The Brass Bottle (1964 film)
| The Brass Bottle | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Harry Keller |
| Produced by | Robert Arthur |
| Written by |
F. Anstey (novel) Oscar Brodney |
| Starring |
Tony Randall Burl Ives Barbara Eden |
| Music by | Bernard Green |
| Cinematography | Clifford Stine |
| Edited by |
Milton Carruth Ted J. Kent |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Brass Bottle is a 1964 American fantasy-comedy film about a modern man who accidentally acquires the friendship of a long-out-of-circulation djinn.
The film starred Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden. Eden's role was instrumental in getting her cast as the star of the TV series I Dream of Jeannie, even though she did not play a djinn in this film.
Architect Harold Ventimore (Tony Randall) buys a large antique container that turns out to imprison a djinn named Fakrash (Burl Ives), whom Harold inadvertently sets free. Fakrash is effusively grateful for his release, and persistently tries to do favors for Harold to show his gratitude. However he has been in the brass bottle for a long time, and Fakrash’s unfamiliarity with the modern world causes all sorts of problems when he tries to please his rescuer. Harold ends up in a great deal of trouble, including with his girlfriend, Sylvia Kenton (Barbara Eden).
Though the word jinn is commonly translated into English as "genie", author F. Anstey points out the distinction in the novel The Brass Bottle (originally published in 1900) which provides the basis of the film.
The New York Times critic A. H. Weiler dismissed it as "one of the duller fantasies dreamed up by Hollywood's necromancers."
The Brass Bottle was released on DVD for Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only) as part of the Universal Vault Series in January 2010.
Two prior versions of Anstey's novel were filmed. Both were silent and bore the same name. They were released in 1914 and 1923.
This film was remade into Tamil by Javar Sitaraman as Pattanathil Bhootham or Ghost in the City in 1964.
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