Years ago when the first Ninja Turtles movie made its way to VHS, my five-year-old neighbor girl (who liked coming by to play with my toddler), knocked on my door, pressed her copy of the movie into my hands and said, "You've *got* to watch this. It's the *best* movie ever made." When I first saw "The Wonders of Aladdin," I thought it was the best movie ever made. I was eight. My favorite thing in the world at that time was listening to the Broadway cast album of "Kismet" (the movie of which I didn't see for many years) and reading 1001 nights tales in picture books. When I saw "The Wonders of Aladdin" on television with my family, I remember being absolutely enthralled. (I remember my mother being surprised that Vittorio de Sica was in it.) I loved every plot twist. The genie appearing in a matte shot, smaller and smaller with each appearance, made perfect sense to me. I rooted for Donald O'Connor. I was thrilled when he won the princess (who I'd thought was Annette Funicello). When I saw it again, about age 12, I was appalled. What a cheesy picture, I thought. The wink-wink-nudge-nudge joke of O'Connor (but not the audience) accidentally seeing the princess (not Funicello after all) nude seemed embarrassing. The "special effects" were just cheap. When I caught the movie again at college age--after several years of reading about films and seeing films of all eras--I was ready to forgive "The Wonders of Aladdin" its failings and enjoy it again. If you like 1001 nights type stories and you appreciate films of different eras, "The Wonders of Aladdin" is an enjoyable B-movie fantasy.

I think this is an enjoyable movie if you keep it in its proper context. In other words, it's a good movie for its time (1961), and by today's standards, it's suitable for kids and families. The casting is good, and the acting is decent. This movie came out 10 years before I was born, but I saw it on TV when I was about 5 years old (circa 1976). The only thing I really remembered about this film was Aladdin's girlfriend, played by Noelle Adam. What a gorgeous lady she was! She had the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen on an actress. Plus she played a very convincing and lovely damsel-in-distress. Her character is strong and stubborn, but at the same time feminine and vulnerable. I don't think this movie is shown on TV anymore, and it's hard to find a copy of it in the store. But I recently purchased a VHS copy of it on e-bay, saw it again, and fell in love with the story all over (especially with Ms. Adam)!

This movie has a high '60s camp factor. The Arabian Nights theme of movies certainly opens itself up to it, with its navel-jewel-wearing harem girls and all. You can tell the dubbing's not up to par (and it seems like Donald O'Connor was the only one speaking English on the set). But it does entertain as much as any goofy Italian movie can.