The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
(1958)
Director:
Nathan Juran
Starring: Kerwin Matthews,
Torin Thatcher
Run Time: 84 mins
Certificate: U
Plot Outline: Sinbad has to set sail to a dangerous
island when the Princess he was supposed to marry is shrunk down by a scheming magician.
Only on this island can he find the special ingredient for the cure to work. But
he must overcome a multitude of problems including a mutinous crew, a man-eating
cyclops, a fire-breathing dragon, a giant two-headed bird and then come face to
face with the magician himself, Sokura.
The Review: I can't exactly write an impartial review of this film as
it's my favourite film of all time. Never mind anything overly dramatic or
Oscar-winning, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is the film that I can never tire
of watching. It helped that I watched it as a kid and I was really into monsters
and dinosaurs at the time so seeing these sort of creatures come to life on the
TV was amazing. It was etched on my mind and it still is to this day. It
celebrated it's 50h anniversary in 2008 and although the special effects may
look a bit creaky in places (and that's few and far between if you ask me) and
there's loads of continuity problems, it still manages to enchant me in it's
magical grip from start to finish. I've watched it that many times that I can
recite lines of dialogue before they happen. I can imagine myself being there on
the island, fighting alongside Sinbad and his crew. It may sound a little nerdy
but when you love a film so much, it's hard not to get caught up in it all.
Historically, the film is of great significance and as such, was selected for
preservation in the USA in the National Film Registry. As of 2008, there were
around 500 films in there and it joins the likes of The Godfather,
Citizen Kane and Casablanca in the record books. It was a pioneering
film in the special effects field and without it, you wouldn't have got the
likes of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But do you
care about any of that when you are a kid? As an adult I can recognise the
importance that this film holds but the reason I love it so much as it that it
takes me back to my childhood. This film makes me feel forever young!
The acting is from the golden age of Hollywood where
the hero had to look dashing, the Princess look charming and the bad guys just
look evil. And the three main characters here do just that. Kerwin Matthews
makes for a very serviceable Sinbad (I don't really think anyone else who took
up the role comes anywhere near to his performance) and his interaction with the
special effects is top drawer. This is back in a time when these sorts of
effects-driven films were few and few between and actors had little to no
experience of acting out scenes with effects that would be inserted later.
Kathryn Grant does what she has to do with the role of the Princess but she's
only there to act as the plot driver and get Sinbad to go back to the island.
Also worth mentioning is Alfred Brown as Sinbad's faithful second-in-command,
Harufa. The guy gets all of the best "comedy" lines in the film but
unfortunately things don't work out especially well for him at any point in the
film! It's Torin Thatcher who steals the show as Sokura, the evil magician. He
hams it up in places and then acts deceitful and thuggish in others. He knows
how to act in certain scenes, giving wry smiles of disapproval or casting
menacing looks to Sinbad. The rest of the cast is filled with suitably
rough-looking Spanish actors who are simply there to provide the food for the
various monsters that Sinbad encounters.
However they all know that they're taking second
place to the special effects. Nothing is going to upstage Ray Harryhausen from
working his magic and this is arguably his best film. His painstakingly-detailed
stop-motion animation is just breathtaking when you think there was no team of
animators working on a computer - just him working around the clock. It's a
labour of love and you can see clearly the passion he had for making these
creatures come to life. He was inspired by King Kong to become a special
effects maestro and it's a fitting tribute to him that countless special effects
gurus (and just filmmakers in general) have entered the business inspired by
Harryhausen. From the moment the cyclops comes raging out from the cave, you
can't help but be amazed. It's my favourite Harryhausen creation and my top
movie monster. It's got personality which is something CGI has a hard time
conveying. It looks badass and it's unique roars and cries will echo in your
head for a long time after watching. The fight with it pummeling men under huge
tree trunks is excellent revenge for it just being speared in the back by one of
them. The camera angles also make the monster seem more terrifying with
wide-shots adding to the sheer scale of the beast and numerous close-ups of it's
face giving you a glimpse into it's mindset. One of my particular favourites is
a subtle moment when it's roasting a sailor on a giant spit. For a brief moment
it licks it's lips in anticipation of it's upcoming meal. The fire-breathing
dragon looks awesome but it doesn't have a lot to do except provide the token
monster vs monster fight at the end. The only criticism that I'd have with
Harryhausen's monsters is that they all look the same as his other monsters -
the cyclops being a re-working of the Ymir from 20 Million Miles to Earth,
the fire-breathing dragon being The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and so on.
I'm guessing it's a practical reason that he just re-used old models but it's a
bit obvious, especially in his later films. The skeleton duel here set the
standards that Harryhausen would blast later on in Jason and the Argonauts.
One final positive is the musical score by Bernard Herrman.
It's a pounding, pulsating piece which gives each of the monsters it's own
signature tune. He would work with Harryhausen on a number of effects films but
it's the soundtrack to this one which really stands out.
Final Verdict: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is my favourite film of all time and it's easy
to see why. With it's eternal child-like innocence and sheer escapism, it's hard
to dislike in any shape or form. Forget Star Wars and The Lord of the
Rings. Nothing beats this fantasy film for sheer thrills and entertainment.
It would be cliché to say that they don't make them like this anymore but it's
true. I doubt people will remember the likes of 10,000 BC in 50 years
time.
Rating: