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Arabian Nights (1974)
Arabian Nights (1974) poster

Arabian Nights (1974)

Il fiore delle Mille e una notte

Adventure, Fantasy • 2h 10m

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

2019 BFI Blu-ray

1080p Blu-ray

Best English-friendly release · updated 1 year ago

Overview

The final part of Pasolini's Trilogy of Life series is rich with exotic tales of slaves and kings, potions, betrayals, demons and, most of all, love and lovemaking in all its myriad forms. Mysterious and liberating, this is an exquisitely dreamlike and adult interpretation of the original folk tales.

Release details

Best Video Release

2019 BFI > Criterion > 2009/2011 BFI. Unsure on Carlotta

TSPDT
2025: #989
2024: #992
2023: #950
2022: #950
Criterion Forum
Review

Picture: 8, Audio: 6, Extras: 8

Length
130 mins
Type
Movie
Alternative Titles
Flower of the Arabian Nights, A Thousand and One Nights

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Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion boxset but awful compression

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Carlotta FR Blu-ray: FiM encode w/o English subtitles; Criterion boxset one has awful compression. review

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

BFI 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release

Best Video:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray see caps

Additional Info:

2019 BFI Blu-ray is the older master but better encode + extra footage than Criterion Blu-ray

Italy CG Entertainment Blu-ray is 4K resto, but horrible colours.

Directors: Luchino Visconti & Mauro Bolognini & Pier Paolo Pasolini & Franco Rossi & Vittorio De Sica

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Arrow Blu-ray

Best Video:same release

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray is vastly superior to the old BFI Blu-ray see caps

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Audio:same release

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Carlotta Blu-ray better encoding than Criterion

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Carlotta Passolini set

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Passolini 101 box

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion passolini set

More from Criterion

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Directors: Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:same release
Additional Info:

4K encode is low-pass filtered and noticeably so, which was unfortunately par for the course with Criterion 4Ks until sometime in 2024. Still better than the Criterion and Lionsgate Blu-Ray discs for the Dolby Vision grading alone.

Director: David Lynch

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

 Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in December

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking

Best Audio:

1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD

Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110

Director: Jūzō Itami

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:same release
Best Audio:

Japan Toho Blu-ray

Director: Carol Reed

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray/Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray (shared encode); slight improvement over the 2015 StudioCanal Blu-ray

Best Audio:

StudioCanal/LG UHDs port the 1999 Criterion DVD, considered the best source

Additional Info:

StudioCanal has a remastered Blu-ray, Lionsgate only a 4K Blu-ray

Director: Martin Scorsese

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook

Sources: blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook fixes duplicate shot seen on the previous Columbia Classics release and has better encoding

Best Audio:

Original mono mix: 1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1991 Columbia LaserDisc
The 4K Blu-ray mono is only minimally worse (see blah-ray).

5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray

Director: George Stevens

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray, 2K restoration

Director: Alexander Mackendrick

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion or Arrow Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion = Arrow, not sure about France

Best Audio:

1989 MGM LaserDisc

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is slightly better than French 4K Blu-ray see caps

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

BFI Blu-ray > 2018 Boxset Criterion (slightly). 2012 Standalone Criterion significantly worse.

Best Audio:

2004 R2 Tartan DVD

Director: David Lynch

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Censored US version: Shout! Factory or Twilight Time Blu-ray

Uncensored version: old DVD

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray, confirmed to be uncut

Best Video:same release

More Adventure on Blu-ray

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Japan Studio Ghibli RM4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Japan Studio Ghibli 4K Blu-ray

UK StudioCanal Blu-ray for the English dub

Additional Info:

4K Blu-ray includes the original 5.1 mix in its unaltered form, all other releases after the LaserDisc had its dynamic range lowered.

US Disney Blu-ray has dubtitles.

For the English dub, the UK StudioCanal Blu-ray is the least limited mix.

Director: Fred M. Wilcox

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray see comparison video 

Best Audio:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray  used what was also originally screened theatrically: The Perspecta Stereo 3.0 and a mono option. The Perspecta track sounds best with better dynamic range and was set as default with the mono as optional. The previous releases stereo were downmixes of a now lost original 4-track, and it sounds very thin as a result. See comparison

Director: Peter Faiman

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Australia Cut: Australia Fox DVD

International Cut: Paramount Blu-ray

Encore Cut: Germany Winkler Film 4K Blu-ray, censored but good encoding

Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

US Paramount 4K Blu-ray, is the International US Cut and not the Encore Cut

Best Video:same release
Best Audio:

Australia Cut: Laserdisc

Additional Info:

The film exists in three versions:
- the original Australian cut (~104 minutes at 24fps/~100 minutes at 25fps);
- the American/international version (~98 minutes at 24fps/~94 minutes at 25fps) trimming some exposition in the Outback first half of the film and some shorter extensions of a few seconds in the New York section, altering some of the dialogue – including censoring a "fuck" to "screw" – but featuring one additional dialogue extension not in the Australian version (a comparison of the two cuts can be found at Movie Censorship);
- the Australian Encore Cut (~95 minutes at 24fps/~91 minutes at 25fps) which uses the international version source so it already has those alterations but also removes approximately three minutes consisting of parts of two scenes featuring Mick grabbing the crotch of a cross-dressing prostitute and a later sequence when he does the same thing at a party to a woman with a deep voice (a comparison of the international version and the Encore Cut can be found at Movie Censorship).

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

2D version: Paramount Blu-ray

3D version: Paramount 3D Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray on October 26 2026

Best Video:same release

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

2D: Spain Emon Blu-ray
3D: US Lionsgate, Germany StudioCanal, or Netherlands Entertainment One 3D Blu-ray?

Best Video:same release
Best Audio:

US Lionsgate Blu-ray

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Lionsgate Blu-ray

Best Video:same release

Director: Peter Weir

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:same release
Best Audio:

Disney 4K Blu-ray has neutered audio compared to OG home video release

Cinema DTS or DVD DTS 5.1 is better and has more bass.

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray lack the bonus features found in the old Collector's Edition DVD release. The France Blu-ray has all extras plus an isolated score.

Director: Marcell Jankovics

Best format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

US Arbelos Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Arbelos Blu-ray, encoded by FiM

Director: David Yates

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:same release

Director: David Yates

Best format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:same release

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· last reviewed 1 year ago

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