(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.”
As a young’un, I had an absolutely marvelous introduction to the whole cinematic world of Sinbad.
You see, I grew up in a one-horse town where the only entertainment we had was the local theater. Being a reasonably small city, there just wasn’t enough demand for a picture like 1973’s The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad – the second in what’s basically respected as a Sinbad trilogy (thanks to effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen’s work on them all) although these releases were spaced out by several years – to play for a full week. The theater manager, however, was a pretty big fan of genre projects, so he scheduled a special Saturday matinee one-time performance and promoted it heavily through the school system, hoping that the teachers would encourage their students to check this one out. Well, it worked; and I met Sinbad – theatrically, that is – for the very first time to a packed-out audience of mostly schoolboys. It was a grand adventure played out on the silver screen.
So, I didn’t get the chance to see the first installment – The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) – until it played on a local ‘Family Classics’ installment I believe broadcast on WGN out of Chicago (though, honestly, it could’ve been another channel). It was a vastly different and somewhat less adventurous story – there’s a bit more set-up than IMDB.com’s plot summary would have you believe – and it starred a different actor in the title role. There’s a third one – 1977’s Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger – but all of the action really began with that 7th Voyage; and the sequels felt a bit derivative from it. Regardless, the trilogy was still the kind of project which introduced me to the realms of the Fantastic to which I remain a faithful steward to this day.
Now, Sinbad (as played by Kerwin Mathews) is a bit stoic in 7th Voyage. The script attributed to Ken Kolb and Harryhausen had him somewhat watching some of the plot unfold in the first half: there’s a rescue of the grand wizard Sokurah (Torin Thatcher) from the island of Colossa that sets everything in motion, but the dirty little secret is the magician has been using a youthful genie (Richard Eyer) in a lamp for some of what he’s accomplished. But in a flight away from a giant cyclops intent upon eating everyone in sight, Sinbad and Sokurah lose the lamp; and this eventually leads to the dastardly wizard casting a spell upon our hero’s love interest, Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant). Once the woman is shrunken to the size of a Barbie doll, he demands a return trip to his island. In order to see his beloved returned to her rightful dimensions, Sinbad has no choice but to agree.
In any quest, it’s at this point the real magic happens; and Harryhausen essentially pioneered the world of stop-motion effects – here dubbed Dynarama – to bring to life anything necessary that would have audiences on the edge of their seats. Yes, there was a cyclops in the opening reel, but that truly only paved the way for the womanly snake creature, giant bird, a dragon, and the sword-fighting skeleton (arguably the highlight of the motion picture) that would follow. Given that this was some of the first time actors and actresses had to do their work opposite creations that would be added in post, there’s some minor clunkiness in spots; and yet it was clear that Harryhausen was doing something special in the shadows and light. Though this technology has largely fallen by the wayside once the revolution of CGI made it looking decidedly primitive, I can assure you that it remains fondly remembered by those of us who experienced it up on the silver screen.
Additionally, I have read that many consider Mathews the absolute best of the theatrical iterations; and I suppose there’s some merit to that. As I said above, I thought it was a bit indifferent or maybe even a bit too stern in 7th Voyage’s earlier moments; but there’s no denying that he fully surrendered to the role once the high adventure took centerstage. Grant is good as his main squeeze; and Thatcher suitably chews scenery when it’s required of him. All in all, it remains a highly regarded spectacle though I’m sure today’s youth would find a handful of the sequences a bit laughable by comparison to modern effects work. That’s perfectly fine … but this old man would still relish the chance to see this one at the cineplex as part of a revival festival. It’s damned enchanted.
The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) was produced by Columbia Pictures and Morningside Productions. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Sony Pictures. As for the technical specifications? Wow. Just wow. While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds look fabulous in this 4K upgrade: yes, the high definition might show a weakness of the effects trickery here and there, but it still looks damn good. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? This is a two-disc release; and the 4K disc is thin as there’s only a trailer and a good Harryhausen feature. However, the Blu-ray disc is loaded with stuff – a commentary, making of bits, and so much more – that I’ve only just begun wading through it. If you’ve going to release a damned enchanted movie, then you’d better deliver damned enchanted extras … which this does.
Highly Recommended.
Look, kiddos, I’m not going to try to convince any of you that The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) deserves a place in your video collection beside Avatar, the Avengers, or anything else that tickles your modern fancy … but I still feel it important for you to know and appreciate that it’s works like 7th Voyage where your modern spectacles truly began. On that front, this highly-praised film deserves a bit of your attention if only for you to experience it once. See what the craftsmen were accomplishing back in the day – you still might marvel at it – and maybe you’ll appreciate how far we’ve come in so short a time. Sinbad rules the seas, and he really had no equal back in his day.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Sony Pictures (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray of The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.”
As a young’un, I had an absolutely marvelous introduction to the whole cinematic world of Sinbad.
You see, I grew up in a one-horse town where the only entertainment we had was the local theater. Being a reasonably small city, there just wasn’t enough demand for a picture like 1973’s The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad – the second in what’s basically respected as a Sinbad trilogy (thanks to effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen’s work on them all) although these releases were spaced out by several years – to play for a full week. The theater manager, however, was a pretty big fan of genre projects, so he scheduled a special Saturday matinee one-time performance and promoted it heavily through the school system, hoping that the teachers would encourage their students to check this one out. Well, it worked; and I met Sinbad – theatrically, that is – for the very first time to a packed-out audience of mostly schoolboys. It was a grand adventure played out on the silver screen.
So, I didn’t get the chance to see the first installment – The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) – until it played on a local ‘Family Classics’ installment I believe broadcast on WGN out of Chicago (though, honestly, it could’ve been another channel). It was a vastly different and somewhat less adventurous story – there’s a bit more set-up than IMDB.com’s plot summary would have you believe – and it starred a different actor in the title role. There’s a third one – 1977’s Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger – but all of the action really began with that 7th Voyage; and the sequels felt a bit derivative from it. Regardless, the trilogy was still the kind of project which introduced me to the realms of the Fantastic to which I remain a faithful steward to this day.
Now, Sinbad (as played by Kerwin Mathews) is a bit stoic in 7th Voyage. The script attributed to Ken Kolb and Harryhausen had him somewhat watching some of the plot unfold in the first half: there’s a rescue of the grand wizard Sokurah (Torin Thatcher) from the island of Colossa that sets everything in motion, but the dirty little secret is the magician has been using a youthful genie (Richard Eyer) in a lamp for some of what he’s accomplished. But in a flight away from a giant cyclops intent upon eating everyone in sight, Sinbad and Sokurah lose the lamp; and this eventually leads to the dastardly wizard casting a spell upon our hero’s love interest, Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant). Once the woman is shrunken to the size of a Barbie doll, he demands a return trip to his island. In order to see his beloved returned to her rightful dimensions, Sinbad has no choice but to agree.
In any quest, it’s at this point the real magic happens; and Harryhausen essentially pioneered the world of stop-motion effects – here dubbed Dynarama – to bring to life anything necessary that would have audiences on the edge of their seats. Yes, there was a cyclops in the opening reel, but that truly only paved the way for the womanly snake creature, giant bird, a dragon, and the sword-fighting skeleton (arguably the highlight of the motion picture) that would follow. Given that this was some of the first time actors and actresses had to do their work opposite creations that would be added in post, there’s some minor clunkiness in spots; and yet it was clear that Harryhausen was doing something special in the shadows and light. Though this technology has largely fallen by the wayside once the revolution of CGI made it looking decidedly primitive, I can assure you that it remains fondly remembered by those of us who experienced it up on the silver screen.
Additionally, I have read that many consider Mathews the absolute best of the theatrical iterations; and I suppose there’s some merit to that. As I said above, I thought it was a bit indifferent or maybe even a bit too stern in 7th Voyage’s earlier moments; but there’s no denying that he fully surrendered to the role once the high adventure took centerstage. Grant is good as his main squeeze; and Thatcher suitably chews scenery when it’s required of him. All in all, it remains a highly regarded spectacle though I’m sure today’s youth would find a handful of the sequences a bit laughable by comparison to modern effects work. That’s perfectly fine … but this old man would still relish the chance to see this one at the cineplex as part of a revival festival. It’s damned enchanted.
The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) was produced by Columbia Pictures and Morningside Productions. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Sony Pictures. As for the technical specifications? Wow. Just wow. While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds look fabulous in this 4K upgrade: yes, the high definition might show a weakness of the effects trickery here and there, but it still looks damn good. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? This is a two-disc release; and the 4K disc is thin as there’s only a trailer and a good Harryhausen feature. However, the Blu-ray disc is loaded with stuff – a commentary, making of bits, and so much more – that I’ve only just begun wading through it. If you’ve going to release a damned enchanted movie, then you’d better deliver damned enchanted extras … which this does.
Highly Recommended.
Look, kiddos, I’m not going to try to convince any of you that The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) deserves a place in your video collection beside Avatar, the Avengers, or anything else that tickles your modern fancy … but I still feel it important for you to know and appreciate that it’s works like 7th Voyage where your modern spectacles truly began. On that front, this highly-praised film deserves a bit of your attention if only for you to experience it once. See what the craftsmen were accomplishing back in the day – you still might marvel at it – and maybe you’ll appreciate how far we’ve come in so short a time. Sinbad rules the seas, and he really had no equal back in his day.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Sony Pictures (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray of The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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