Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Arabian Nights Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 5, 2009

BFI (British Film Institute) introduce the third installment in Pier Paolo Pasolini's Trilogy of Life, "Arabian Nights" (1974). The film has been newly transferred in High-Definition using the original 35mm negative film elements. An alternative English-language version of “Arabian Nights” and a collage of deleted sequences are amongst the special features the disc offers. Region-B “locked”.

A door to another world

The third and final installment in Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life, Arabian Nights, is a relaxed, notably colorful film where slaves, demons, ambitious men and promiscuous women coexist in a magical world ruled by the power of love. Shot in exotic locations throughout Yemen, Nepal, Iran and Ethiopia, Arabian Nights is also Pasolini’s least controversial work.

Though the title of the film is similar to that of the famous 1001 Arabian Nights, there is little in common between the two. Most of the stories in Pasolini’s film are far less intense and clearly driven by the same emphasis on love and sexuality present in The Decameron and The Canterbury Tales.

There are a number of familiar actors in Arabian Nights who had already appeared in the other two films from the Trilogy of Life – Franco Citti, Ninetto Davoli, Elisabetta Genovese, Franca Sciutto, etc. Once again there are many non-professional actors that Pasolini used in order to instill Arabian Nights with the same earthy, proletarian spirit The Decameron and The Canterbury Tales conveyed as well.

Arabian Nights is comprised of simple but likable stories – a man falls in love with a beautiful slave who chooses him to be her master, but makes a terrible mistake and loses her. He embarks on a treacherous journey, hoping to find his loved one, where he meets other travelers with fascinating stories. One of the better ones they share with him is about a powerful demon and a young man who is asked to choose between his life and that of his lover.

Despite the fact that a lot of the stories are about kings, demons and slaves, Arabian Nights remains a distinctively adult film. In fact, there are more than a few scenes of graphic violence in it that are likely to shock some viewers. Of course, sex still has a prominent role, though it is quite surprising to see that Pasolini intentionally avoided the homosexual tales from 1001 Arabian Nights for the final cut of his film.

Technically, Arabian Nights certainly looks a bit rough; many of the special effects in it are rather cheap-looking (the scene where the demon and his prisoner fly over the desert is a prime example). Yet, in a lot of ways this raw and unpolished look is precisely what makes Arabian Nights special, a film with a style of its own. Add to the mix legendary composer Ennio Morricone’s atmospheric soundtrack, and it is practically impossible to find other similarly-themed films that have been able to successfully replicate the type of atmosphere Pasolini created in Arabian Nights.

Finally, I wish to spare a few words on the mythical 155-minute version of the film, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1974, when Pasolini was awarded the Grand Prize of the Jury. To the best of my knowledge - and I am certainly not an authority on the subject, so anyone who is and has relevant information is more than welcome to contact me – this specific version has not been commercially distributed in major markets. As far as I know, the current 130-minute cut of Arabian Nights has always been what United Artists, BFI (United Kingdom), Eagle Pictures (Italy) and Carlotta (France) had in their catalogs.

Arabian Nights Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Arabian Nights arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based BFI (British Film Institute).

Similar to the other two films from the Trilogy of Life, Arabian Nights has been newly transferred in High-Definition using the original 35mm negative film elements. The film was restored using HD-DVNR and MTI restoration systems, removing dirt, scratches, warps, torn or missing frames and improving stability issues. Unsurprisingly, the Blu-ray transfer BFI offer is leaps and bounds above every other SDVD release that I have seen (I have seen a total of four, including the Carlotta, BFI, and Eagle Pictures releases). There are still quite a few minor contrast fluctuations on this transfer, but I feel very comfortable stating that this is the best looking presentation of the film currently available in any format. Detail and clarity in particular are very pleasing. As noted above, scratches, dust and debris have been removed and, as far as I am concerned, without a full-blown restoration, Arabian Nights is unlikely to look any better. Finally, similar to The Decameron and The Canterbury Tales, Arabian Nights remains pleasingly stable when blown through a digital projector. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" release which you won't be able to play on your Region-A PS3 or SA. In order to view this disc, you have to have a native Region-B or Region-Free player).

Arabian Nights Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: the original Italian LPCM 2.0 track and an English LPCM 2.0 dub (available as an extra). Once again, I believe that those of you who have seen some of the old SDVD releases for Arabian Nights, and paid attention to the quality of the Italian track on them, will be fairly impressed with this new LPCM 2.0 track the Blu-ray disc contains - this is a clear and pleasingly crisp track that suits the dialog exceptionally well. Furthermore, there are absolutely no disturbing pops, cracks, hissings or dropouts that I could detect. Ennio Morricone's soundtrack is also given plenty of room to breathe and, as expected, there aren't any issues to report with it either. This being said, more than likely, you are going to notice that there are plenty of audio overlapings but, as I already mentioned in the reviews for The Decameron and The Canterbury Tales, these are a byproduct of the post-production dubbing the Italian film industry favored at the time).

BFI have also supplied the "official" English dub for Arabian Nights, which was found on many United Artists releases back in the days. As far as I am concerned, this is a fairly successful track, which you could certainly experiment with, should you find the Italian track impossible to tolerate. Its quality is good – there aren't any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts that I could detect. For the record, BFI have provided optional English and English HOH tracks for the main feature.

Arabian Nights Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arabian Nights arrives with a lovely 18-page booklet containing a number of informative essays (some already available in the booklets for the other two films in the Trilogy of Life): "The Trilogy of Life" by Sam Rohdie (a scholar and author of The Passion of Pier Paolo Pasolini), "Arabian Nights" by Roger Clarke (an author and critic), "Arabian Nights Reviewed" (originally published in Monthly Film Bulletin in April 1975), and "Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975)" by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith (originally published in the Oxford History of World Cinema).

On the actual Blu-ray disc you will find a collage of deleted sequences (in 1080p), the original theatrical trailer (in 1080p), and the alternative English-language version of the film.

Arabian Nights Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Arabian Nights, the last of the three films in Pier Paolo Pasolini's Trilogy of Life, arrives with a pleasing transfer that certainly looks leaps and bounds better than what previous SDVD releases of the film have revealed. BFI are once again to be commended for their commitment to bringing timeless classics and important films to Blu-ray. The Trilogy of Life is essential for every serious film library and, obviously, we RECOMMEND it.