Geheimnisse des Orients (1928)

Ali, a Cairo cobbler, suffers agonies at the hands of his quarrelsome wife, Fatme, a veritable shrew. He would rather escape this marital tyranny sooner than later, and dreams of a life of luxury at the Sultan’s court. One day, he comes into possession of a magic pipe, and suddenly all his wishes seem possible. Ali quickly leaves hearth and home and stows away aboard a ship bound for the Sultan’s capital. At the palace, Ali sees the commander-in-chief, Prince Hussein, return from a victorious battle with Prince Achmed as his personal prisoner. From his hiding place, Ali watches as Sobeide, the Sultan’s favorite wife, and his daughter Gylnare gaze admiringly at the handsome Achmed. When Ali is discovered in his hiding place, he is brought before Prince Hussein, who takes him into his service. The little cobbler is then drawn into a series of court intrigues and adventures. The court astrologer presents him to the Sultan as a prince from a distant land who wishes to ask for the beautiful Princess Gylnare’s hand in marriage. Ali soon comes into conflict with Prince Achmed, who also desires Gylnare and promptly elopes with her. Thanks to the wishes granted by his magic pipe, Ali gets into one mess after another; eventually, they even intend to hang him. Thanks to the magic pipe, Ali and Achmed escape their grim fate, and the princely lovers are allowed to stay together. When a resounding slap from his quarrelsome wife jolts Ali awake from his dream of wishes made on the magic pipe, everything is back as it was before.