The Crown and the Sceptre



The Crown and the Sceptre is an animated short that takes place in Saudi Arabia. It is an episode part of the series "Animated Tales of the World".

Summary
Set in a small Arabian village, a beggar asks the barber to give him anything that is kind to him. However, a landlord sees him who came to the shops yesterday, even though he didn't eat anything from yesterday. The landlord sends him out of the barbershop as he accuses him for being a thief, leaving him helpless. One night, the beggar sees a traveler and his camel in which he tells the traveler to avoid choosing the wrong direction (this path leads to Stone Forest), especially at night. Before the traveler can agree, he is sure to know if there is a safe place to rest his camel. The beggar then leads the traveler and his camel to the marketplace so he and the camel can rest. As a result, the traveler thanks the beggar for his help in finding shelter by giving him some money that helps him find good lunch.

Meanwhile, the beggar tries to ask a woman so that he can rest in some shelter, but the mother refuses to, even though he needs shelter in order for him to rest. The beggar enters the shelter and then shows the mother a coin and gives it to her so that the woman can have money, while he asks the mother that he would collect more coins in order to buy food by doing good deeds. The next day, the beggar encounters a goat (the same goat that tried to eat the grocer's grapes) as the barber donates him a coin so that he could have more money. Suddenly, the traveler asks the beggar to enjoy some food that he bought from the marketplace. He then asks him why choosing the other road is dangerous. The beggar then explains that choosing this road leads to Stone Forest behind the hills, a location that is full of primitive creatures that kill invaders that trespass their territory.

The beggar then encounters the landlord who then gives him a coin. Meanwhile, the barber is worried and tells the people that a mysterious thief has stolen his goat. The landlord then tells the people that the beggar is the one who stole the goat in which he didn't steal it. The beggar then explains that he doesn't have a goat for him to keep. Meanwhile, the people blame him for stealing the goat, in which the beggar didn't really do. The traveler then stops the fight to know if the beggar is really the one who stole the goat. The landlord then explains that the beggar is the one who walks at night when people are in bed. Suddenly, the goat appears on top of a roof eating some lettuce. The barber is happy that he finally found his missing goat. The beggar, injured by the townspeople who blamed him for being a thief, decides to leave the village and find a quiet place where people are kind to him.

Before the beggar could leave, he gives the mother some grilled meat for her children to enjoy and some money for her. The beggar then decides to leave the town and find a place where people are kind to him. That night on his way to find a quiet village, the beggar then encounters some cold wind and then finds himself in Stone Forest. The next day, three primitive creatures find the beggar and then send him to their king. As the creatures bring the beggar to the king's lair, the beggar doesn't know about the punishment about people who enter the primitive territory without permission from their king.

The king of the primitives then tells the beggar that he came to the land to see the glittering stones in the territory, in which he doesn't know anything about the glittering stones, because it was too dark for him to find a quiet place and he lost his way last night. The king promises to let him go if he gives him his crown and sceptre in order for him to grant many stones for him. The beggar gives him his bowl used for collecting coins and his walking stick in which the king of the primitives collects them from him. As a result, the king allows the beggar to collect as many stones as he wants. These stones are abundant in Stone Forest, but the king finds these worthless.

Back at the marketplace, the landlord is jealous of the man's sudden wealth. He then finds out how he became wealthy. In an effort to return with even greater wealth than the beggar, the landlord sells all of his land, shops and houses so that he can present the rich man with elaborate gifts. The king (no longer a poor beggar) explains that he was on a way up a hill to a quiet town and then ended up in Stone Forest where the primitives brought him to their king who tells them that he promised to let go if he gave him his crown and sceptre; as a result, the king allowed him to collect as many abundant stones as he wants, making him rich. The rich man then tells the landlord that the bowl and walking stick he gave to the king is considered a crown and sceptre in his opinion.

The landlord decides to go back to Stone Forest by bringing in camels for his assistance. Before the landlord could enter, the primitives cannot allow intruders to enter their territory without permission from the king. The landlord explains that he has gifts for the primitive creatures and their king as he heard about his generosity and kindness. It is then explained that the landlord sold all the lands, the shops, and the houses so that he could offer the king some gifts as an expression of his love for the king and his kindness. The king of the primitives is happy with the landlord for delivering the gifts all the valuable artifacts to his lair. As a result, the king then gives something richer for the landlord. The landlord tells him that he wants all the glittering stones, but the king refuses to, because the stones are worthless artifacts compared to the gifts he brought them. Instead, the landlord deserves the previous gifts in his kingdom: his crown and his sceptre. Back at the village, the landlord is now poor who asks for something from the kind people. The rich man then asks the landlord that he has something to share with him. The landlord and the rich man share tea together in peace.

Voice Cast

 * Anthony O'Donnell - The Landlord


 * Kenneth Cranham - The King of the Primitives


 * Hugh Quarshie - The Traveler


 * Raad Rawi - The Beggar


 * Joanne Pearce - The Mother


 * Nicholas Woodeson - The Greengrocer / the Leader of the Primitives


 * Nadim Sawalha - The Barber


 * Matthew Scurfield - The Griller