By the Gods!

Anna Karina in SCHEHERAZADE (1963)

Directed by Pierre Gaspard-Huit, this Arabian adventure is an odd one in that it's very serious. There's no humour to be found anywhere. The approach was more like a tragic opera sans operatic music even though it's nothing more than an elaborate excuse to showcase cheesecake. Everything is tops in regards to the production: sets, costumes, music, locations, cast. All excellent. But the dour or joyless direction makes it a chore to sit through. The simple story can't sustain the weight of the dead serious direction. Things are made worse in that the movie is over 2 hours long. It's not bad by any means but the director probably thought he was making a 'big important film' when in fact even today it looks more like a politically incorrect pastiche of Arabian culture. It's a grand romantic adventure that's not fun at all. A real curio of the period when adventure movies were fun, colourful and fast paced. I really don't know for whom this movie was made for. 

Anna Karina as Sheherazade. Anna died on December 14, 2019. This was her only PEPLUM movie of the Golden Era.

Giuliano Gemma and Gérard Barray

Marilù Tolo as Princess Shirin. Unlike Anna Karina, Marilù was a regular in PEPLUM movies.