Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp ["Aladin ou la Lamp Merveileusse"] (film #14 on The Movies Begin, Volume Three: Experimentation and Discovery (Kino Video, 1994)). [Category: Early Film & TV]

The traditional tale is told in about 10 minutes, with surprisingly elaborate costumes and sets for the time. The print is hand-tinted in garish colors––it looks like the tinter had tons of red and yellow to spare, only a little bit of watered-down green, and no blue at all. Still, the hand-tinting does increase the other-worldly fantasy quality of the film. The genie appears in several different guises––sometimes an imp, sometimes a half man/half bat, and one time as what must of been the earliest incarnation of the Jolly Green Giant on film. The story is not too difficult to follow for a film of its time, even though the title cards are in French (though it helps if you're already familiar with the folk tale). A 1905 Pathe Freres film.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.