The 7th Voyage of Sinbad Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 7, 2017

Nathan Juran's "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; exclusive new video interview with visual effects artist Phil Tippett; archival audio commentary with Ray Harryhausen, visual effects experts Phil Tippet and Randall William Cook, author Steven Smith, and Arnold Kunert; archival featurettes; and more. The release also arrives with an 80-page illustrated booklet with new essays and film credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The baddie

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was the first of the three Ray Harryhausen films that formed The Sinbad Trilogy. Director Nathan Juran and cinematographer Wilkie Cooper chose some absolutely stunning locations in Granada and the Balearic Islands and shot the bulk of the film there in 1958. In addition to the exotic visuals the film boasts a truly spectacular music score from the great Bernard Herrmann.

The story is fairly straightforward but can be quite attractive for children and adults. Captain Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews) and Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant) are on their way to Baghdad when they make an unexpected stop on the island of Colossa and rescue the magician Sokurah (Torin Tatcher) from a Cyclops. However, during the clash with the monster Sokurah loses his magic lamp and vows to return and reclaim it. Soon after, Sinbad’s ship reaches Baghdad and he announces to his father, the caliph (Alec Mango), that he is going to marry Parisa and they begin making plans for a spectacular wedding. At the right time Sokurah then asks the caliph to give him one of his ships so that he can travel back to Colossa and retrieve his precious lamp, but when the old man refuses he secretly shrinks Parisa and announces that the planned wedding is cursed. Sokurah also reveals that the curse can be lifted, but only with a special ceremony that requires a piece of egg shell from a rare bird that lives on Colossa and some potions that he has in his palace. And so Sinbad, the love of his life who is now kept in a tiny box, Sokurah, and a motley crew of mercenaries who are promised to be paid handsomely head back to the dangerous island to break the terrible curse.

For the most part the acting is fairly unimpressive, but the exotic scenery certainly makes the journey from Colossa to Baghdad and back to the island entertaining. The dynamics in the key relationships really are shaped up in ways that essentially offer ample opportunities to stage either visually attractive rituals or larger and more technically ambitious clashes and battles.

While obviously looking quite dated now, all of the material with Harryhausen’s dynamation effects blends well with the standard footage. There is good logic in the manner in which they are arranged to serve the story and this also helps the pacing.

The film’s biggest weakness is the quality of the dialog. Not only it is disappointingly uneven, but in a few rather big segments it actually becomes unbearably superfluous. Admittedly these types of period adventure films do require a certain degree of theatricality, but here some of the exchanges are simply poorly written. Thankfully, excluding the reception in Baghdad where the caliph and his former rival meet and talk, the rest of most problematic examples are fairly short.

*The type of synchronization that was done during key action sequences where dynamation effects are used is quite extraordinary. In some ways it literally matches the precision and accuracy of the digital effects that decades later will be done with ultra-sophisticated computers. It is worth mentioning that this was also the first film that incorporated dynamation effects that were shot entirely in color.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nathan Juran's The 7th Voyage of Sinbad arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a new 4K restoration and the film looks simply sensational in high-definition. Clarity and especially depth are fantastic. Obviously, there are select areas where density fluctuates because of the nature of the process that was used to create the special effects, but these are inherited fluctuations that are part of the original cinematography. The color scheme is superb. The primaries are solid and saturation is as good as one can expect it to be on this format. There is also a superb range of rich and very healthy nuances. There are absolutely no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent. There are no debris, scratches, cuts, stains, or other distracting age-related imperfections to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the original Mono track, but 5.1 track definitely expands the audio field in meaningful ways and therefore it is worth experimenting with it. During the restoration the audio was clearly remastered because depth and clarity have the type of stability and depth that can be accomplished only after serious lab work. The dialog is clean, stable, and very easy to follow, while the music score easily opens up various segments.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - presented here are three trailers for the film. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. This is Dynamation! (4 min).
  2. This is Dynamation! - a segment from Trailers From Hell with director Brian Trenchard-Smith. (5 min).
  3. Re-release Trailer (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a large collection of promotional materials for the film.

• Birthday Tribute to Ray Harryhausen - a nice archival piece featuring Phil Tippett. In English, not subtitles. (1 min).

• Isolated Score - an isolated score presented as an LPCM 2.0 track.

• The Music of Bernard Herrmann - this archival featurette, film historian Steve Smith discusses the work of legendary Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann and his collaborations with Ray Harryhausen. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Music Promo - this archival promo was part of the advertising campaign for the 1958 holiday release of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad that was launched by Columbia Pictures. (3 min).

• Super 8 Versions - presented here are four Super 8 versions of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (32 min).
  
  1. The Cyclops
  2. The Strange Voyage
  3. The Evil Magician
  4. The Dragon's Lair

• A Look Behind the Voyage - this archival featurette focuses on the production history of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Included in it are clips from interviews producer Charles H. Schneer, directory Ray Harryhausen, and actor Kerwin Mathews, amongst others, as well as archival footage. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Remembering The 7th Voyage of Sinbad - in this archival featurette, Ray Harryhausen discusses dynamation (with some pretty interesting comments about the creation of the various scary creatures), the genesis of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and the film's reception. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• The Secrets of Sinbad - in this new video piece, visual effects artist Phil Tippett (Star Wars: A New Hope) discusses the enormous impact Ray Harryhausen's films had on his life and career. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Audio Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Ray Harryhausen, visual effects experts Phil Tippet and Randall William Cook, author Steven Smith, and Arnold Kunert. It initially appeared on the North American Blu-ray release of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.

• Booklet - also included with this release is an 80-page illustrated booklet with new essays and film credits.

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of Ray Harryhausen's work will be delighted with this new Blu-ray release of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad which is included in this three-disc box set produced by Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The film has been recently restored in 4K by Sony Pictures in the United States and looks sensational on Blu-ray. I also would like to mention that the three discs in the box set are Region-Free and perfectly playable on North American players, including the PS3. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.