Germany's History with the 'Arabian Nights'

Between 1895 and 1928, three major translations of the 1001 Nights appeared in Germany, which led to a complete fascination with all things related to the Orient. During this “moment in German cultural history,” writers compiled many selections of Arabian Nights adaptations for children and young adults, as well (Haase 261). For example, within the Internationale Jungendbibliothek (International Youth Library) in Munich, a collection of over forty children’s editions exists—most of them illustrated. With the birth of a new technology known as ‘chromolithography,’ illustrators could “have their exotic Oriental scenes reproduced in brightly and intensely colored book illustrations” (Haase 262). These Arabian Nights editions were not simply meant to be read; rather, they were made to be viewed.

The Arabian Nights led a smooth transition to the age of cinema, because fantastical places and events transferred well onto a screen. German filmmakers produced ground-breaking works of visual art such as Ernst Lubitsch’s Sumurun (One Arabian Night) of 1920, Fritz Lang’s Der müde Tod (Destiny) of 1921 and Paul Leni’s Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (Waxworks) of 1924 (Haase 262). In addition to filmmakers, German poets became increasingly enthralled with the Arabian Nights and would write introductions to the various German translations. In 1907, Hugo von Hofmannsthal described the Arabian Nights itself as “a magic plate embedded with gems that, like glowing eyes, form wondrous and uncanny figures” (Haase 265). Carl Theodor Ritter von Riba—one of the translators—began his introduction by recognizing that many Germans considered stories from the “Arabic-Islamic tradition” as fairy tales, “who remember the books of [their] childhood and see fairies and nightmares surface before [the] mind’s eye” (Haase 266). Germans were hungry for tales that could take them away from the current landscape—a time directly after World War I that included enormous inflation and extreme poverty. The average German could explore this type of escapism through the Arabian Nights translations—and perhaps more importantly through film.

Beyond the Arabian Nights’ exotic tales and the story-within-a-story frames, some filmmakers focused on the reasons behind Shahrazad’s storytelling, itself. Donald Haase, an analyst of the Arabian Nights’ impact on German culture, explains how German filmmakers could relate to Shahrazad’s personal story. “Her secret struggle with tyranny and trauma, her ironic balance of entertainment with sociopolitical purpose, and her conscious manipulation of an audience seduced by amusement, made the Arabian Nights a perfect intertext for filmmakers who were exploring the artistic and social potential of a new medium that offered itself as entertainment for a postwar audience who faced the political challenges and consumer culture of modernity” (Haase 269). Shahrazad’s story symbolized perseverance in the face of hardship, which appealed with great success to filmmakers and their German audiences, alike.

In particular, Lotte Reiniger’s film allowed viewers to be swept away by the exotic and spectacular scenes of the Orient—all through paper, scissors and light (Milestone Film Release 2). Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (The Adventures of Prince Achmed), which debuted in 1926, used detailed silhouettes to produce magnificent architecture, landscapes and the characters themselves. The colorful backgrounds, against which the silhouettes were set, enhance the intricacy of each hand-crafted frame while bringing life to the scenes. The sunset hues for the daylight and the explosion of blues for night all helped to draw in viewers hoping to add color to their bleak and “colorless” lives. Reiniger created a masterpiece, which served an important social function for Germans in the post-WWI era.