7th Voyage of Sinbad, The (1958)

7th Voyage of Sinbad, The (1958)

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“May the powers of God protect all our footsteps.”

Synopsis:
While traveling to Baghdad with his future bride, Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant), Sinbad the Sailor (Kerwin Mathews) is blown onto the island of Colossa, where he’s rescued from a cyclops monster by the magician Sokurah (Torin Thatcher), who has stolen a magic lantern with a genie (Richard Eyer) inside it. When the cyclops recovers his lantern after it drops into the sea, Sokurah (Thatcher) engineers a return to Colossa by miniaturizing the princess and insisting a certain ingredient to cure her is only available on the island.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Fantasy
  • Magicians
  • Ray Harryhausen Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “wondrous adventure is a major source of inspiration for most of today’s [1986’s] fantasy-film directors, who were kids when it came out and had never seen anything like it” — and it remains notable as “the first film in which special-effects master Ray Harryhausen employed ‘Dynamation’/’Dynarama,’ whereby he could show live actors in the same frame with his animated, imaginatively designed creatures.” Peary argues that “handsome Kerwin Mathews is the best Harryhausen hero, his best Sinbad”:

We enjoy watching him battling “a fire-spitting dragon:

… a giant Cyclops:

… [and] a sword-wielding skeleton.”

Peary adds that “the adventure is exciting — kids will love it — and Harryhausen’s work is spectacular,” and he notes that while “it’s more juvenile than Jason and the Argonauts” (which I ultimately prefer), it’s “just as much fun.”

Peary’s review is accurate: this magical adventure film offers non-stop excitement, impressive (non-CGI) effects, and colorful sets. Grant (otherwise known as Mrs. Bing Crosby) is pert and sexy even in her miniaturized form:

… and Thatcher is appropriately menacing as a baddie-magician:

The main disappointment is Eyer as the genie; he can’t hold a candle to either Sabu or Rex Ingram:

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Ray Harryhausen’s impressive creations
  • Wilkie Cooper’s cinematography

  • Bernard Herrmann’s score

Must See?
Yes, for Harryhausen’s creations.

Categories

  • Good Show

Links:

2 thoughts on “7th Voyage of Sinbad, The (1958)”

  1. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Not as good as Jason and the Argonauts, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad or Clash of the Titans but still glorious entertainment for all the family. One of the most influential fantasy films ever made in that it has been a massive inspiration for many modern filmmakers and as such is definitely a must see for FFs.

  2. Must-see; for Harryhausen’s knockout work, and as a perfect film for grown-up ffs to watch with younger ffs.

    But one question: Why is it that no one suspects what’s fairly obvious – that Sokurah the Magician is the one responsible for the Princess becoming small? Answer: Because the film would then have a harder time getting to where it has to go.

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