Transcript for:
Fables of Fortune and Adventure

Once upon a time in a land far far away in the east lived a carpenter named Ali Baba. He lived a poor life with his wife. Ali Baba would go into the forest with his donkey to cut wood and then sell these woods in town to earn his living.

One day he went into the forest to cut wood. Suddenly, he realized a group of horsemen coming towards him, and they did not look friendly. They must be thieves.

I must hide at once. Ali Baba hid his donkey behind the bushes, and he climbed up a tree. The men came and stopped right under the tree.

Ali Baba counted exactly 40 of them. The men took down some heavy bags from their horses. Ali Baba realised that these men were the thieves. The head of the thieves went towards a big rock and started to yell. Open, sesame, open.

Suddenly, something very unexpected happened. The big rock slid open just like a gate. And a cave appeared.

The thieves went in one by one carrying the heavy bags. After the last one went in, the gate automatically closed. Ali Baba was speechless from what he saw.

After a short while, the rock opened again and the thieves came out. At last, their leader came out. He turned to the gate and said, Close, Sesame, close. The big rock closed immediately and the thieves jumped on their horses and rode off. Ali Baba came down from the tree and went straight to the big rock.

He yelled out the words he memorised. Open Sesame, open! The gate opened with a loud noise. Alibaba hesitantly went in. He was stunned with what he saw.

Inside was full of gold, silver, valuable fabrics, diamonds and treasure chests. He looked around, picked up three bags and left. He turned to the rock and repeated what he heard from the leader of thieves. Close, Sesame, close. He put all the bags on his donkey and head home.

When he came home, he showed the bags to his wife. She could not believe her eyes. She thought that Alibaba stole them.

Where did you find all this gold? Alibaba explained to her all that had happened. That made her really happy and they started to unpack the bags.

Oh, let's see how much money we have. No, let's dig a hole and bury the gold. Why don't you go out and dig a hole and I will ask your brother Kasim for a measuring cup.

Ali Baba's brother Kasim was a rich merchant, but he was very greedy. He never helped out Ali Baba, so he warned his wife. Don't you talk anything about the gold. No one must know about it. His wife went to Kasim's house and asked him for a measuring cup.

Knowing that they are very poor, Kasim asked right away. What do you need the measuring cup for? You don't have any money.

His wife immediately made up a lie. Of course, Qasim did not really believe her. He secretly put a little honey underneath the cup and gave it to Ali Baba's wife. When his wife came back home, they started to measure the gold.

And Ali Baba buried the gold he had counted in the hole. After they buried all the gold, his wife brought the measuring cup back. But she did not realize the gold that was stuck underneath the cup.

When Kasim got the cup, he looked directly underneath. When he saw the gold, he was shocked. I wonder where Ali Baba found this gold from?

Kasim could not sleep all night. When it was morning, he got up and went directly to Ali Baba's house. And he showed the gold that was stuck under the cup. Ali Baba, I thought you were poor. Where did you find this gold?

Tell me now! Ali Baba told him everything so that he wouldn't tell anybody else about the gold. If you don't show me where this cave is, I will tell the thieves what you have done. But Kasim...

Ali Baba knew that Kasim would do what he said. With no option, they went to the cave together. The cave is right behind this rock. Now let's go away from here.

The thieves might come any moment. Ali Baba and Kasim went back home, but Kasim was still thinking about the cave. He immediately took two donkeys with him and went back to the cave. When he came in front of the cave, he repeated the words he learned from Ali Baba. Open sesame open!

The big rock suddenly started to move and the gate to the cave opened. Kasim couldn't believe his eyes. He was speechless about the view inside. The sparkling gold mesmerized him.

In a hurry, he started to fill the bags that he brought with as much as gold as he could. When he had no more room, he went back to the gate. But the gate was closed. And the bad thing was that he forgot the words to open the gate. So he started to make up words and tried to open it.

Open door open. Open rack open. Open wheat open. Whatever he said, the gate did not open. He started to panic.

He looked for another gate, but he could not find one. After a short while, the thieves came back to their cave. When they saw Kasim's donkeys, they got suspicious and drew their swords. Open, sesame, open. When the gate opened, the thieves caught Kasim right away and punished him right there and then.

So this was the thieves stealing our gold. When it was night time and Kasim did not come back home, his wife got really worried. She ran to Ali Baba's house and asked for help.

Ali Baba was also worried about what had happened. to Kasim. So she went to the cave and saw the donkey standing right in front of the gates. That's when he knew that his brother was inside and killed by the thieves.

He went to his wife and told her everything. They decided not to tell anyone about this. After a while, Ali Baba and his wife started to live in Kasim's house.

They started to run his business. and helped it grow into a bigger business. They got wealthier and wealthier. During this time, the leader of the thieves realised that the gold in the cave was decreasing every day. So he ordered one of the thieves to see if anything suspicious was happening.

Go into town and have a look around for someone who recently got rich and started to spend a lot of money. When the thief was walking around the marketplace, he saw a woman with a black dress. he saw Ali Baba shopping with gold in his hands.

So he followed him home. When Ali Baba went in the house, the thief marked his door. When it got dark, Kasim's wife went out to put fresh water for the animals.

And when she did, she saw the markings on the door. She realised... that it wasn't for a good cause.

So she took a bucket of paint and marked all the doors in the neighbourhood. Soon it was morning and the 40 thieves came to find Ali Baba's house. When they saw that all the doors were marked the same, they had no choice to go back. But their leader was determined to find him.

He disguised himself and started to walk around the marketplace. He finally found Alibaba and followed him home. Knocked on the door...

Ali Baba answered, I came from a long way. I brought jugs full of olive oil. I heard that you are the richest merchant in the area.

Maybe you would like to buy them. Ali Baba invited the leader thief home for dinner that night, thinking that he also was a merchant. The thief carried 40 jugs of olive oil to Ali Baba's house, and Ali Baba made his servants prepare a nice dinner table. Ali Baba wanted to host him that night in his home. Of course, he accepted the offer.

When Ali Baba and the thieves were dining at the table, Kasim's wise wife went to look into the olive oil jugs. Suddenly she heard some noises. Should we get out?

No, no, it's not time yet. When she found out that there were thieves inside the jugs instead of olive oil, she knew that this was a set-up. She immediately went to the kitchen and boiled some oil.

Then she came back and poured the boiling oil in each and every one of the jugs. Of course, the thieves suddenly got fried. At midnight, when everyone was asleep, their leader came next to the jugs.

You can get out now. When there was no response, he asked again. Are you guys sleeping?

When he asked again, he could not get any response. He opened one of the jugs. He was terrified with what he saw. And knowing that he was also going to get caught, he ran away and never came back. In the morning, Kasim's wife told Ali Baba all that had happened.

Now they knew that they didn't need to worry about the thieves anymore. And so, Ali Baba and his family lived a happy and rich life. Once upon a time, in a land on the east, there lived a poor but very good-hearted boy named Aladdin.

Living with his mother, Aladdin did the hardest jobs with the furthest distances just to earn their living. One day he was going far away to get some bananas to sell in the market. Suddenly he came across a well-dressed man with a beard and a dark look. The man talked showing the gold in his hands.

Hello, my boy. I'm an old friend of your father's. Would you like to win a gold coin?

A gold coin? If I picked bananas for the rest of my life, I still wouldn't earn that much money. The man asked Aladdin to go down the hole, under the rock, a little further away, and asked him to do as he said. Aladdin thought that this was a very easy task.

Together, they pushed the rock further away and watched as the hole appeared. Being as tiny and as agile as he was, he managed to go through the hole. Inside, he found a very narrow staircase and down he went. When he made it to the bottom, he saw that the cave was lightened up with an old lamp.

He couldn't believe his eyes! Inside the cave were precious stones, gold and was full of treasure! While still at shock, Aladdin got scared from the voice he heard from up above. Lamp!

Have you seen the lamp? Turn the light out and just bring the lamp to me. Out of all that treasure and gold that was lying there, Aladdin couldn't believe that the only thing that the man had wanted was this old worthless lamp. Now Aladdin was scared. Aladdin took the lamp and began climbing up the staircase.

But before he did anything, the man started to yell. Give me that lamp quickly. Aladdin couldn't understand the man's behavior.

First, I want to get out of here. If you don't give me the lamp, this instant I will lock you up in this cave forever. At that point, Aladdin knew that this man was up to no good. No, first I want to get out of here. Alright then, you asked for it.

Hey stop! What are you doing? Unaware of dropping his ring in the cave, the man pushed the rock back on the hole and left Aladdin there. Aladdin saw the ring on the floor. And as soon as he picked it up and put it on...

With a tremendous noise, the cave lit up in a pink cloud, and from the cloud appeared what seemed to be a giant! In fear, Aladdin took a look at the giant. Wish for anything you want.

But don't you forget, you only have three wishes. I wish to go home. Okay, my boy.

With a glimpse, Aladdin was back at home. Seeing her son appearing from nowhere, Aladdin's mum began to scream. Aladdin explained to his mother all that had happened. He told her that he wasn't able to get the gold, but instead was left with this old lamp.

Wanting to clean the lamp, Aladdin began to rub it. Suddenly, the fuse coming out of the lamp covered the whole room and a genie appeared from nowhere! Woohoo!

And I've been trapped in this lamp for hundreds of years! And you saved me! Well? Wish for anything you want! Stunned and frozen, Aladdin and his mother kept staring at the genie.

The genie repeated what he said. Wish for anything you want! Well, in that case, prepare us a table full of delicious food and drinks.

All of a sudden, a feast table appeared in the middle of the room, with all kinds of food, fruits and sweets. From that day on, thanks to the magic lamp, anything Aladdin and his mother wished for came true. They were living a rich and happy life. A long time passed by.

One day, when passing through the markets, Aladdin saw Princess Jasmine, the king's daughter, on a silver throne carried by the soldiers. And he fell in love with her. He went home and told about it to his mum.

And his mum... prepared a chest full of gold with the genie's help and went to the castle. She told the guards that she had brought a present to the Sultan. Liking the present very much, the Sultan called her to his presence.

When she told him about her son's intentions, the Sultan asked her to prove her son's wealth and power. If your son wants to marry my daughter Tell him to send me 40 slaves, each carrying a chest full of precious stones, and they should be followed by 40 soldiers to protect them. Hearing the Sultan's wish, Aladdin's mother turned back home sad, because she thought that even the genie would not be able to grant a wish this big. Aladdin picked up the lamp and rubbed it harder than ever and the genie came out.

Well, wish for anything you want. Aladdin told him about the Sultan's wishes. The genie clapped three times and suddenly right beside them appeared 40 slaves with chests full of treasure and 40 soldiers protecting them. The next day, seeing that all he had wished for was right there in front of his eyes, the Sultan was very impressed. He wondered how rich Aladdin was.

I want my daughter to live in a big and fancy castle. That is the only way I will let my daughter marry you. Aladdin told the Sultan's wish to the genie. Genie granted his wish right away. Aladdin could not believe his eyes.

A gorgeous fancy castle was standing right next to their home. He couldn't believe his eyes. Sultan thought that he could not find a richer husband than Aladdin.

Aladdin and Princess Jasmine had a huge wedding that went on for three days. Everybody heard about Aladdin's luck and wealth, but Aladdin and his mother did not say anything about the genie to Jasmine. One day, a salesman came next to Aladdin's castle. Old lamps! I buy and sell old lamps!

I buy anything that's old! Jasmine heard the salesman yelling and thought that if she would exchange the old lamp with a new one, it would make Aladdin very happy. She gave the salesman the magic lamp and got a new one. The salesman was actually the evil man who trapped Aladdin in the hole. Where it all started, when he got a hold of the lamp, he immediately ordered the genie to move the castle far away with Jasmine in it.

When Aladdin returned home that evening, the castle was nowhere to be seen. He knew something very bad had happened. Their old house next to the castle was still standing.

He ran home right away and found the ring he found in the cave. As soon as he put it on his finger, the giant appeared once again. Wish for anything you want.

But don't forget, you only have two wishes left. Take me next to Jasmine right away. As soon as he finished his talking, he found himself in the castle. He hid immediately.

His wife Jasmine was serving the evil man. He was holding the lamp in his hands. When no one could see him, Aladdin put the ring back on and the giant appeared again.

Wish for anything you want, but don't forget you only have one wish left. Let that evil man go in a very long and deep sleep. As soon as he finished his words, he ran next to his wife.

Jasmine was looking at the evil man in fear. When she saw Aladdin, she got very happy. Aladdin told Jasmine all that had happened from the beginning.

Jasmine listened to him with amazement. Aladdin rubbed the lamp again. The genie appeared. Well, wish for anything you want.

And sent the civil man so far away that he can never... ever find us again the sleeping man suddenly vanished Aladdin asked the genie to carry the castle to its old spot take us and the castle home the castle flew in the sky and landed back where it was before with the castle back in its old place Aladdin was finally next to his mother again Aladdin, his mother and the princess lived happily ever after.