Aladdin and His Wonder Lamp
About Aladdin and His Wonder Lamp
Aladdin dreams of a princess. His mother wakes him, and he sees the princess ride past the house. A sorcerer promises the marriage if Aladdin obeys. Underground, Aladdin takes a silver apple and the lamp. The sorcerer walls him in. He rubs the lamp, a genie frees him, and another genie turns the poor house into a palace. The sultan gives him the princess. At night the sorcerer steals the lamp and carries her off. Poor again, Aladdin gives the silver apple to an old woman who becomes a fairy and restores him. He runs into the palace, stabs the magician, and the sultan embraces his daughter while genies set a celebration.
Cast & crew
More about Aladdin and His Wonder Lamp
Albert Capellani directed. André Heuzé wrote the scenario. Segundo de Chomón photographed it and did the tricks, including Pathécolor stencil tinting. Pathé shot it at Vincennes and put it in the ninth series of Féeries & Tales. Denmark saw it on 25 October 1906, the United States in December 1906, and France on 1 January 1907. It runs 12 minutes, in six titled scenes and 18 shots.
Themes
Making
Chomón's work is the trapdoor, the walled exit, the genies, and the color. Capellani cuts the six scenes so the lamp changes hands instead of staying inside one stage trick.
Look
Segundo de Chomón shot the Vincennes sets and colored the release with Pathécolor stencils. Scene changes are straight cuts between the poor room, the cave, and the sultan's throne.
Technique
The genie appearances and the trapdoor use substitution and double exposure, then Pathécolor on the release prints.
Preservation
A colored surviving print is the earliest film version of the tale still known. A file is on Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- The French title is Aladin ou la lampe merveilleuse.
- Georges Vinter plays the lover. Liane de Pougy plays the princess. Paul Capellani, Louise Willy, and André Deed are also billed.
- The tale reached Europe through Antoine Galland, who heard it from Hanna Diyab in Paris and printed it in Les mille et une nuits between 1704 and 1717.
- English Wikipedia calls this the oldest surviving film of the story.
- Wikidata also lists publication dates of 1 December 1906, 26 December 1906, and 1 January 1907.
Scenes
- Aladdin dreams the princess, then sees her ride past the house.
- The sorcerer walls the cave. The lamp's genie lets Aladdin out.
- He gives the silver apple to a beggar, who turns into the fairy.
- He stabs the magician in the palace while the sultan comes in with the guard.
Influenced by
- The Aladdin tale as told to Antoine Galland by Hanna Diyab
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Aladin ou la lampe merveilleuse(1906).ogv)
