 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Arabian Nights
- Review Date: April 13, 2005
- NR
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- 2000
Common Sense Media says
A fresh, but long, take on the classic stories.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this isn't a typically sweet fairy tale; this movie has mature content, including abusive husbands, adultery and revenge. Scheherazade inspires creativity and resourcefulness as she spins her magical tales, and helps her husband overcome his mistrust. Children are likely to be turned off by the nearly three hour length of this story, and it's best reserved for older kids and teens who will appreciate the mature themes, and root for the brilliant heroine.
What's the story?
In ARABIAN NIGHTS, Schahriar (Dougray Scott), Sultan of Baghdad, suffers torment and paranoia after a failed assassination attempt masterminded by his late wife and her secret lover -- his own power-hungry brother. Scheherazade (Milli Avital), daughter of the Sultan's chief advisor, puts herself at grave risk to cure the monarch's madness. She willingly marries him, even though Schahriar has vowed to execute his second wife on their wedding night, to foil any further treachery. Scheherazade has a plan, however. She has mastered the art of storytelling, and every time unstable Schahriar threatens her life, she relates another tale of magic or irony that diverts him from carrying out the death sentence. Embedded within the stories (tales of Ali Baba, Aladdin and the lamp, Bacbac the hunchback, and others) are lessons that help Schahriar overcome his violent mistrust and triumph over his returning brother in battle.
Is it any good?
Just when you think you know a fairy tale inside and out ... wow! Along comes something like Arabian Nights, (from the creators of the Gulliver's Travels miniseries) which makes the world's oldest stories seem fresh and exciting. Arabian Nights succeeds, primarily, because of the framing story, the gripping drama of Scheherazade using her wits to save her life.
By focusing on Scheherazade's compelling plight, characters such as Ja-Far, Ali Baba, and Aladdin (depicted by actor Jason Scott Lee as Chinese, as some traditions have held) remain in their proper perspective as backdrops to the main narrative. Despite the sorcery, stunts, and wonders that abound in the tales, there's nothing childish about Scheherazade's dilemma and ordeal at the hands of Schahriar, which the filmmakers play as straight as any drama about mental illness.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how Scheherazade uses words and stories to protect herself, instead of the violence advocated by her husband. What's the advantage of her approach? Where could you apply that in your daily life?
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Kid, 12 years old
July 12, 2010
AGE
Hey,
Half of My Family are Arabians and Half of my Family are Armenians
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AGE
this is a must see movie not only magical content
This story is very interesting as it tells how the advisers daughter used her knowledge and skill in telling stories that later became very amusing to the viewers.Its very exciting because it depicts the culture of the people in other places of the world......hope you'll find time to watch the movie.
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Kid, 2 years old
July 18, 2011
AGE
What are you People at Common Sense Media Thinking of?
The opening scene is a buxom woman extorting a man to make love to her while her husband is sleeping, otherwise she will wake her husband and have the other man killed. The man's response is to wrap his fingers around the woman's neck and violently strangle her. My confidence in Common Sense media is seriously challenged for them to rate this as appropriate for 9 year olds let alone give it 5 stars.
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AGE
A great take on the Arabian Nights stories
From a parents' perspective, there is no way I would let my kids watch this until at least 11 or 12.
I came here and signed up from Netflix because of all the negative reviews on this parental score over there. It's way too low.
Good movie, though, especially if you aren't that familiar with the real stories of Scherezade, Sinbad and Aladdin.
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AGE
Better than you might think
Before you watch this movie, you might want to read the book that it's based on: The Shadow Spinner. When I first saw it, I was a little let down on how little it actually follows the story. That really doesn't matter however, as you may see.
As for any sexual content in this movie, well let's just say there's some passionate kissing, and a couple taking a bath in a bathhouse (no nudity). Other than that, it's not terribly inappropriate. A woman is married to a Sultan of Iraq in this movie who has gone mad. As a result, there are some voilent scenes with him slightly abusing her, and in Sharazad's (book name) stories. As for language, you'll find a few odd minor disruptions in there, but nothing too extreme. When it comes to alchohol, there's a man drunk in the story BacBac the Hunchback, but other than that, not too bad. Overall, this is a very long movie, but quite worth it. Although it may look a little cheesy at times, it teaches good morals, and shows how a madman can be turned sane again by a lttle comfort.
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| Studio: | Hallmark Entertainment |
| Director: | Steve Barron |
| Cast: | Alan Bates, Jason Scott Lee, Mili Avital |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 176 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | July 18, 2000 |
| DVD release date: | July 18, 2000 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
| MPAA explanation: | Not Rated |
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