Subtitle by:
Crunch-Studio
More... more!!
More, more!!
Later... Magic is very exhausting,
and I am 542 years old.
Oh... you don't look a day over 200.
Yes, I'm still as bad as ever I was.
We'll continue after I've got my rest.
Thank you for not telling
your friend the Demon.
He's not my friend, he's my
husband. He keeps me in that box
because he's so jealous.
I saved you from him...
And now you must make love to
me, while my husband sleeps.
If you don't, I'll wake him up,
and he'll rip your head off.
Oh, not again, Sire.
Giafar, I had that dream
again. The Demon's wife,
She tried to kill me, so I killed her.
Oh - You've had it now for five years,
Ever since your late wife
tried to do the same thing.
I murdered her... It was an accident, Sire.
It was an accident!
Allah is just... you're free of her Sire.
I'll never be free of her
- she haunts me still.
Don't let her.
Don't you forget, I have to take
a wife by the next full moon,
Or the kingdom will be
given to my dear brother.
May he rot in hell!
Your father wanted you to marry...
I can't take another wife...
she'll try to kill me too...
They all will! What about...
You must. You lose the kingdom unless
you marry as quickly as possible.
I know what it means... even
the Demon was betrayed...
The dream tells me all wives are treacherous.
No, no, you just had a bad experience, Sire.
There's only one way to deal with
wives, they have to be executed.
Well, I'm sure we've all felt like that.
I will marry. There will be a
wedding and a wedding night...
But in the morning, I'll
have my wife executed.
I'll kill her before she kills me.
She can't be a princess of the blood...
her death would cause problems.
Pick me a woman from the Harem, Giafar.
Someone bright and happy, and
with no thought for the future.
And in secret... now send
for the Chief Executioner.
... He was loaded with riches and honours...
but that was not the end of the story.
After Douban was beheaded,
the King licked his fingers
And turned to the page
in the dead man's book.
He stared at the words, and
then slumped forward - dead!
The pages of the book had been poisoned
So that the King, wetting his
finger, had executed himself.
Here again, mistress. That's
the sixth time this week.
These people sit for hours just
listening -- it's a miracle.
People need stories more than bread itself
... they tell us how to live, and why.
Sorry I'm late, father.
This is my daughter, Scheherazade.
She's my strong right arm,
You may speak freely in front
of her. How is the Sultan?
The Sultan is being eaten
by the worm of madness...
It reminds me a little
of the case of Gilgamesh
The king of Urak when his
friend, the grand warrior...
Can you cure the Sultan?
No... Only Allah can do that.
How was Gilgamesh cured?
It was a young woman who did it. No
one knows how... a complete amateur.
Beginner's luck. That sort of thing
can be really, really distressing
For an experienced professional like myself.
When did Schahriar become so ill?
When I played with him
as a child in the palace
He was always so happy.
Everybody loved him.
Madness creeps in unseen
and floods the soul.
You're no help!
Patients often say that,
but what do they know.
Should I get a second opinion?
Why not?... I can come back tomorrow.
I didn't know Schahriar was this ill.
I've been trying to keep it from everybody.
You look terrible father.
Oh, it's only natural. I have to deal
with the worst kind of madman...
A madman with power!
You understand what is needed?
I know my job Sire. You wish your bride to
be executed the morning after the wedding.
Early.
There are certain procedural problems, Sire...
as I will be executing her after the wedding
It means she will be Sultaness,
Who by tradition cannot be
hung or beheaded.
Details... details!
Never fear, Sire, where there's a will,
there's a way... I can strangle her.
That's what I want.
But, I can't use hemp rope...
not on a royal throat.
Must I be crossed at every turn?!
But there's no objection to
silk!... a silk rope would fulfill
All legal requirements... rely on me, Sire.
... They haven't seen each other for years.
That's enough, girls.
The Sultan's going to kill us!
Who told you that?
My mother... she got it from
the cook who got it straight
From the Chief Executioner's
Assistant... it's a secret.
And her mother's never wrong...
I heard it from a handmaid
Who heard it from one of the guards.
He's going to marry one of us.
In the morning after the wedding he
is going to have the bride executed.
Why would he do that?
He's mad, isn't he?
And it won't stop there.
He'll gets a taste for it
And kill us all!
Don't worry, I'll talk to my father.
- Father, I must speak with you.
- What are you doing here, child?
Put some clothes on Father, it's urgent.
I blame your late lamented
mother... it's all her fault.
Please be quick, Father, or they'll say
you're meeting women in the steam room.
The women in the Harem are frightened
that it won't stop at one girl...
The Sultan may get a taste for killing them.
If Schahriar wasn't the Sultan, he'd be
locked away till the madness passed.
He was such a loving boy...
We used to climb his father's
favorite peach tree.
One day I fell and cut myself.
He bound up the wound.
Oh, what am I going to do child?
I can't go through with this.
I can't pick a poor girl from the Harem
knowing I'm condemning her to death!
I may have a way out for you, father.
I'll marry Sultan Schahriar myself.
I won't let you sacrifice yourself for me.
I'm not doing it for you, Father... I'm
not even doing it to save the girls
In the Harem...
I'm doing it for Schahriar and myself.
I love him.
No, you love the boy he
was, not the man he is.
That boy is still there in him.
You'd have to dig very,
very deep to find him...
He's changed completely!...
It's not just betrayal by his wife and
brother...absolute power has eaten his soul.
I know him... you think you
can change him, but you can't.
I don't believe that.
Scheherazade, listen to me,
listen! You are all I have.
I beg you, I beg you! Don't do this!
I can save him from
himself... I don't know how,
But I've made up my mind.
I know I can do it.
Daughter, when you walk
out onto that balcony,
You will be married and you will have
signed your own death certificate.
If you love me, please, please,
please, please don't do this.
I know what I'm doing, Father.
You don't. You have no
idea what you're doing.
Sire, your brother, Schahzenan,
wishes to offer his blessings.
May they choke him.
Think of the people. Show
them you're brothers again.
I hope you have better
luck this time, brother.
Your late wife loved me from the first.
How will we know when Sultan's ready?
He'll call...
I think pink will suit the Sultaness.
You have such good taste, Chief.
Sire, do you remember me?
From when we were children.
We played together here in the
palace... then I went away.
I don't remember anything
about my childhood.
What's to remember? I was
a child! Why should l?
What is it, Sire?
I don't trust you.
There's something going
on I don't know about.
Your Giafar's daughter, yet he let you...
Marry me.
Oh, I dream too much...
Forty nights...
Can't sleep, so I dream.
My father always takes a glass of wine
and a biscuit before going to bed.
This isn't a night when a
man is supposed to sleep.
There.
Is something the matter?
That biscuit has sesame seeds...
I don't like sesame seeds...
Did I say something funny?
No. It's just that " sesame seeds"
remind me of a wonderful story...
Would you like to hear it?
I don't like stories.
You will this one. It's about
Ali Baba and the forty thieves.
Forty thieves?...
Forty nights of dreaming,
and now Forty Thieves...
That's strange!
Yes, but no stranger than the story itself.
You see, Ali Baba was a poor young
man who lived outside Damascus.
His best friend had a hump,
four legs and very big teeth.
Saffrow was one of the
wisest camels in all Syria.
Ali Baba's only family was
an older brother, Cassian.
I know Saffrow, I know.
Cassian!
Wake up
It's time to get up. Come on.
Unlike his young brother,
Cassian was so lazy.
I told you I don't like stories.
A master storyteller once told me,
The audience must be hooked
in the first moments,
Otherwise you've lost them.
I'm lost.
That's because I haven't told
you about Black, Black Coda.
At the time the kingdom was
being ravaged by savage gangs.
Black Coda led the most murderous of them.
A monster.
Black Coda.
No one was safe.
What's he got to do with Ali Baba?
He made Ali Baba rich and famous.
No caravan could travel without fear.
They never knew when or where
Black Coda would strike next.
He was a master of disguise.
Meanwhile, Ali Baba was collecting
firewood to sell in the local market.
He was a really good-hearted young man.
It's a slow way to make a fortune, Saffrow
And I've so many good
ideas for making money...
Like my scheme for watering plum trees
with alcohol to grow stewed plums.
I don't care what you think,
Saffrow, I think it's a good idea.
You think that's trouble, do you Saffrow?
I think you're right.
Saffrow's warning saved Ali Baba.
Animals can be cleverer than their masters.
And you can trust them.
Open Sesame!
Down!
That must be Black Coda.
What do you think of that?
Sesame... that's the seeds that Mother used
to make those biscuits with, aren't they?
Why would it be...
Sesame?
Open Sesame!
Down boys!
Down.
Open Sesame!
Saffrow!
Saffrow!
We're rich!
Have you ever seen anything like it?
Only in your wildest dreams!
It's raining.
Mother, bring in the washing.
No it's not raining, your mother's
been dead for five years. Get up!
- What's for breakfast? - Fresh air.
Why are you sleeping on
the edge of the bed?
So I can just drop off.
Well, get up... I've got
something to show you.
We're going to have to move house...
In case the robbers find
out who was in their cave.
- I want my share. - Of course.
I don't want it all for myself.
- What half-and-half? - Half-and-half.
- I'm going to the cave to get my
share. - No, it could be dangerous.
I can take care of myself.
If you must go, take Saffrow,
he knows the way. He'll see you
Don't get into any trouble.
Saffrow's a camel!
"You don't think I need a camel
to look after me, do you?"
Both Ali Baba and Saffrow nodded.
There was no question in their minds
that Cassian certainly needed someone
To look after him.
Why was Cassian any different
from Ali Baba?
Ali had something Cassian never had...
A good heart...
You think a good heart can protect people?
Have you ever known anyone
with a good heart?
No.
Well, anyway, with Saffrow's help,
Cassian found the robber's cave.
Open!
What is it?
Open..Open
Ali Baba has given Cassin 2 biscuit
to remind him of the password.
"Open sesame!"
Down boys!
I must get Saffrow.
Open... open!
Open...
Open...
Open corn!
Open barley!
Open Sesame!
Open Sesame...
That was it. Open Sesame...
Meanwhile, whilst Cassian was getting
himself killed, Ali Baba had hired
Himself a young serving girl, Morgiana,
to help him now he had money...
What was this Morgiana like?
Some said she was beautiful.
But she was certainly clever...
- And very independent.
- She sounds like you.
Like Me?
Oh, no, she wasn't like me.
Not like me at all!
That's everything, sir.
Saffrow...
Where's my brother?
Where's Cassian?
That should scare off anyone nosing about.
- Do you think he was with anybody else?
- Nah! They's still have been with him.
And get rid of those two
dragons, they're useless.
Oh, poor Cassian!
I should have tried harder to stop him.
Oh no, don't blame yourself.
Come, we should leave as soon as possible.
No, we must take him with us.
Is that wise?
When the robbers come back
and see the body's gone,
They'll know Cassian had friends or family...
They might try and find you, and do
to you what they did to your brother.
I know you're right Morgiana, but
he must have a decent burial.
We can't... we can't leave him for
the vultures to pick on his bones.
He's my brother.
Cassian had a wonderful funeral. It was
the talk of the city for weeks after.
Cassian must have been very
popular. He had many friends.
- I hope we gave complete
satisfaction - Very good job sir.
The "Damascus Mourners Association"
has a reputation second to none.
Did you see how Mustaffa
threw himself into the grave?
You only get that with
the "Damascus Mourners."
We not only provide all
the funeral arrangements,
But the weeping and gnashing of teeth too.
Remember us, if you have
more deaths in the family.
Someone else knows.
I made a mistake. I have to correct it.
We had been robbed chief jewels
and gold coins are missing.
What should we do?
How much?
Only a couple of sackfuls.
That means there was only two
are three thieves at most.
We'll have to search for them in Damascus.
Where do we look?
They took the body for burial,
so we find out
Who's come into money recently
and could afford a rich funeral.
That's very clever, Chief... I
would never've thought of that.
No "nor mes."
Spare me your "nor mes."
We go into the city in ones
and twos and in disguise,
Or they'll hang us on sight.
Black Coda's men drifted
inconspicuously into the city.
Robbers find nothing wrong in robbery,
except when it happens to them.
- I feel... sad. - But don't
you like your new house?
Of course I do.
I just wish Cassian were here to
enjoy it with me... I miss him.
It's natural... he was your brother.
Everyone should have good fortune...
But it just much better
If there's someone to enjoy it with.
Coda's men were hot on the trail.
They dug up Cassian's body to
make sure they had the right man.
This belonged to the late
Cassian, brother of Ali Baba,
Who has just come into money.
You know where this Ali Baba lives?
An expensive villa on a hill
overlooking the City Park.
That's a particularly desirable
residence, with a view of...
I don't want to buy it!
I just want to kill him and
everyone else in the house.
How many of us do you want for the job?
All of us... we don't know
how many we'll have to kill.
How're forty of us going
to get past the guards?
I know how... I want Ali Baba and his brood
slaughtered by this time tomorrow night!
And so the evil Black Coda
walked up to the city gates...
... Ready to slaughter Ali Baba
and everyone in his house...
What's the matter?
Nothing, Sire.
Wha-- wha-- what happened
to Ali and Morgiana?
What happened next... and
did Black Coda kill them...
And-- and...
Don't you know?
Of course I know, but I'm
tired. It's already morning.
Oh... it can't be morning,
morning never comes for me,
It's always night. I've lost track of time.
So... you won't go on?
Yes, but storytelling's best done at night...
At least for me...I mean,
It's hard to create the right
atmosphere with the sun shining...
Don't you think?
It's a trick!... a trick to trick me!!
No!!... No!!!
What is it, Sire?
I want you to meet somebody!
Who are these men?
Friends, Sultaness.
Please, stay clam.
Stay back!.... Sire!
Sire!
Sire!
- Please Stay calm - Stay back!
Sire!
Sire, no...
You will finish the story
of Ali Baba tomorrow night.
I sit in the bazaar, telling stories,
but if the audience isn't interested in
What I'm saying, it walks away.
But if your audience isn't
interested, you're dead.
I thought it would be easy but it isn't.
I almost lost it before I got started.
I've told you before, the
first moments are vital.
I paused at a good point... with the thieves
sneaking into Damascus to kill Ali Baba.
Sneaking in how?... in what?
- A wagon. - Too ordinary...
it has to be something more exotic...your
starting your story again...
you have to hook your audience again.
How?
I was walking last night past the
Great Mosque in the street of Sighs,
exactly an hour after sundown,
when I came face to face with Death...
Had he come for you?
See... you're hooked!
He's still insane and he'll kill
you... Now I've made arrangements
for your escape....
It's too late... if I fled he'd punish you
and then pick the poor girls in the Harem.
So you'll stay and risk your life.
I promised I'd help... if I can make him
listen to my stories, maybe he'll change.
You don't sound as certain as you were.
I'm not.
As I was sating, Black Coda brought
his whole gang into Damascus,
in a wagon, to murder Ali Baba.
But it was no ordinary wagon.
The wagon was carrying
an amount of stone jars.
How did Black Coda explain the jars.
What's this, old man?
Forty jars of lamp oil for the royal palace.
Forty jars of oil...
that's clever - that's very clever...
obviously Black Coda had a black
heart but a very bright brain.
He had that, alright.
Naturally, Ali had no idea
of the danger he was in.
He didn't tremble when
he should have trembled.
How're we going to protect
him, Saffrow? He's a dreamer!
What about all those
schemes for making money?
He needs someone to look after him...
Yeah... I love him...
but does he love me?
....your a camel, what
do you know about love?
I'm sorry...
Your a wise camel, aren't you?
Turn to right to Ali Baba's house.
I thought you'd like some
hot lemon and nutmeg, sir.
Thank you, Morgiana...
I think it's time you
started calling me Ali...
Salute this...
I'll stay up late tonight
thinking of money-making schemes.
Why sir...
Ali?
Why think up such schemes?... you're rich.
I know, but that was luck... I'm not
going to stay lucky all my life.
I want to know I can
survive if my luck turns.
I'll be back in two hours when it's quiet...
then we'll kill everyone in the house.
It will be a pleasure, chief!
There's a wagon parked in the street outside.
It's a merchant, lady, with
jars of oil for the palace...
he asked permission to leave his
wagon there for a few hours.
Did you check him closely.
Yes lady.
- How much did he give you?
- Nothing, lady, nothing!
Isn't there any more oil in the house?
We have to buy some tomorrow.
Didn't you say that merchant
had some jars of oil?
Yes.
Hm, he won't mind us talking
a little for the night.
We'll pay him in the morning.
Life often turns on such small
things as a flickering oil lamp...
Praise be to Allah... it can't be
long before the killing starts.
Morgiana, this man's got a marvellous idea
for breeding termites with wooden legs...
I think I should invest...
They've come Ali!
Who?
The murderers you stole the money from.
I've got an idea...
follow me.
Chief!
Chief! is that you?
Any moment now.
Hear that men?... any moment now!
Black Coda's men hung like ripe fruit.
It was all over.
Well, not quite.
Ali Baba threw a magnificent party,
To celebrate the defeat of
Black Coda and his gang.
The chief attraction was the most
famous entertainer in all of lslam.
- The Jokes of man Gibtail?
- It day to celebrate,
because with the help of my friend,
Morgiana,
Black Coda's gang have
been crushed like beetles.
Ask if Morgiana will
dance for us, Ali Baba...
she's a beautiful dancer!
I didn't know that, Morgiana...
I can't dance a step.
I'll show you.
Morgiana!
That's not funny. Not funny at all.
Morgiana, what have you done?
They all kill!...
... women are born to hell!...
They kill without reason!
She had her reasons.
I... I saw the tattoo...
Oh, what would I do without you?
What happened to Ali Baba and Morgiana?
Ali Baba finally had one good idea...
He married Morgiana.
He wasn't clever but he was lucky.
He needed someone like Morgiana's
to make the most of it.
Something like that.
It could've been a man who befriended him.
Yes, but she proved to be
a very good wife, Sire.
I suppose it can happen, but not likely.
Just because you had a
bad experience once...
Bad? Bad! Do you know what she tried
to do to me?... And I loved her!
Do you still love her?
She rots down, deep down,
deep down, six feet down!
Death doesn't change it.
She tried to kill me.
That doesn't matter... if
you love somebody enough,
you can forgive them anything!
Is that the end of the story?
No, no, no.
Fasil and his wife, Safil,
From Constantinople...
...were at Ali Baba's wedding... Fasil
had designed Morgiana's wedding dress.
He was one of the best tailors in the East,
but both he and his wife always looked like
they'd been stuffed by a good taxidermist.
At the wedding they met an extraordinary
friend they hadn't seen for years...
Who?
A hunchback, His name was... Bacbac...
Good name, Bacbac...
Bacbac liked it too...
in fact, Bacbac liked most things
about himself... even his hump...
without it, he may not have become
the Sultan's favorite Jester...
I've always supported my family...
they've never wanted for anything,
apart from uncle Abdulah... he's wanted
for bigamy and murder, in that order...
Anyway, back in Constantinople,
Fasil invited Bacbac to supper... and
Bacbac never turned down a free meal.
You know Prince Sinbad?
Oh, he is so ugly even starvation
won't look him in the face!...
I tell you, I tell you... no
tide would take him out...
when he eats a banana,
he eats it sideways...
And his wife! Oh! Her face is all
dried and wrinkled like a prune!
She's the kind of woman
you have to look at twice
the first time you don't believe it!
At her wedding, everyone kissed the groom!
Bacbac?
I think he's dead.
Dead? He can't be dead. You're
fooling us, aren't you Bacbac?
Another one of your jokes!
He must have suffocated. Probably a bone,
a fish bone got stuck in his throat...
oh, poor Bacbac. We must
tell the authorities.
They'll blame us...
It was an accident!
They'll still blame us, he
was the Sultan's favorite...
"There they go, the people whom
killed poor little Bacbac."
We'll lose all our customers!
Reputation shattered, credit
destroyed, income lost...
what're we going to do?
We could take him to that
old physician next door.
It's too late for a physician,
he needs an undertaker.
I mean leave him there...
Let someone else take the blame -
that sounds good!
We'll leave him here...
Iet's go.
Who's that?
Can I help you?
We came to see Dr. Ezra - for our friend...
if it's not too late.
It's never too late with Dr. Ezra.
You wanna bet?
I'll get him - your friend
doesn't look too good.
Let's go. Come on, hurry.
Ezra, we have a customer.
Another penniless vagrant?
No, he's paid... he's outside on the landing.
Show him to me, my dear,
before he gets away!
He's waiting on the stairs.
- Be careful.... - I can't
see where he... ahh!
Ezra...
Ezra, Ezra, speak to me!...
You must wear your glasses, Ezra...
how do you feel?
I don't know.
You don't know - you're a physician!
So I'm a physician... so what else
you want you should tell me?!
Sir... your friends said
you don't feel very well..
- I'm sure my husband can
help you... - No, he can't.
- Of course you can. - No, l
don't think so. He's dead.
The fall down the stairs!
A terrible accident!
It's worse than that... he comes here
for medical help and he ends up dead...
what will this do to your reputation, Ezra?
He looks familiar.
Oh - the Sultan's Jester!
Alas, poor Bacbac
- I knew him well.
We're doomed! We'll be
blamed... we're foreigners!
Help me carry him upstairs... hurry!
It's amazing how quickly people
can improvise when they have to...
the Ezra's had to take a gamble,
forgetting that gambling is only a
way of getting nothing for something.
There's nothing worse than
being alone in a strange city.
Lift his arms up so he'll slide down easier.
It's as if he doesn't like what we're doing.
Nonsense!... He'd see the funny side of it.
Oh, Buddha, send me a sign... say I'm
not forsaken in a foreign land...
Robbers! Thieves!
Ha!
My hands are lethal!
Dead.
I told you about my hands!
I know you...
the famous Bacbac...
the Sultan's Jester...
ahhh!
Why did you come down my chimney?
It's a joke to set the whole town laughing...
The laugh's on you, Jester Bacbac...
no, the laugh's on me...
they'll say I murdered
you... I'll be hanged...
Think of something, Hi-Ching,
think of something...
Murder! I'm being attacked!
You'll get no money from me!
You'll - get - not - a
- penny - from - me....
Guards, guards, seize this
man... he just tried to kill me!
Instead, you killed him.
I - I did... splendid!
You're drunk.
- This is Bacbac, - Drunk?
...the Sultan's Jester.
Bacbac?
And you killed him.
Why should I kill him, we
haven't even been introduced?
That is for a judge to decide.
And when he has, we'll hang you!
The trial of Jerome Gribbin was
the social event of the season.
The judge in the case was
the venerable Judge Zadic.
Judge Zadic was totally incompetent,
but being a judge, nobody had noticed.
...which I suggest is
death, death by hanging"
Why did you kill him?
I thought he was trying to rob me.
Bacbac rob you?! Forty years
administering justice...
worst excuse I ever heard!
I made a mistake.
You certainly did... all Constantinople
will miss poor Bacbac...
we will never see the like of him
again... A fellow of infinite jest...
"infinite jest," that's a good one,
write that down, clerk, before I forget it.
Bacbac lightened our lives...
he gave us laughter, rich and
overflowing, laughter from the heart...
a heart as big as he was small...
we knew him, we loved him,
we laughed with him...
we'll remember him all our days.
I sentence you to hang.
No!
No, no, please, no!
Who is this Chinese person?
I killed the poor hunchback.
I stuffed him in the alcove.
No!
I killed poor Bacbac, and dropped
him down Hi-Ching's chimney.
No!
- I killed poor Bacbac.
- I don't understand...
I killed him, my hands are lethal!
I tripped over him in the dark!
He's very short-sighted... you
can't hang a man for that!
It was a fishbone!
- I'm still the best tailor in
Constantinople! - My head's splitting...
Order in the Court! Order! Order!
I'll have a lamb shish-kebab!
Your Majesty.
Who killed my funny man Jester Bacbac?
I did!
Who do I hang, Sayiddi?
Nobody. It was an accident!
Besides being my Jester,
Master Bacbac was my friend...
and if I knew him right
he would've appreciated
The manner of his death...
it was his final jest...
dear Bacbac didn't have to
be alive to be funny...
even dead, he made us laugh!
Is that the end of the story?
Not quite... as they were
walking away they saw...
This is a different story!
Ah- it's the best one yet...
it's extraordinary...
- full of excitement and thrills
and... - Don't trick me again!
Once you start I want to know how it ends!
There's something devilish in there...
I see demons in them!
Our Mullahs say every good
story has a moral.
What's the moral of Bacbac's death?
Firouz, Dr. Ezra and the others learned to
take Responsibility for their actions...
we all should.
But if they had, Bacbac wouldn't've
fulfilled his destiny to make people laugh,
even when he was dead.
That's true... stories're less
simple than we think they are...
this new story for instance...
No, no, no, no!
What's the matter, Sire?
What can I do for you?
I just missed killing you, and you ask
if there's something you can do for me?
I'm concerned for you.
Be concerned about yourself, Scheherazade.
I'm concerned about you, my love.
Why?
I love you.
Why?
You need me.
It's going badly... The Sultan's
missed another chance...
his brother wouldn't have.
Schehzenan never hesitated...
he was the Executioner's friend...
there're some who think the
wrong brother is the Sultan.
You spoke before about meeting death.
I didn't meet him, I passed
him on the Street of Sighs...
I told a close friend what had happened,
and he said he'd seen Death too in the street
and Death had given him a terrible look...
he was so frightened
he was leaving for Samara that night...
I went to see death to find
out what was going on...
And?
Another time, perhaps.. you must learn
how to leave your audience in suspense...
... As the crowd were leaving the courtroom,
the most famous magician in Africa,
Mustappa, passed by on
his way to Samarkand.
He was a charismatic man with piercing
eyes, a seductive voice and a manner that
would freeze friends at twenty paces...
when he came into a room the
mice jumped on chairs...
but he isn't the hero of this story.
Who is then?
Eh... Sinbad...
... Aladdin.
Cheat... It's all a cheat.
That race was fixed!
No question... anyone
could see that, Aladdin!
Honest men like us go for a day
at the races and get cheated blind
out of our hard earned money.
It just shows honesty doesn't pay.
Let's get back to work.
Sorry, excuse me.
My purse! I've been robbed!
- What's the matter, sir?
- That young rogue...
the one who bumped into
me... picked my pocket!
I saw which way he went.
This way... follow me!
Stop thief!
Who's in the coach?
Let's find out.
Who's that?
Princess Zobeide, the Caliph's daughter.
I'm in love!
There they are.
Where did you come from?
From the other side of the world... Africa.
What do you want with me?
Stay calm, Aladdin, do I look like
I'm with the Caliph's guards.
I'm always calm.
How do you know my name?
I was a friend of your late father.
I didn't know he had any friends.
Oh very few... just me.
Your father was so crooked,
he could hide in the shadow of a corkscrew.
You did know him!
Do you want to become rich?
Yes, but quick!
It's the best way.
Business? Shady business?
Shady... shadowy... shifty... but profitable.
What do I have to do?
First of all, I have to
check your suitability...
Good. Meet me tomorrow outside
the city gates at dawn.
Here's a small token of my good faith.
That's the first thing I did, Mother.
It never hurts to get a second
opinion. They taste right.
He says he knew your father...
did you believe him?
No, I believed his money.
He must want something big from you...
twenty gold coins is a mighty
expensive introduction...
he could have four men killed
for that kind of money.
There's only nineteen coins here.
Are you accusing your poor old mother?
I'm accusing you of palming a piece.
Did you see me?
No... I know by the weight.
Oh, I thought my hands
had lost their cunning!
Your pick-pocketing hands'll
never do that Mother...
you're still the best!
You know how to flatter
a body, you young rogue!
Take care tomorrow morning,
when you meet Mustappa!
Trust me Mother.
That's what you're dear father
used to say, but nobody ever did!
And so Aladdin and Mustappa
left Samarkand.
He didn't trust Mustappa, but
when there was money involved...
Aladdin was prepared to take a few risks...
I don't want to boast,
but I've never met anyone
who can live with me in a
straight fight, magic to magic...
So what do want me for if
you're so powerful?
All power has its limits... I want
you to retrieve an object for me
I can't get it myself,
for reasons too complicated to get into
its to do with the rules of magic...
they're tiresome, but they must be obeyed.
Why pick me?
You didn't believe I was a
friend of your father's?
Not for a moment... so, why me?
I saw larceny in your soul.
What do you want me to do?
I want you to go into a tomb...
You'll find an old lamp there...
I want you to bring it to me.
What tomb?
- There. - How much?
- We'll discuss that when you get back.
- No, we'll discuss it now, or I don't go.
Fifty gold pieces.
Please, don't insult me and
don't ask me to trust you...
I don't even trust my own
shadow... Two hundred!
Done! Here's half.
You gave me to easily. I
should have asked for more.
You do so remind me of me
when I was young!
Here - now - Take this ring... rub it
if you get into any kind of trouble.
Trouble? What sort of trouble?
Two hundred is not enough!
A deal is a deal! Don't try and betray me...
if you do, I swear by Hector's feathers,
you'll never see your wedding day.
Who's Hector?
My pet raven and my best friend.
Aladdin didn't know what kind of
trouble he was getting into...
if he had, he wouldn't have
taken the two hundred...
on the other hand, he probably would...
Go on... go on!
Aladdin - have you got the lamp?
Hand it up to me... it'll be
easier for you to get out.
It's no trouble, I can get up myself.
- Pass it up to me... there's a
good boy. - I'm not a good boy!
Give it to me or you will
make me very angry.
I'm angry already! Do you think I'm
gullible enough to fall for that old trick?
You get the lamp and ride off
without paying what you owe me... It's
an insult to my professional integrity.
You get your lamp when I get my gold!
- You think I'd ride off?! - Yes!...
You've got those shifty eyes!
- You cheap street scum! -
I resent the word "cheap."
I was going to raise you up, now
I cast you down into the depths!
You want the lamp? Keep it, damn you!
Rot in darkness... Ingrate!
Mustappa... Musatappa... Mustappa...
why, why, why must you always
lose your temper? Why?
Now you lost the lamp!
Plenty more wonders in the
world for me to steal...
Iet's go home.
This was a crisis. And in a crisis, there's
nothing more effective than magic...
Who're you?
Omar Khayyam! I'm the Genie of
the Ring... who else? Look...
Stamp of authenticity! But before
I answer anymore questions,
what color was my smoke?
Was it blue? If it was blue, it means
that I am melancholy and sanguine.
That means that I need more "me" time.
What do you want. I have
enemies, I have a migraine...
What do you think I want...
I want out!
I, l, l, l-l-l-l, always
about you, never about me.
Get me out of here, take me
home, put me out, I'm on fire.
Ah! Allah! Allah! We're going
to die! I don't want to die!
Come on, pull yourself together!
Please spare me, I'm only seven hundred and
nineteen years old! I was going to repent,
I was going on a diet, oh please...
Get us out of here!
Have you ever heard of the
magic word please?
Because I work for you doesn't mean
you can treat me like some sort of
manslave or unic or less than that.
Are we understood?
The light, the light... I
can not see... I'm blind!
It's too bright! Oh... My bones,
they ache. I shall go home.
I don't understand...
why did Mustappa pick the
best rogue in Samarkand
to get this piece of junk?... It's demeaning!
It must be worth something or he
wouldn't have gone to all that trouble.
Hmmm... You're right, son.
Maybe it's a priceless antique!
Don't' just stand there like a leaning
tower of jelly... talk to him.
Why me?
I'm just a poor, weak
widow-woman... It's your lamp.
Good Evening,... friend.
Speak up insignificant mortal lowly one!
Who are you?
Who am l... Who am l?!
Have you not heard of me?
I am the Lamp Genie. The Lamp Genie.
Wishes, avarice, dreams, power,
premature and violent death.
Well... scratch the last one.
You're the Genie of the Ring?
Like the Genie of the Ring...
I who oppose the wheel Herron?
Never! His powers are as
nothing as compared to mine!
No! Maybe! I don't know, the
tests were inconclusive.
What can you do?
What can I do? What can I do?
I don't know...
how about ANYTHlNG,... for starters.
And that was the beginning of it...
Aladdin, a rogue... a son of a
rogue... from a family of rogues...
found he could have everything he ever
wanted... all he had to do was ask.
So, so... so what did he ask for?
We can save that for tomorrow night.
I want to know now, not tomorrow
night!... It's your fault!
You made the story too gripping with your
wit and your charm... and your beauty.
What has my beauty got to
do with story-telling?
Because if I lose interest for a moment,
I see your face and I can't leave..
Please tell me what happened to Aladdin!
- Sire, Tomorrow night. - I order you!
It wouldn't be the same story
if I was ordered to tell it!
It's all tricks!
Remember what happened to
Mustappa when he lost his temper.
- He lost his wonderful lamp!
- Tell me.
Tomorrow night.
Chief! Now!
Just wait till tomorrow night.
Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night!
What news?
There's a man to see you from Baghdad.
Chief Executioner...
what brings you here?
Sire, in his sickness,
your brother, the Sultan,
planned to kill his bride after the wedding.
You see, he's mad!
But he can't go through with
it... the Sultana is still alive.
Better, he's weak...
the people will follow a
madman but never a weakling!
I'm not here to betray the Sultan,
but to protect my own interests.
The Sultan's too soft for killing...
which leaves me out of work...
on the other hand I never saw you
shrink from using rope, axe or knife...
so, if you should change
places with the Sultan...
Never fear, there'll be much
for you to do when I win.
The streets of Baghdad will
be lined with nooses...
there'll be gallows on every corner.
It'll be a golden time, I promise.
Thank you, Sire.
Thank you.
Prepare to march on Baghdad.
We will be revenged, my love...
But he wasn't laughing, was he?
No that's right...he wasn't.
I let you live so you could
finish the story of Aladdin...
you should at least get it right.
Now, there was a storm, wasn't there?
Yes, there was...
You were saying?
I am your humble and obedient servant.
What? I didn't get that!
Oh, nothing, just a mere technicality...
the fine print on my contract, so to speak.
You have to obey me, don't you?
I, obey you? I should cast
you into a sea of torment,
I should have you trampled in...
yes, you can have everything
you ever wanted.
How about stopping the rain?
I'm sure there must be another wish
I can grant your exalted
Lord and Master Aladdin...
I'm in love with the Princess
Zobeide, the Caliph's daughter...
Love?
...I don't know her, but I've seen
her across a crowded street...
It's usually across a crowded
room, as strange as that may seem.
I want her!
I can give you things, Master Aladdin,
but when it comes to the human heart,
I am powerless.
You can have anything in the world you
want and all you can think of asking for
is some young chit of a girl
who isn't good enough for you!
...Genie, you can give us things?
You've got it in one, Mother.
Not so much of the "Mother", I'm young
enough to be your granddaughter.
Things, like money...
I've never heard that request before...
you would be the first to ever ask for that.
Bushels and bushels of money!
With money, you don't need magic!
Are you sure that's the way
you want to go?
I mean, money is great and all,
but everybody asks for money.
Why not ask for something
new and exciting?
Okay, how about some sort of
flying machine?
What? A flying machine?
So you could fly all over the world?
You could have drinks and
someone could serve us peanuts!
A flying machine! Maybe we should
just stick with the money.
Make way for the lovely Princess
Seleh Alcouz of Souman...
Aladdin's mother put on an extraordinarily
vulgar display of wealth...
but as usual, it worked.
We have more petitions, Your
Majesty... they're important.
Your son Gulnare doesn't think so.
Your exalted majesty, His Highness
Aladdin Ebn Alcouz and his mother,
the Princess Seleh Souman...
These people aren't on my
list... they shouldn't be here.
I don't know anything
about them your Majesty.
That must be very disturbing for you,
Assad.
How did you get past my
guards and into the Court?
- We had introductions.
- What introductions?
Irresistible introductions.
Indeed, these are introductions
no courtier could resist.
My Mother and I have
brought them from Zourman.
They meet with your approval, Majesty?
Flawless!
They're yours, Sire.
This is a most generous gesture, Prince.
You will always be most
welcome here at Court.
And if we can make your stay
more pleasant...
My son is too shy to ask, but we've
heard of the beauty of your daughter,
the Princess Zobeide...my
son, the Prince Aladdin,
would formerly like to ask
for her hand, in marriage.
This is outrageous!
Two strangers from Zourman asking
to marry the daughter of the
great Caliph Beder, hrmph, hrmph!
We wouldn't come empty handed...
Two million gold pieces!
The Caliph doesn't need your vulgar gifts!
I wouldn't say two million
was ever "vulgar", Assad.
- As a start... - Your Majesty,
my son, your daughter...
Oh, yes, yes, hmm. I'm sorry
you came a little late.
The Grand Vizier's son Gulnare
is pledged to my daughter.
Indeed, they're to be wed in three days.
- Father... - We were just
talking of you, my dear.
This is Prince Aladdin of Zourman.
He asked for your hand in marriage.
Too late, I fear.
Haven't I seen you somewhere, Prince?
I've been "somewhere" but l
would've remembered you, Princess.
I have a marriage gift for Your Highness...
- You're too generous, Prince
Aladdin. - Yes, I'd say that too!
He has a generous heart!
You may wish to withdraw these
magnificent gifts now...
No, no, no, no, they're yours, Sire.
How do I stop that idiot Gulnare
from marrying the Princess?
Let's turn him into a pig...
...or better yet, a roast pig.
It's tempting, but it's just not me.
What about an accident?
Too crude.
Then, before you do anything,
Master Aladdin,
I suggest you find out if
the Princess Zooboodie,
whatever her name is, has feelings for you.
She might be in love with
that eunuch Gulnare.
Women often love men who
are unworthy of them.
The reverse is also true. Men often
love women unworthy of them...why?
Love has nothing to do with
"worth". Love is a madness...
prince or beggar, we have no control.
Was it the Genie who said, "Women often
love men unworthy of them"...or was it you?
No, it was the Genie.
What is it, Giafar? This is too
early for affairs of state...
you put me in a bad mood.
My news will only make it worse. Your
brother is raising an army against you.
He's finally come into the
open... how big, how big?
Big enough.
Schahzenan! Kill him!
Kill him!
Traitors!
Guards!
Guards!
You're right about women
loving men unworthy of them.
Perhaps she loves Gulnare and not me...
but there's still time to find out...
they don't marry until next week.
Wrong! Gulnare and the Princess
are being married tomorrow!
Where did you come from little fellow?
He's a darling.
Come here, little fellow.
I'm getting married tomorrow... to
the Grand Vizier's son, Gulnare.
It's all signed, sealed and delivered...
you wouldn't understand...affairs of state.
But I did meet a charming young man,
he...
there's no point in thinking
about him, is there...only...
The saddest words in any language...
"if only"...
What did you find out, Master Aladdin?
She doesn't love Gulnare...she loves me!
You always were a terrible young monkey!
I was just telling Mother about...
The Princess and Gulnare were
married an hour ago, in secret.
No!
The Grand Vizier won't let a little thing
Iike magic monkeys stop him making
his son heir to the throne.
Of course he won't!
Look at her...clever...beautiful...
wealthy... flexible...
Have they consummated the marriage yet?
Not yet, but any moment now.
I hear he's quite the
acrobat in the sexual arena.
If Gulnare had his life to live again,
he'd still fall in love with himself.
What has to be, cannot be changed.
I'll think of something pleasant...
Iike that young prince from Zourman.
My dove...it's me...your husband...
Who else...
I'm here!
Ooh...My love, why you look as beautiful...
as beautiful as...as...um...
That's okay...I'll guess the rest.
Gulnare?
Gulnare?
Where are you?
It's an insult to my
daughter, and worse, to me!
Your Majesty...
You stink!
So would you, Sire, if you'd
spent all night in a privy.
He prefers a stinking privy
to a beautiful young woman...
I tell you there's something
seriously wrong with this boy, Assad!
The marriage is annulled!
Get out!
Three million in gold is most
generous, Prince Aladdin,
- for my daughter's hand in marriage.
- I love her, Your Majesty.
Good, that always helps. But l
can't sanction this marriage
unless I know my daughter is going to live
in the style to which she is accustomed...
- and you haven't even got a
palace. - I'm building one.
You can marry her when l
see it with my own eyes.
It'll be ready in a week's time.
You don't know builders, my boy.
My own palace took over a year to build.
- Mine will take a week! - A week?
I like you, Master Aladdin...
believe it or not, I've had some
two hundred odd Masters in my time,
and you're the noblest of them all,
but remember, I still have
Solomon's curse in my face,
and I will betray you at the drop
of a turban, if it suits me.
- Of course...no hard feelings.
- No hard feelings...
- I have to survive.
- Don't we all?
Perhaps...Palace!
Well, mortals, where are
my compliments, please?
Magnificent!
It is my best work since the Taj Mahal!
Let's go and feed the sturgeon!
Yes, much better!
This was perhaps the happiest
day of Aladdin's life.
He should have been a bit
more pessimistic...
he always said a pessimist is someone
who really knows what's going on...
Mustappa,
you're working too hard! too hard!
You're right, Hector...but
there's so much to learn...
Ahhh, I'm naked...naked!
What's going on, Chief?
I once swore by Hector's feathers.
I want them back!
Tell me harp, is that rogue
Aladdin dead in the cave?
"No, he is not dead On this very day
He is to be wed Losing your
temper, Mustappa, didn't pay".
Who's he marrying?
"The fairest flower in the land
He must be very smart and plucky
To wed the Princess of Samarkand
- He finally got very lucky".
- No, he finally got the lamp!
New lamps for old! New oil
lamps for old oil lamps!
That's right, I'm exchanging
new lamps for old lamps!
Come and see for yourself!
New lamps for old...
It's too early.
So it is, my love.
That ring...is beautiful!
It's yours!
You're so generous, my love.
Have you always been rich?
Always, always. My father was
rich, and his father before him...
our title is one of the
most ancient in Zouman.
Well, it suits you. You're
everything a prince should be,
but never is...you're handsome,
you're gallant, you're
generous... but your mother...
My mother's what they call an eccentric...
after all, she can afford to be.
No, I love her for it...she's different...
Iike a breath of fresh air...
I've never known anyone like her.
And I've never known anyone like you!
They were in love and only
had eyes for each other...
so they didn't see what
was going on around them.
Why are you giving new oil lamps
for old? There's a catch, huh?
No, no catch, no catch...just
the bargain of the year.
You see, where I come from, we
prize old and ancient things.
Hey, can I trade in my wife for a new one?
No, my friend, only oil lamps
this trip, eh? New lamps for old!
Didn't Aladdin sense something was
wrong? He must've sensed some danger?
Normally he would've
done... but he was in love.
And that changes everything.
Yes, men and women act out of character.
You, for example?
Oh, yes, my father thought
I'd never get married...
he said when two people marry, each
of them has to make sacrifices,
and I was too strong-willed for that...
but I've changed.
That must be love.
Tell me about Aladdin.
New lamps for old! I'm giving
away new oil lamps for old!
A once-in-a-lifetime offer!
Did you say new lamps for old?
It's a bargain!
Everyone loves a bargain.
Here we are, thank you!
Everyone loves a bargain...
What happened?
- Where's the lamp?
- Gone...vanished...pfft!
Mustappa! Now my Princess will
find out I'm not a Prince.
Worse, what happens when the
Caliph discovers all the money
we gave him has turned to dust?
- Time to run, my son. -
No one runs in our family!
Where did you hear that
rubbish? Taste my dust!
What's going on?
Where is everyone?
Where's the palace?
Gone, like the snows of
yesteryear! It was all a fake...
there's no palace, no riches,
and this your husband is no prince...
he's a thief, from a family of thieves!
It's a lie! Tell him, Aladdin!
- Well, it's a bad way of putting
it. - Don't be ashamed son!
We are proud of our heritage, daughter.
Our family are aristocrats, too...
descended from the finest
rogues in all Asia!
That's for telling me you were a prince!
It's Mustappa! Don't
believe everything he says!
He's go no reason to lie...you do!
Hey, smart boy! You're in trouble, oh...
Where did the palace come
from... and the money?
Magic!
Ingrate! Genie, Genie, how could you
possibly team up with this African squelch...
I couldn't warm to him if
we were cremated together!
Oh, oh, what do you want, what do you want?
I just got off my sick bed to come here.
What is...Ooh, pretty slave girl.
Allah! What in the name of
evil are you doing here?
- And you? - You two know each other?
Yes, yes unfortunately. We're distant,
distant cousins on my father's side.
I've hated you for centuries!
Yes, that's right, you lying,
bullying dog! You turn my stomach!
It would take the whole Persian Army
to turn your stomach, you pimple!
You grease spot on the backside of a
camel! I've waited for you for so long...
You wouldn't hit a fellow wearing...
whatever these are, would you?
- Hold still while I think about
it... - Okay, well then, bye!
No, no, no, no,
my Genie will challenge your
Genie... winner takes all!
- This sounds interesting... - No,
no, no, no, no, no he's feverish,
he's babbling on...
- Done!
- Done? Done, you do not understand,
I cannot fight him, his
magic is stronger than mine,
shows you how unfair the
Genie world is, doesn't it?
Oh, oh, oh toothache, I have
a toothache, I can't fight...
No, let's do this right... we
must have the proper setting.
No, no, no, no, no, I'm not in good shape,
I've never been in good
shape, as a matter of fact
I'm in the worst shape now
than I have ever been...
You can do it, Master Genie!
You're our man!
Okay, I'm ready, Allah, exalted parent,
creator of all, granter of wishes,
you are my sufficiency...pray
for me is this moment...
Help me!
It's you!
It's not...
No!
Don't send me out there again,
I'm no match for him, please!
You're a pro...get in there and fight!
Aladdin, did you love me,
or was that another lie?
Not now my love...
Do you love me!
- Did you? - Always!
You heard him, get in there and fight!
No, don't!
Mmm, cheese!
Let me out of here!
Let me out of here!
Let me out of here!
I win!
Get your chattel out, out, out!
Out! Out! Out! Out!
- oh great Mustappa!
- No! Winner take all!
But Mustappa had already
lost and didn't know it.
He couldn't beat a man like Aladdin
when it came to stealing...
he was a master.
You cheat!
Next time I will show no
mercy... I will kill you,
- I will squash you, like a bug... - This
time, he had stolen Mustappa's victory.
I will turn you into...
So Aladdin had won. He had
picked his last pocket.
Something I'd expect from a rogue.
He gets it from his mother!
He gave the Ring Genie his freedom.
He didn't need to be told twice.
Sayonara! Bye bye!
- The Genie of the Lamp, refused the gift.
- My freedom? What would I do with that?
I would have to get a job, a
fat wife and lazy children...
no thank you! I've got power
here, I've got total control...
I'll decide when I want to be free...
He was always contrary...it
was part of his character.
Would Aladdin really offer the Genies
their freedom and give up all that power?
Power isn't that important.
What is?
Happiness.
Hmmm.
That's something poor Amin Adbur
didn't have. In fact he had nothing...
no peace, no comfort, no happiness...
Who is Amin Adbur?
Ayoung beggar in Cairo.
You're starting another story.
I was going to tell you
about Amin... because...
because I thought you'd be
particularly interested.
Why?
Because he looked exactly like you...
Like me?
But the extraordinary thing about this
story is that the other leading figure in
it is Sultan Abraschild...
It is Sultan Abraschild--who
looks exactly like Schahzenan.
Like my brother? So I'm the beggar in this
story, and my brother is the Sultan of Cairo?
But you'll want to save
that for tomorrow night.
Some years ago, never mind how long...
...just remember that all...
There's a competition tomorrow, sponsored
by the Baghdad Story-Teller's Association...
I'm President. You should
enter it, Your Highness.
We're only competing for money...
you've been competing for your life!
I've told him an adventure
story, a comedy, a fantasy,
and now I want to tell something tragic...
I hooked his interest by saying
the main characters resemble him
and his brother, but where do I begin?
You begin at the beginning and go
on to the end, and then stop...
just make sure he doesn't
know what will happen next.
I don't know what happens next, so I'm
sure he won't...but should I go on?
His brother Schahzenan is
marching against him...
- is this the time for storytelling?
- It's the perfect time!
Stories show us how to win...
and in your case, defeat death.
Sire, your brother's army
is only two days away.
What are you going to do, Sire?
Wait.
You need strong nerves to wait.
Well I've been taught what
strong nerves really are.
Amin the beggar still had a few coins left,
and headed straight for the nearest tavern.
Meanwhile, Sultan Abraschild prowled
the streets of Cairo in disguise,
Iooking for adventure.
Abraschild was accompanied by Commander
Nouz and his Grand Vizier Moussel,
who looked just like my father.
Being Sultan is the most boring
job in the world, Moussel.
Is that why Your Majesty has to disguise
himself and rub shoulders with his subjects?
I find it amusing.
As Commander of your Guard, Your Majesty,
I have to say it's a very dangerous enjoyment.
That adds spice to the joke! When I mingle
with the ordinary folk, I'm laughing inside...
if only they knew who I was! What tricks,
what jests I can play on the poor fools...
here's entertainment to please
the most jaded palette!
Let's go in here and see what
jollies I can conjure up.
I'll do the same for you,
friend, when my ship comes in.
What ship's that, friend?
That's my ship...that's my destiny...
I have a destiny, that's why I drink.
I drink while I'm waiting for my destiny.
Which is?
Oh, I don't know...but it'll be great!
If you could choose your destiny,
what destiny would you choose?
Oh, I'd choose to be Sultan...
But look at you! Do you think
you're fit to be Sultan?
What do you mean "look at me"? What's
fitness to do with it anyway? Sultan
Abraschild was born...he was born
with a silver spoon in his mouth...
everyone else had a tongue...
he's about as useful as a
glass eye at a keyhole!
That's what you think of him, is it?
Friend, friend, if only I was the Sultan, if
only I was the Sultan, you'd see, yeah...
Perhaps it's your destiny after all...
Are you all right, Sire?
Never better...the jest, the jest!
Come on, take him to my palace!
But, Sire...
Oh, Moussel, you dry stick, you desert cactus!
Quick, I can't wait to start the game!
It was a sick joke.
He was washed and perfumed,
so that even his mother
wouldn't have recognized him.
Everyone remembers
what to do when he wakes?
Yes, Sire, but...
No one spoils my fun...no one!
I want wine...no I don't.
Oh, oh, oh, this is the drink... I've
had daylight dreams before, but...
Go!
Go!
- Where, where am l? - In the palace, Sire.
- What palace? - Your palace.
My palace? Who am l?
Commander of the Faithful, Monarch of the
World, the Prophet's Voice on Earth...
you are the Sultan Haroun Abraschild.
This is madness.
I want to talk to someone in authority.
You were up drinking late last night, Sire.
It has affected your memory.
I do drink...and I do have a terrible head.
Your Majesty?
Who am l?
You're Commander of the Faithful,
Monarch of the World...
No, I'm not! I'm Amin the Beggar!
Is this another one of Your Majesty's jokes?
No, I'm Amin...Amin the Drunkard...
they know me in every tavern in Cairo!
I'm you Grand Vizier, Moussel...
don't you recognize me?
Yes...I've seen you riding
through the streets.
And I'm Abu Nouz, Commander of the
Palace Guard for the last ten years...
Why would you say I'm Sultan Abraschild?
Because you are.
But I'm not!
Have you ever seen His
Majesty, Sultan Abraschild?
No.
So how do you know you're not him?
'Cause I'm me...I know me, don't l?
It's the wine, Sire...it's
clouding your brain.
Through the lingering alcoholic
fumes in his wine-stained brain,
Amin was already half-inclined to agree
with Vizier Moussel and the others.
The whole Palace went along
with the Sultan's cruel jest.
They had to...it was more than
their lives were worth to object.
Pray silence for His Majesty, Sultan Haroun
Abraschild, Commander of the Faithful,
Monarch of the World, the
Prophet's Voice on Earth...
I'm not any of those things...not Commander,
I'm not Monarch, I'm not the Prophet's Voice,
and I'm not Sultan Haroun Abraschild!
It is one of Your Majesty's jokes?
No. I'm just a drunk from
the backstreets of Cairo.
Then why would the whole Court
say that you were Sultan?
Look at yourself, Your Majesty...
that's not the face of a drunkard...
that is the face of a king!
The only thing Amin thought about for years
was where the next drink was coming from...
but everything had changed...
he was a different man.
Then there is the matter of
the Chinese Ambassador...
we have already decided to resume
negotiations with the Great Khan...
Ah, you say I'm Sultan?
Of course you are, Your Majesty.
And I have absolute power?
By Divine Right.
Then instead of talking about
the Great Khan,
we should be talking about my people...
their needs...their happiness...
Scribe...I, Sultan Abraschild,
institute the building of new schools
in each of the major cities...
But, Sire, we must consult
and ponder this matter.
If I consult and ponder, I'll do
nothing. Scribe, 'another decree...
we will reduce the people's taxes by half!
But, Sire, the Treasury...
...can afford it. Now, Commander, do
you believe the Army is underpaid?
Undoubtedly. I have submitted reports
indicating we can't expect troops to defend
- the nation if they're poorly paid.
- I accept all your recommendations,
Commander, and we'll start by
doubling the pay of all the troops.
How will we finance this, Your Majesty?
Cut out all the waste and extravagance,
particularly here in the Palace. Now,
Vizier, I've read your reports too... the
state bureaucracy needs a radical overhaul.
Now, I propose to put you ideas
into practice immediately.
What a fool!
We've got more done today
than we have in years.
This time Sultan Abraschild wasn't laughing.
Amin the Beggar was taking his role very
seriously...feed a grub royal jelly,
and he will turn into an Emperor
butterfly in an instant.
Sultan Abraschild now wanted
to complete the joke.
What a jest, eh?
I doubt he'll enjoy it, when he wakes.
Well, I enjoyed it, that's what counts.
Besides, he's had one day of power...
that's more than most get in a lifetime.
What will you do with him now, Sire?
Throw him back...that's
the best part of the joke!
It was a rude awakening...
it was terrible.
From extreme wealth, to extreme poverty.
That's enough to send any man mad.
Oh, no...no...this is a
dream... this is a dream...
I'm the Sultan...
I'm the Sultan...
I'm the Sultan...
I'm the Sultan...
I'm the Sultan... I'm the Sultan...
I give orders...I give
orders... I give orders...
I give orders... I give
orders... it's the demons...
it's the demons...hahahahahah.....
it's the demons...it's the demons...
Only a madman could think he
was ruler of the world...
but it was so real to me...
so real.
But it all grew less and less
real as the days past...
soon Amin began to doubt
if it had ever happened...
but fate and Sultan Abraschild hadn't
finished playing with him yet.
You should eat.
I'm not hungry...
stay and talk...
stay and talk...
no one will talk to me...they think I'm mad.
Are you?
I was...I thought I was Sultan Abraschild...
I dreamed of being the Sultan for
so long, it became real for me.
Were you better than Sultan Abraschild?
Only in my dreams, friend.
Oh, thank you, friend, thank
you, thank you, thank you...
Laughter's the cure for all our ills...
He thinks he's cured.
Now you've found out what happened to
him, he can be left alone, Your Majesty?
He thought he did a pretty good
job as a one-day Sultan...
I think I'll give him another crack at it.
You're going to repeat the jest?
A good jest is worth repeating.
But Sire, it could send him
mad for the rest of his life.
You two have no sense of humour.
Compliments of the Sultan
himself. It's his birthday...
every prisoner is given a free cup
of wine to celebrate the occasion.
Long live Sultan Abraschild!
And so Amin's torture continued...
It was a terrible nightmare...
which was happening again.
I'm mad again! Save me!
What is it, Your Majesty?
I'm Amin...this is a prison cell... I'm mad!
Calm yourself, Sire. You
had another bad dream!
But which is the dream and which is real?
Is this the dream or was that the dream?
We'll send for the Royal Physicians.
It's the demons! They carried me here...
they're in the air...demons!...demons!
Listen, listen, it's the
demons, they're laughing at me!
Death to all demons!
Death!
Perhaps he should have remembered...
never tell the same joke twice...
Dead!
Well, there's one good
thing... no more jokes.
And he died with a smile on his face...
what do we do now? Who's his heir?
He has none. There'll be a fight amongst
the nobles... it'll mean civil war...
unless we act.
In what way?
Well, Sultan Abraschild ordered us
to treat Master Amin as Sultan.
Yes, but he meant he was
to be Sultan for a day.
We know that, but others don't.
Well, if he keeps cutting taxes, he
has nothing to fear from anyone.
We'll say Sultan Abraschild has
gone on a holy pilgrimage to Mecca
and asked his friend to take his place.
Well, it's true, in a way.
True or false, it's plausible,
that's the important thing.
Your physicians will see you later, Majesty.
You've been ill.
I have?...who's that?
That, oh that was the Royal Jester.
What's the matter with him?
His last joke was a killer!
What's so funny?
He always said we had no sense of humour!
So it was, Amin became one of the
most beloved Sultans in history...
and Abraschild was completely forgotten.
I saw myself as Sultan Abraschild...
he was consumed by laughter...
I was consumed by fear of betrayal,
and I was prepared to do
anything to feed that fear
while Abraschild fed his cruel humour.
That wasn't you...
that was the darkness inside you.
Is it still there?
Look into my eyes...
who do you see, Scheherazade?
Me...
Iooking at you, my love.
Sire, your brother's army
is camped outside the city.
Soon, my love.
It's too low.
- I'm hot. - One of my stories will help.
No, the only danger you face
now is from my brother...
you won't be able to tell him one
of your tales to save yourself...
he'll have cut your throat.
This isn't the time, Scheherazade.
It's the perfect time. It's the
incredible story of three brothers
who fought each other
like you and Schahzenan.
It happened long ago in far Yemen...
before recorded time.
The land was ruled by old Sultan Billah...
and he had three sons:
Princes Ahmed, Hussain and Ali...
Prince Hussain was the
best swordsman in Yemen...
Ahmed, on the other hand,
was a master bowman.
Prince Ali had extraordinary
strength in his hands.
Oh, they're at it again!
It's just youthful exuberance,
my love, they'll grow out of it.
You've been saying that
for the last ten years...
Ah! Look! No my prize hibiscus!
Not the palms...not the palms!
You vandals!
- What was the fight about this
time? - Princess Fatima loves me.
- No, she loves me. - No, she loves me.
- She said so! - Rubbish!
You could lose ten pounds of
- surplus fat if someone cut your head off!
- Every time you look into the mirror,
- you take a bow! - Oh yeah!
What's going to happen when I die?
You'll tear the country apart!
See what you boys have done...
all this talk of dying...
your making your father ill.
We didn't mean anything Mother...
Father's not really dying, is he?
But when I am dying, l
will have to name my heir.
You should do it now, Father.
Don't forget, I'm the eldest.
And don't you forget that I have
the final say, according to law.
- Who do you favour, Father? - l
have three blockheads for sons,
how can I favour anyone?
Let it be proclaimed throughout Yemen...
I'm sending my sons on a quest...
whoever brings back the greatest
wonder in the world will be my heir.
How long have we got?
One year. You all must leave
together and return together.
Wrap up warm, boys. And don't get lost.
Yes Mother.
And so the brothers went
forth into the unknown...
to find the greatest wonder in the world.
We should meet back here on the same day
next year, and travel home together.
And may the best man win!
- What are you smiling at? -
Well, I'm obviously the best man.
The only thing you're best
at is shovelling camel dung.
They had no maps to guide them...
they were going to countries
where traveller's said,
"There be DRAGONS!"
Losers!
Ali found himself in a fabled
land... the Bronze City of Zirog.
It's all gone now...
the bronze rusted and the
fountains all dried up...
ah, but then, but then...
it was a wonder to behold.
So, my brothers and I are searching the
world for wondrous objects for my father.
Ah, I have something wondrous.
I have seen a telescope
before, Master Schaca.
Not like this. Put it to your eye...
you only have to ask, and you'll
see anything you wish to see.
I'd like to see the Princess Fatima of Yemen.
That's Fatimah
You're right, Master Shaca, it's a wonder.
Can I buy it?
It's not mine to sell. I'm
delivering it to Hari ben Karim.
But would he sell it?
Ask him.
The telescope's not for sale. As you
can see, I have no need of the money...
but I might give it to you as a gift.
And what could I give you in return?
Entertainment. Schaca tells
me you're a master fighter.
Would you fight my champions
for the telescope?
Gladly.
The telescope's mine...
- I've killed you champions.
- What makes you think they're dead?
- This time, knives.
- Knives? That's cheating.
That's cheating...
Fair game, Master Schaca.
As Ali made his way back to "The Traveller's
Rest" with his magical telescope,
Ahmed was heading North...
I am Prince Ahmed of Yemen.
I've learned you have a rare fruit...
a holy green apple that is
said to cure all illnesses...
I'd like to buy it.
It is not for sale.
Is there something I can
give you in exchange for it?
Perhaps...you have a special skill?
With the bow.
Then you will undergo a test to see if
you are fit to own the apple of life.
I'm impressed, Ahmed.
I have one more test...
and the apple of life is yours.
It's a risk.
The prize is worth it.
Not for the boy.
Then you lose,
and go away empty-handed.
I lose.
No, you win.
What?
You win by losing...you weren't
prepared to win at any cost.
The apple of life is yours.
The Holy Seer gave Ahmed the apple and
some words of advice before he left,
Hussain was riding towards
the fabulous city of Petra.
That Petra disappeared under the sand,
but then, she was the jewel of the East...
Hussain discovered the most
amazing thing about Petra...
it was two cities, not one...
The second city lay under the first.
Underground Petra survived many
years after the other one...
but that too, is gone...
swallowed by the sand.
Is this the only carpet you have to sell?
Fifty pieces of gold.
You must be mad!
Have you gold enough to pay for it?
If I want it.
You'll want it. Follow me.
Why are you out there trying to sell
this one old carpet when you've got
hundreds like these?
Because it's a Flying Carpet...
it can take you anywhere.
I may be a stranger in
Petra, but I'm no child.
There is no such thing as a Flying Carpet.
But there are thousands,
and this is one of them.
Rise, carpet, Rise!
Down!
Down!
Come to rest!
All you have to do is tell
it where you wish to go.
Fifty in gold you say? It's worth
every penny. I'll pay cash.
What's this?
We're going to rob and kill
you. It's nothing personal...
I can't sell a magic carpet
for a paltry fifty in gold,
it wouldn't be good for business.
Kill him!
Stop thief!
Come on!
Take me to the "Traveller's Rest"!
We've done well...a magic apple, a
flying carpet, and a wondrous telescope.
Tell me, have you actually
tested this yet, Ali?
Of course I've tested it! Just
tell it what you want to see.
I'd like to see our father,
Sultan Billah, please.
It's Father!
He's dying. We have to be there.
The brothers learned a
simple but abiding truth...
men united were better than men divided.
It'll take us a week to get home.
No, I have a better way!
They arrived in time to save their
father with Ahmed's Apple of Life.
United now, and for the
rest of their lives...
...they ruled in peace and harmony.
What advice did the Holy Seer give Ahmed
when he handed him the magic apple?
He said the world was an inferno
full of darkness and evil
and there were only two
ways of dealing with it...
the first was easy and wrong...
to accept it and become part of it...
the second way was harder and right...
you fight it and recognize those
who aren't evil and help them endure.
You've taken the second way...
you've helped me...and saved
me from the darkness...
why?
I loved you.
Is that the answer?
It'll have to do until something better...
We've had reports the enemy is being led
by Schahzenan and...the former Sultana.
The Sultana is dead...I killed her.
Even dead she can still help to destroy you.
The army thinks she's good luck...
they make a powerful combination.
Tell them we have one even more powerful...
I'll be riding into battle beside my husband.
No, it's too dangerous.
You don't have to prove your love.
It would raise the spirits of our
men... they have a dead Queen,
and we have a live one.
It was a cold desert morning
as the city gates opened and
the great army came forth to do battle.
Sultan Schahriar planned to
take his enemy by surprise...
there was no fear in his heart
as he went boldly on the attack.
Guard my wife! She is more
precious to me than my life.
A small group led by Sultan Schahriar led
the main party to make a daring raid.
They say fortune favours the brave, and
those who can learn from their mistakes.
The story-teller always
said, stories can save us
...they can save us, if
we use our imagination.
- Gather your men! - Yes, Sire.
Open sesame!
Schahriar!
It's time to take responsibility
for your actions brother and die!
Schahzenan's troops were caught in a
pincer movement with hostile forces
in front and back.
Death comes in many shapes and sizes.
Now, it was Schahzenan's turn.
The battle was over.
- And Father won? - Yes, Father
won...and saved Baghdad.
That was very exciting...
your good at stories, Mummy.
Tell us another one!
Another one, Mummy!
Another one!
Oh, tomorrow night...
I'll tell you another story tomorrow night...
just wait till tomorrow night.