The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
by Gordon Hessler
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Caroline Munro, Douglas Wilmer, John Phillip Law, Martin Shaw, Tom BakerDirector: Gordon Hessler
Brand: LAW,JOHN PHILLIP
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Portuguese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-06-06
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
Movie Review: Dance! Dance for me!
Summary: 5 Stars
Golden Voyage of Sinbad places second in a trio of master FX pioneer Ray Harryhausen movies starring Sinbad - the dashing Arabian folk hero whose exploits involved sailing the seas in search of adventure. Throughout this well produced fantasy, whose low budget can't be felt anywhere, Harryhausen's creatures fly, dance and gallop to life with a smooth fantastical grace which showcases some of his very best work. However, the highlight of the film has to be Kali, the six-armed sword wielding statue Goddess.
Harryhausen's final creation is a true wonder to behold. With a mysterious, inscrutable visage that would make Mona Lisa proud framed by an impressive headdress which adds to the height and impact, this Kali looks authentic to it's cultural roots, while slickly imparting the dramatic heft and fantastical aura necessary to forge an unforgettable cinematic presence. Harryhausen's attention to detail is legendary and everything from the decorative designs on the headdress to the creepy skull belt to her six bracelets boasts detailing. Finally, Kali controlled by the movie's villain starts to dance. As a startled primitive tribe looks on, their enormous effigy starts to move - slowly at first - spookily creaking all the while. What follows is some of the most surreal and wildly hypnotic movements ever seen on film, set to traditional Hindu music which is both lively, mysterious and infectious in encouraging dance. Harryhausen hired one of the most popular Indian music composers at that time to create the dance music and it adds much to the scene. The dance moves are classical and their subtlety in achieving just the right feel is tremendously realized.
Kali's bobbing head movements alone are worth the time to view the scene - which only clocks in at about 2 minutes 10 seconds. Harryhausen's incomparable touch which bestows upon the puppet truly lifelike movements along with that non-committal facial expression achieve a singularly brilliant illusion of life. We know it's only optical illusion, but then the entire concept behind film is one big optical illusion, however the Kali dance sequence due in large part to Harryhausen's brilliant facial sculpt, design and exacting dance execution excites one on a level few others approach.
Inevitably, the creatures of Harryhausen, as in any action fantasy film, must fight. And this is noteworthy to emphasize; Harryhausen always called his creations exactly that - creatures - not monsters or demons or things - they're creatures who may be from another world, or sent by the Gods or in this case courtesy of a magician's mystical potion. Harryhausen left the moralizing up to the audience, while he focused on their actions. Here of course Kali fights Sinbad and his sailors. Alhough it's one mystical creature against a group, Sinbad's men may indeed be outnumbered, for Kali has six limbs and wields a deadly sword skillfully with each one.
Kali isn't the last of the fantastic creatures for Sinbad and crew to deal with, she's just arguably the coolest. This film showcases fantastic stop motion magic while providing a fun romp for the whole family. The DVD contains great extras including a wonderful documentary on Harryhausen narrated by Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame.
Today digital FX realized through computers can achieve much more complexity than Ray Harryhausen could alone in his small work shop. However there's something to be said about the artistry of producing something yourself, by hand and with a unique vision and in terms of that, the stop motion work here is some of the most artistic you'll ever see.
Summary of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
Sinbad, the prince of Baghdad, sets sail for the uncharted island of Lemuria with a beautiful slave girl, Margianna; Prince Koura is an evil wizard who tries to thwart Sinbad's quest.Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: G
Release Date: 1-JUL-2003
Media Type: DVD
John Phillip Law stars as the legendary sailor this time around as he finds a talisman and sets sail with his crew for an uncharted island. With a beautiful slave girl (Caroline Munro) in tow, Sinbad takes on the evil sorcerer Koura (Tom Baker), who wants Sinbad's golden talisman to complete a spell. En route to the island, Koura brings the ship's figurehead to life to wreak havoc on the ship and crew. Once there, Sinbad and crew must do battle with a six-armed figure of Kali brandishing a sword in each hand, as well as an enraged Cyclops centaur and a winged griffin, and also deal with the treacherous Koura.
This 1974 entry in the Sinbad franchise is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the film's production values are quite good, and of course the Ray Harryhausen effects are as beautiful as ever. The set design (especially for the scenes inside the cavern) is striking and inventive, and there's Miklós Rózsa's score gracing the soundtrack. On the other hand, the story definitely tends to drag a bit, and Law's indeterminate accent often wavers toward a weird Slavic inflection. Pointing to the film's age, Law and company often tend to look like poncey rock stars with their long hair, beards, and harem pants. That's all nitpicking, though; the action segments, though they're fewer and farther between than in other Sinbad films, redeem the movie with Harryhausen's incredible artistry. It's worth owning just to see the fluid, complex movements of the animated Kali flailing away at six men with her swords. And of course, scream queen Caroline Munro never looked better as the slave girl Margiana. This is rich, well-crafted fantasy fare that the entire family can enjoy. --Jerry Renshaw
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