One Arabian Night; Sumurun

1064. ONE ARABIAN NIGHT (Sumurun) (1920-Germany). With POLA NEGRI, ERNST LUBITSCH. Directed by ERNST LUBITSCH. The glory that was Bagdad is no more. But the spell of Arabian nights reaches across a thousand years to kindle the minds of man!” This elaborate blend of romance, melodrama, comedy and spectacle is indeed a spellbinding tale, and one of several sumptuous pageants that established the reputations of both direcÂtor Ernst Lubitsch and actress Pola Negri. Negri plays an exotic dancer, “as untamed as the wastes from which she came,” who charms every man she encounters. Asheik’s wife, anxious to escape the harem and run off with a handÂsome merchant, contrives to have her tyrannical husband seduced by the dancer. Her scheme works, but the sheik’s son also falls for Negri, leading to violent confrontations. There are also many bizarre, farcical complications, involving various people hiding in trunks and chasing each other around the lavish sets. Among the motley assortment of characters is a hunchback, brilliantly played by Lubitsch himself. A performer in the dancer’s troupe, the hunchÂback is a sad clown whose hopeless infatuation with the temptress adds a genuine and memorable note of tragedy to the story. Return to the enchanted, exciting Arabian nights-brought to life through the special magic of “the LuÂbitsch touch!” Titles in English. Silent film with music score, correct projection speed. 85 minutes. ÒSILENTÓ MELODRAMA