A Thousand and One Nights

Synopsis

Faithfully recreating the lush and mysterious atmosphere of the classic tale, 1001 Nights presents a beautifully crafted story. Tezuka transforms it into an escapist fantasy in which a 1960s working man is whisked away to a world of entirely imagined Arabian opulence. Despite its seemingly contradictory elements, the narrative consistently unfolds by blending Playboy-style visuals, Arabian carpet motifs, and traditional Japanese scroll paintings. Sounds like an odd combination? Absolutely—and along the way we encounter the bold cultural contrasts that make Tezuka's unpredictable style so distinctive.

Background

Senya Ichiya Monogatari is the first installation in a trilogy of experimental adult-oriented films, Animerama. It takes direct inspiration from the Middle Eastern folk tale compilation One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of stories that was first published in Arabic in 1775 but with a literary history predating the 10th century. At the time of its release, Senya Ichiya Monogatari was the longest animated film sitting at 130 minutes. It was also the first X-rated animation in Japan and claims to be the first erotic animated feature film. The film was first distributed by Nippon Herald Films as a 10th anniversary special beginning in June 1969. In 2018, Third Window Films distributed 2,000 limited-edition Blu-ray copies—alongside the second installment of Animerama, Tezuka's Cleopatra—and bundled it with an interview featuring the director and other audio commentaries. The English dubbed version, recorded in Italy, was released by anime distributor Discotek Media in November 2020.