"Arabian Nights"
1974
Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pasolini's final film of his "Trilogy of Life", and considered to be the "masterwork" of the three films, Arabian Nights is a carnal comic tale following the adventures of a slave girl, Pelligrini, as she rises to power over a great city.  Episodes of magic and lust, mystery and fantasy that derive from three cultures - Persia, Egypt and India - and range from the ninth century to the Renaissance combine to make this Pasolini's most stunning accomplishment.   "Rich, romantic and magnificent! Its graphic sex scenes, which have a dreamy kind of beauty to them, are erotic without being pornographic" (Vincent Canby- New York Times).  With Ninetto Davoli, Franco Citti, Ines Pellegrini, Tessa Bouche, Franco Merli, Margaret Clementi, Jocelyne Munchenback, Alberto Argentino, Christian Aligny, Salvatore Sapienza, Jeanne Gauffin Matthieu and Francelise Noel.  Italian with English subtitles, Technicolor. 130 minutes.