Pohádky tisíce a jedné noci

The sailor Sinbad sets off on a voyage during which he experiences incredible adventures, discovers foreign lands and often has to overcome various pitfalls. But because he is a good and kind seafarer, the sea always helps him. When he has sailed for so many days and nights that he cannot even count them, the crew is running out of supplies and strength, and hope and land are lost in sight, luck smiles on Sinbad. At night, a large fish gets caught in his net and speaks to him in a human voice. It promises him that if he lets it swim, it will repay him handsomely. As he says, he does so and rewards his savior with a necklace so beautiful that his eyes are filled with wonder. And his companions' eyes also light up when they wake up in the morning and see a paradise island in the distance before them. However, it soon becomes clear that it also hides danger. Further steps will lead Sinbad to the Sultan, who accuses him of stealing jewels, and he narrowly escapes certain death. But his troubles are far from over. He will meet a man-eating giant, a malicious old man, fly on a flying carpet, accidentally release a magic genie from a pitcher, and finally find true love. And he will understand that even a lot of bad things can be good for something and that the most beautiful roof in the world is not a golden palace, but a blue sky. The film was originally created as seven separate short films, which were later combined into a feature-length film, united by the magical atmosphere of the Orient and Zeman's artistic poetics. One of the most important Czech directors and artists, whose birth will be 115 years ago on November 3, used the flat animation technique to move the flat puppets and drawings. The animated scenes thus appear like animated oriental paintings full of details and bright colors. The exciting narration is enhanced by the voice of actor Jan Tříska, who gives the film a special charm. Karel Zeman's fantasy films won numerous awards around the world in their time, and Tales of a Thousand and One Nights was no exception. Today, it belongs to the film classics, to which the new digitally restored version restores the original colors and magic for new generations of viewers.