little urchin boy, Majeed, Hasan begins his quest in
earnest, unaware of the fantastic challenges that lie ahead...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.