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6.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Arabian Tights remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have twenty minutes to spare and love old-school slapstick, Arabian Tights is a fun little time machine. It’s perfect for anyone who misses the era of physical comedy where people got hit with giant props. But if you get annoyed by cheap papier-mâché desert sets or 1930s cultural stereotypes, you should probably skip this one. 🐪
Honestly, Charley Chase has this energy that I just love. He’s not like Chaplin or Keaton; he’s more like your weird uncle who tries too hard at Thanksgiving but still makes you laugh.
In this one, Charley and his soldier buddies end up captured by a very angry sultan. The whole thing looks like it was shot in someone's backyard with a couple of rented palm trees.
The sultan has this massive beard that looks like a sleeping cat glued to his chin. I swear you can see it flapping when he yells.
There is a scene early on where Charley tries to hide, and his physical timing is just spot on. He does this little double-take that made me spill my tea. It's much funnier than his stuff in Two-Time Mama, which felt a bit more forced to me.
The plot doesn't really matter here. It's just an excuse for Charley to run around in silly outfits and try to avoid getting his head chopped off.
The guards in this movie are incredibly bad at their jobs. One guy literally falls over a vase that was nowhere near him. I think he just tripped on the rug and they decided to keep it in the final cut. 🤦♂️
Also, Muriel Evans is in this. She doesn't get much to do except look pretty and scream a bit, which is a bummer because she has great screen presence. It reminded me a bit of the female leads in Tanned Legs, just there to fill space.
The music has this constant, bouncy rhythm that never stops. It’s that classic Marvin Hatley sound, but after fifteen minutes, it starts to feel like a drill in your ears.
There is a weird moment near the end where a stunt double is so obvious it’s hilarious. The guy is suddenly three inches shorter and has a completely different hairline.
It’s these little mistakes that make these old shorts so charming to watch today. They weren't trying to make art; they were just trying to make people laugh before the main feature started.
If you want a deep story, go watch something else. But if you want to see a guy in tight pants run away from a guy with a giant sword, this is gold.
It’s not perfect, but it made me smile on a rainy afternoon. Sometimes that's all you really need from a movie.
IMDb —
1924
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