original production:
With: Eduard Cupák (Labakan, the false prince), Jana Rybárová (Fatma), Ales Kosnar (Ali), Karel Fiala (Omar), Dana Medrická (Sultanka), Otýlie Benísková (Adolzayda), Alexander Milkovski (Elfi bey), Kiril Ilinchev (Vezirat), Zdravka Baltova (Mayka Mirza), Nikola Karadzhov (Razboynik), Ivan Obretenov (Razboynik), Eman Fiala (Mustafa), Vladimír Leraus (Sultan)
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Synopsis: There was once a prince named Omar, who lived far away from his homeland. All grown up now, he decided to retur. During his journey, Omar meets the tailor Labakan, a dreamer, and is told this his true identity. Labakan recognizes a chance to rob the prince at night, and he travels on. However, the tables are turned and the Sultan soon recognizes Omar as his his real son.
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This mystery title in "The Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray" turned up in the appendix of a great new book, "Ghouls, Gimmicks and Gold," by Kevin Hefferlan (2004, Duke University Press), which has exhaustive appendices of syndicated television feature film packages from 1955-1968 from various distributors including American International Television, who subleased the K. Gordon Murray fairy tale and horror films. THE FALSE PRINCE, along with 13 other fairy tale titles, was released to U.S. television in 1965.
This fairy tale appears to be based on a famous folk tale by Wilhelm Hauff. The original story can be found at the University of Pennsylvania digital library. Stay tuned for further developments!
Information from various German websites:
In 1956 this Czech-Bulgarian Co-production initiated the development of later fairy tale films by the famous Barrandov Studios, Prague. In typical Czech fashion the fairy tale is narrated by the wrong prince, as published by William Hauff in 1826, which among other things contained the story of the Kalif stork.
The film’s synopsis is very similar to the Hauff original: The tailor Labakan becomes acquainted with the prince Omar on his journey to see his parents, who abandoned him due to an unfortunate prophecy at his birth. By a ruse, Labakan becomes the prince and Omar is cheated. The Sultan believes Labakan, but the Sultanin recognizes Omar as their true son. Thus the Herrscherin lets the alleged cheat tasks to solve the true identity solve of the alleged princes.
In THE FALSE PRINCE, the audience is swept away in a marvelous way into the world of the Orient. Colorful celebrations, bazaars and magnificent costumes let the spectator inside the fairy tale world of the far east. History is so affectionately converted to moving pictures that one would like, after the end of the film, put on a turban and travel to this charming world. Grab your children and go! - Sandra Neumayer
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