Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Year: 1974
Country: Italy
Language: Italian
I have always been wary of seeing Pier Paolo Pasolini's , he has the power to shock me like no other filmmaker has. However, even in his most disturbing works such as Salo: Or the 120 Days of Sodom he does make very powerful and righteous political points. His work is uninhibited and free from censorship, his visions are bold and stem straight from the soul. Arabian Nights is no exception. The final entry of his Trilogy of life which included The Decameron and The Canterbury Tales, I feel this is the best film Pasolini has made in his career.
Arabian Nights is inspired by the ancient erotic and mysterious tales of the Middle East, the main story concerns an innocent young man who comes to fall in love with a slave who selected him as her master. After his foolish error causes their separation, he travels in search of her. Various other side stories are told, including a strange story about a man who is determined to free a woman from a demon.
Pasolini didn't have an obsession with the female body, he was much more interested in men, which is quite interesting considering that he makes the female body look so beautiful in this film. While there is a decent amount of sex in this film, it is not degrading nor incredibly dramatized as it is with so many other films. It is quite poetic the way Pasolini presents it. Arabian Nights is an emotional yet incredibly realistic film about love and everything that comes with it (jealousy, anger, pain, loyalty)
It seems Pasolini has a rather simplified view of the male sex which stands out in this film. He sees them as simple creatures while women are viewed as incredibly complex, perhaps too complex to understand. I'm not sure if I like this or not. What I do like is how that ancient orient in the film is far from a cliche. From the background to the characters everything feels fresh and authentic, Pasolini clearly had great knowledge and great love for this culture. The cinematography is elegantly crafted, the film also has a perfect pace. Never feeling too long, not too short.
In conclusion, though the narrative may be a tad bit confusing during the first viewing, Arabian Nights is quite an magical film that will be on my mind for a long time. It evokes a child-like sense of adventure, as well as opens the mind to great creative thinking. It distorts the boundaries between myth, dream and cinema. If you can only see two Italian films in your lifetime, I would recommend Pasolini's Arabian Nights and Fellini's La Strada Praise it! 5/5
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