The Golden Arrow (1962 film)

The Golden Arrow
Directed by	Antonio Margheriti
Produced by	Goffredo Lombardo
Written by	George Higgins III
Music by	Mario Nascimbene
Cinematography	Gábor Pogány
Edited by	Mario Serandrei
Production company	Titanus
Distributed by	MGM
Release dates	1962 (1962)
Country	Italy

The Golden Arrow (Italian: L'Arciere delle Mille e Una Notte, also known as La freccia d'oro), is a 1962 Italian adventure film directed by Antonio Margheriti.^[1]

Plot

Damascus is governed by the fierce tyrant Baktiar, who will be forced to give up his throne once his daughter Jamila will be married. As Jamila falls in love with the mysterious Hassan, Baktiar will try in every way to prevent their marriage.

Cast

• Tab Hunter: Hassan
• Rossana Podestà: Jamila
• Mario Feliciani: Raktiar
• Umberto Melnati: Thin Genie
• Giustino Durano: Absent-Minded Genie
• José Jaspe: Sabrath
• Renato Baldini: Prince of Basra
• Dominique Boschero: Queen of Rocky Valley
• Gloria Milland
• Franco Scandurra

Production

Hunter later recalled in his memoirs:

Not being able to speak Italian wasn't a drawback. The script of La Freccia d'Oro - my copy was the only one in English - featured page after page of truly horrendous dialogue....All I could think of was Tony Curtis in The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951): "Yonda lies da castle of my fadda." I spend every night in my hotel, rewriting my lines so I'd at least have fun delivering them. I camped it up shamelessly. Not that it mattered - all my dialogue was eventually dubbed by a stiff-as-a-board Italian baritone with no sense of humor. I ended up sounding like Rossano Brazzi. Disappointment over being stuck in a stinker was eased considerably by weekly infusions of cash, delivered personally by the production manager. I'd sign a voucher and he'd hand over a bundle of lire, some of the old notes as big as place mats.^[2]

Reception

According to the book Il grande cinema fantasy it is "a typical adventure B-movie, especially interesting for its fantasy elements, which is damaged by the presence of comic elements that do not bind enough with the rest."^[3] The film still gained recognition for sporting particularly elaborate sets and costumes.^[4]

Biography

• Poppi, Roberto; Chiti, Roberto; Lancia, Enrico; Pecorari, Mario (1992). Dizionario del cinema italiano. I film. Rome: Gremese Editore. ISBN 8876055932. 
• Chiavini, Roberto; Pizzo, Gian Filippo; Tetro, Michele (2004). Il grande cinema fantasy. Rome: Gremese Editore. ISBN 8884403200. 
• Hughes, Howard (2011). Cinema Italiano - The Complete Guide From Classics To Cult. London - New York: I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-84885-608-0. 

References

External links

• The Golden Arrow at the Internet Movie Database