Late in 1993 I was a journalism major at a small school. That major and the fact that I worked for the local newspaper allowed me to attend several film screenings and first showings. I loved taking friends, and especially my boyfriend to a film for free and prescreenings. Most of the films were enjoyable and many were forgettable.
I was blessed with the opportunity to see a film that I have never seen since. The movie was called "The First Arabian Knight". It was an unbelievably different film in which one major character NEVER SPOKE. The strange thing was that the theater was almost entirely empty. Later when I told friends and family about the film, nobody had heard of it and nobody had seen it.
Several years later I saw a movie poster for a film called "The Thief and The Cobbler". It was the same film, but with numerous changes, cuts, alterations, and the character who had never spoke ended up speaking more than any other character. The Thief.
Recently I was doing some reading on Vincent Price and came back across the movie. Reading up on the film and its various releases, it seems that the movie that I saw, "The First Arabian Knight" doesn't exist. There was a release called "Arabian Knight" but I have seen it since and it is not the one I remember, in fact it is even more trimmed up than "The Thief and the Cobbler" version. It seems that the film that I saw so many years ago is an unreleased or undocumented version, also referred to as the original version.
I have seen all of the versions of the film, and I want to be as honest as I can, the version that I saw in that prescreening was incredible, unforgettable, and a work of genius that should be considered a true masterpiece. The fact that the Thief never spoke made the work even more amazing. The other versions feel...different. Not as good, not as well thought through, not as intensely experiential as that first film. It is like so many films that are altered for film audiences from the original directors vision, a damaged version.
A film that according to everything that I have found on the internet and elsewhere, doesn't exist. May never have existed. And I got to take my boyfriend to see it with me. We both walked out in amazement, talking about what an intense experience it was.
Eventually, I married that man.
If you ever come across that particular version, buy it. I promise it is worth it. A movie that deserves all the praise that I can give it. I wish I could find it again. You will know if you find it because the cobbler is voiced by Sean Connery, another reason I absolutely loved the movie.
I was blessed with the opportunity to see a film that I have never seen since. The movie was called "The First Arabian Knight". It was an unbelievably different film in which one major character NEVER SPOKE. The strange thing was that the theater was almost entirely empty. Later when I told friends and family about the film, nobody had heard of it and nobody had seen it.
Several years later I saw a movie poster for a film called "The Thief and The Cobbler". It was the same film, but with numerous changes, cuts, alterations, and the character who had never spoke ended up speaking more than any other character. The Thief.
Recently I was doing some reading on Vincent Price and came back across the movie. Reading up on the film and its various releases, it seems that the movie that I saw, "The First Arabian Knight" doesn't exist. There was a release called "Arabian Knight" but I have seen it since and it is not the one I remember, in fact it is even more trimmed up than "The Thief and the Cobbler" version. It seems that the film that I saw so many years ago is an unreleased or undocumented version, also referred to as the original version.
I have seen all of the versions of the film, and I want to be as honest as I can, the version that I saw in that prescreening was incredible, unforgettable, and a work of genius that should be considered a true masterpiece. The fact that the Thief never spoke made the work even more amazing. The other versions feel...different. Not as good, not as well thought through, not as intensely experiential as that first film. It is like so many films that are altered for film audiences from the original directors vision, a damaged version.
A film that according to everything that I have found on the internet and elsewhere, doesn't exist. May never have existed. And I got to take my boyfriend to see it with me. We both walked out in amazement, talking about what an intense experience it was.
Eventually, I married that man.
If you ever come across that particular version, buy it. I promise it is worth it. A movie that deserves all the praise that I can give it. I wish I could find it again. You will know if you find it because the cobbler is voiced by Sean Connery, another reason I absolutely loved the movie.
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