A Thousand and One Nights

The sailor Sinbad sets out on a voyage during which he experiences incredible adventures, discovers exotic lands, and must overcome various dangers time and again. But because he is a kind and skilled sailor, the sea always comes to his aid. After sailing for so many days and nights that he can no longer count them, the crew’s supplies and strength are dwindling, and both hope and land are lost out of sight, fortune smiles upon Sinbad. One night, a large fish gets caught in his net and speaks to him in a human voice. It promises him that if he lets it go, it will reward him richly. It does as it says and rewards its savior with a necklace so beautiful it takes one’s breath away. And his companions’ eyes light up as well when they wake up in the morning and see a paradise island in the distance ahead of them. Soon, however, it turns out that even this island hides dangers within. His next steps lead Sinbad all the way to the sultan, who accuses him of stealing jewels, and he narrowly escapes certain death. But his trials are far from over. He faces an encounter with a man-eating giant and a mischievous old man, takes a ride on a flying carpet, accidentally releases a magical genie from a jar, and ultimately finds true love. And he comes to understand that even bad things can be for the best, and that the most beautiful roof in the world isn’t that of a golden palace, but the blue sky.

The film was originally created as seven separate short films, which were later combined into a feature-length version unified by the magical atmosphere of the Orient and Zeman’s visual poetics. To bring the flat puppets and drawings to life, one of the most significant Czech directors and artists—whose 115th birthday falls on November 3—used the technique of cutout animation. The animated scenes thus appear as vivid Oriental paintings full of detail and vibrant colors. The suspenseful narrative is enhanced by the voice of actor Jan Tříska, who lends the film a special charm. Karel Zeman’s fantasy films won numerous awards around the world in their day, and *The Tales of the Thousand and One Nights* was no exception. Today, it is considered a film classic, and the new digitally restored version restores its original colors and magic for new generations of viewers.