Plot
In ancient Arabia, a caliph marries a different beautiful girl every morning, and then he has her killed every night. One of these girls, named Scheherazade, decides to rebel against the authority of the bloody caliph. To prevent the caliph from executing her, she entertains him by telling a fantastic story every night. Among these stories is the legend of Sinbad the sailor, who made seven journeys to seven different lands, meeting magical creatures and finding priceless treasures. Once Scheherazade runs out of stories, she invokes the help of the Genie of the Lamp, the protagonist of one of her stories, who takes Scheherazade to the modern world.
One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English-language edition, which rendered the title as The Arabian Nights' Entertainment.
Catherine Zeta-Jones is a Welsh actress. Recognised for her versatility, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her film and humanitarian work.
Aladdin is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, despite not being part of the original text; it was added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland, based on a folk tale that he heard from the Syrian Maronite storyteller Hanna Diyab.
Josiane Balasko is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice.
Philippe de Broca was a French film director.
Gérard Jugnot is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer.
Ticky Holgado, pseudonym of Joseph Holgado, was a French actor and a frequent collaborator with Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Arabian Nights is a two-part 2000 miniseries, adapted by Peter Barnes from Sir Richard Francis Burton's translation of the medieval epic One Thousand and One Nights. Mili Avital and Dougray Scott star as Scheherazade and Shahryar respectively. Produced by Dyson Lovell and directed by Steve Barron, the serial was produced by Hallmark Entertainment and originally broadcast over two nights on 30 April and 1 May 2000 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and ABC in the United States.
Thierry Lhermitte is a French actor, director, writer and producer, best known for his comedic roles. He was a founder of the comedy troupe Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, and Michel Blanc. The group adapted a number of its stage hits for the cinema, and scored major successes with films such as Les Bronzés (1978), Les Bronzés font du ski (1979), Le Père Noël est une ordure (1982) and Un indien dans la ville (1994).
French Fried Vacation is a cult French comedy film directed by Patrice Leconte. The film satirizes life resorts such as Club Med. It is one of many films by the French comedy group Le Splendid. Josiane Balasko, Michel Blanc, Marie-Anne Chazel, Gérard Jugnot, Thierry Lhermitte and Christian Clavier wrote and created together the play "Amours, Coquillages et Crustacés", and drew the scenario for Les Bronzés from this café-théâtre piece. The film has achieved cult status in France, where it sold 2.2 million tickets during its initial theatrical release.
The Théâtre de la Gaîté-Montparnasse is a venue situated at 26, rue de la Gaîté, in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, in the 14th arrondissement. It opened in 1868 and seats 399 people.
Dominique Lavanant is a César Award-winning French film and theatrical actress. She is known for her comedy skills especially with posh and distinguished characters like Rosalind Russell's; characters often defined by the adjective BCBG, bon chic bon genre, and which refers to a particular stereotype of the French upper middle class – to be conservative in both outlook and dress.
Le Splendid is a café-théâtre company founded by a collection of writers and actors in the 1970s - Christian Clavier, Michel Blanc, Gérard Jugnot, Thierry Lhermitte, Josiane Balasko, Marie-Anne Chazel, Bruno Moynot and Claire Magnin. The members of the company went on to become some of the most significant actors and directors in French cinema from the 1980s onwards and have collectively won many César awards.
Shéhérazade is a 1963 adventure film directed by Pierre Gaspard-Huit and starring Anna Karina as the title character. The cast also featured Gérard Barray, Antonio Vilar and Giuliano Gemma The film is loosely based on the One Thousand and One Nights. The film's sets and costumes were designed by the art director Georges Wakhévitch.
Nuit d'ivresse is a 1986 French cult comedy film directed by Bernard Nauer and starring Josiane Balasko and Thierry Lhermitte. It was adapted from the play of the same name, created in 1985 by Balasko and Michel Blanc.
Most Promising Young Actress is a 2000 French comedy film, directed by Gérard Jugnot.
Les Rois du gag is a 1985 French comedy film directed by Claude Zidi. It was released on 12 March 1985 in France.
On aura tout vu is a French comedy film directed by Georges Lautner and released in 1976.
Jacques Fonteray was a French costume designer active in the film industry. Amongst his credits were the costumes for the 1968 film Barbarella.
