Arabian Nights

What was that?

It was yourself,

O Guardian of the Harem.

You... burped.

Silence...

daughters of foolishness.

I was but paying tribute to the

generosity of our lord and master.

Let us to the improvement of your

minds, what there is of them.

For today's reading, we will take the story

of the dancing girl and the two brothers.

Now, all together. When the noble

and beloved Haroun-Al-Raschid...

"When the noble and beloved

Haroun-Al-Raschid...

ascended to the throne

of the Caliphs,

he had many secret enemies,

not least among them,

being his elder brother,

the passionate and cruel

Kamar-Al-Zaman,

born of a slave of the harem...

and barred, therefore, from

the succession to the throne."

Very good, very good.

Continue alone, O my little Dunya.

"Now, it happened that

in Bagdad at this time,

there was a dancing girl

named Sherazade...

whose skill and beauty...

had made her the idol

of the people."

The story, the story!

Now you, Ayesha.

"Yet Sherazade, because of

the poverty of her childhood,

was as avid of power and riches

as a shipwrecked mariner of water.

Kamar had seen

the beauteous maid...

and like many others, had

fallen madly in love with her."

Enough, enough.

Be silent and listen.

But Sherazade had spurned his love,

saying half in jest

and half in earnest,

"Return to me, O Kamar, when you are

Caliph of Bagdad and I will listen to you."

But Kamar, besotted by love,

had taken the jest in earnest.

And rebelling against his brother,

had been defeated and captured,

thereafter being condemned to suffer

the punishment of the slow death...

even as the law provides.

Haroun-Al-Raschid!

Salaam, O Mighty Caliph.

- Is he dead?

- Not yet.

They will tell us when.

Seven days and seven

nights and still he lives.

Nadan, this is no end

for one of Allah's creatures.

You must not relent, my lord.

- It is the law.

- It is man's law, not Allah's.

- He was a great warrior, Nadan.

- And a great rebel, my lord.

Were he in your place and

you in his, he would be merciless.

He always hated me,

even when we were children.

- Yet, now you pity him.

- Why not?

He's cursed with an ambition

he could never fulfill.

Is that not to be pitied?

You mistake, my lord.

It was not ambition alone that

prompted your brother to rebel.

There is a dancing girl,

Sherazade.

Sherazade?

It was to win her love that

he dared to seek your throne.

A slow death for love of a woman.

Sherazade! Let us see Sherazade!

We want Sherazade!

Let us see Sherazade,

the dancing girl.

All right, hurry!

Change into your acrobat costumes.

Ali? Where is Ali?

That boy is always late.

He will be the death of me. Hurry!

- Love of Allah, Sinbad!

- You're in a hurry, are you?

Yes, I...

- A great hurry.

- A terrible hurry.

The day of reckoning will come!

- We want Sherazade.

- We want Sherazade!

Listen to them.

The crowd is hungry for you

tonight, mistress. You'd better hurry.

Let them wait, the fools.

I detest them!

I'm their servant, their slave.

But one day, one day

when I'm above them all...

But the day never seems to come.

And there may never be another Kamar

to risk his life to make you a queen.

Silence! How dare you, you...

Sherazade, my sweet!

What is this?

They are calling for you.

Let them call.

I'll come when I'm ready!

- Get out! Get out! Do you hear?

- Allah, defend me.

First it is that son

of Satan, Ali, and now...

I'm going. Look, I'm going.

Good-bye. I'm going.

The madness of his desire for Sherazade

has brought him to this torture.

It is the law.

Law or no law.

He's suffered enough.

Wait!

Kamar's men!

Stop him! Stop Haroun.

Free him.

By the mighty Valda, who will

perform an unheard of feat...

of supporting six men

at the same time, unaided.

You are about to witness a most

phenomenal performance of all times,

including that

world-famous Ali Ben Ali.

Pull in your neck, O brother,

to the wine barrel.

O you grateful son of infamy!

And this is Ali, Ali the wonderful,

Ali the magnificent,

Ali, the world's greatest acrobat...

who is the son of an acrobat,

who himself was the son of a son

of a son of a son of an acrobat.

Go!

Watch him as he climbs

high above the blessed earth.

Watch Ali defying death

in that death-defying feat...

of standing his head

upon the head of Sinbad.

Now, my noble friends,

watch closely...

and see how this miracle

of miracles is performed.

Watch each man flex

his powerful muscles...

as the seventh wonder

of the world...

Watch how steady this tower

of men rises to the heavens!

Note how steady and straight

they stand, never swaying,

like the giant pine

tree of the forest.

Now, watch Ali very closely

as he places his head...

Pick it up a little.

Get up a little higher!

Watch Ali very closely

as he places his head...

upon the head of Sinbad and

points his toes to the sky.

Watch them regain their balance.

Watch them sway as they bend and... bend!

Isn't it wonderful?

Watch!

The ring of the Caliph.

Haroun-Al-Raschid.

Sherazade! Give us Sherazade.

Sherazade. Give us Sherazade.

Mistress, you cannot, you must not.

You have to...

Let go of me.

- What happened?

- This stranger, he is hurt, his shoulder.

I saw it all upside down.

I would swear I have seen

this man before, but where?

Maybe in your dreams.

It is written that dreams of a

woman are engraved upon her heart.

I dream of no man.

Look, his eyes are opening.

Who... who are you?

I am Sherazade.

Sherazade.

I know now why...

why he risked so much.

What does he mean?

Who is he?

Who were those

who tried to kill him?

- The followers of Kamar.

- Of Kamar?

- How do you know?

- Look. He is dead.

That one's own mother

would never recognize his face.

Now, you fortunate

holders of ducats,

you are about to witness

the most phenomenal...

Kamar is free.

Kamar has escaped!

Kamar is free.

Kamar has escaped.

Aladdin, can't you look

where you're going?

I'm looking for Sherazade.

If I don't find her, I'm lost.

You wouldn't be lost

if I hadn't lost my magic lamp.

You lost that when you were a little boy.

You've lost all sense of time.

And I've lost my... I've lost...

I'm losing my mind.

Sherazade? Sherazade?

Oh, where is she?

Where is she?

I die, I expire.

Sherazade, where is she?

Oh, praise be Allah, there you are.

- Kamar, he's escaped!

- I know that.

And suppose he has?

You must hide until

they've recaptured him.

Valda, quickly, prepare the litter.

Sherazade runs in fear of no man.

He will be here seeking you.

He might carry you off with

him out of the country.

Against my will?

Let him dare to lay a hand on me.

Let him dare!

Sherazade, be reasonable.

Without you, I have no show.

Lovely Sherazade, maiden

sweeter than honey.

I tell you, I will stay.

I am neither afraid of Kamar

nor any man that lives.

But there is one thing you forget.

If you remain here, Kamar

is sure to come seeking you.

It is the one place the soldiers

will be looking for him.

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