Plot: What’s it about?
When you speak of men who chased down adventure from continent to continent, in search of whatever they could find, you have to mention Sinbad. This guy will stop at nothing to have a good time, even if means risking his own neck in the process. In fact, it seems as though he likes the danger involved, especially if a lovely lady is nearby. This time, good old Sinbad (John Phillip Law) has an alluring map in his grubby mitts, one which reveals some goodies about an uncharted area, Lemuria. And you know Sinbad, he’s going to do whatever it takes to discover what awaits him in this mysterious, unknown land. Before you know what’s going on, Sinbad is loaded up and ready to hit the road, but this time he’s not going alone, no, not this time. Joining him are a stunning slave girl and the Vizier of Marabia, what a pair of aces, eh? Little do they know an evil, plotting wizard has followed them, in hopes of crushing them all to gain control over Marabia. But the threesome reaches Lemuria, and that’s when things really heat up. It won’t be easy, and Sinbad will have to wrangle all manner of creature in order to finally reach the evil wizard. Can he defeat the magical powers of the wizard, or has he sailed his final voyage?
If you’re a fan of classic adventure movies, you’re in for a real treat, as Columbia has issued another gem of a film featuring the artistry of Ray Harryhausen. When it comes to flat out adventure movies, there’s not that many goods to go around, with action films always pushing the adventure aspect to the side. But there some excellent ones to be found, and The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad is one of them, to be sure. This one has the needed elements for a blockbuster adventure caper, and so much more. You’ve got a swashbuckling hero type, a beautiful damsel (sometimes) in distress, an evil wizard, and best of all, some terrific monsters and enemies for the dashing hero to wage war against. Speaking of those wacky monsters, these are some of the coolest you’ll find, and the special effects hold up well, even after almost thirty years. The sword fight between our hero and a six armed stone statue is a must see sequence, and it looks more impressive than ever here. If you’re a fan of films that showcase the skills of Ray Harryhausen, then this is a no brainer, you’ve got to have this release. But beyond that, fans of adventure will want to pick this one up for sure, whether via a rental or purchase.
This film was directed by Gordon Hessler, who also directed such films as House Of Dracula’s Daughter, Escape From Diablo, and Cry Of The Banshee. Hessler also did some television directing, on such shows as Kung Fu, The Equalizer, Hawaii Five-O, and the cult classic, Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park. The man behind this film’s eye popping special effects is Ray Harryhausen, who worked magic for so many films when it came to creating monsters, composite effects, and other elements vital to the films he worked on. The creations are excellent, as well as distinct, you’ll know it when you see Harryhausen’s work in this and other films. While not as polished as today’s computer graphics and what not, this work is still amazing, and it will always be treasured by me. The cast of this film has some decent performances, but imagine how difficult it would be for some of these folks, and to think today actors having trouble acting against a blue wall. These actors don’t even have that going for them. The cast here includes John Phillip Law (Barbarella, Smog), Tom Baker (Dungeons & Dragons), Douglas Wilmer (Octopussy), and Caroline Munro (To Die For).
Video: How does it look?
The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame version included on the flip side of the disc. While the print sometimes show its age, for the most part this is a fantastic looking transfer. The colors are rich and bright, but never to an erring degree, and flesh tones are natural as well, no hints of distortion. The contrast is a little light in some scenes, but overall is very solid, good shadow depth and no detail loss. I didn’t notice any compression errors either, another solid catalog title transfer from Columbia.
Audio: How does it sound?
The original mono audio track is used, so you might expect subpar sound, but I was impressed with the overall audio experience. Sure, the mono format has inherent limits, but this is a really good track, the elements all sound very good, much better than any mono track I’ve heard to date. The effects sound very good, never overlapping on the music or vocals, but still sounding powerful. The dialogue sounds crisp and clear, with no volume or separation issues at all.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains the theatrical trailer, talent files, and a booklet which houses brief production notes. A gallery of about eight or nine still photos of lobby cards is also included. The meat of the supplements however are three featurettes, which are more about Harryhausen than this film, but still fun to watch. The first, titled Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers runs about nine minutes and has Harryhausen discussing some of saucer effects he has done. The next one, The 3 Worlds Of Gulliver, is about five minutes, with Harryhausen talking about his work on Gulliver’s film. The final one, Mysterious Island, is a nine minute piece with Harryhausen talking about his work on the film of the same name. While these three are fun, I wanted something specific to this film instead.
