The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Directed by Nathan Juran

Film Review

One of the best-loved fantasy films of all time, popular with adults and children alike, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was the first in a series of colour fantasy films that showcased the talents of special effects designer Ray Harryhausen. Willis H. O'Brien had pioneered stop-motion animation in the 1930s, most notably in the 1933 version of King Kong, but it would be his disciple and successor Harryhausen who would perfect the art, giving cinema some of its most enduring images.  As well as the three Sinbad films he worked on, Harryhausen would also bring to life a plethora of dinosaurs in One Million Years B.C. (1961) and realise some of cinema's finest ever special effects in Jason and the Argonauts (1963).

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad includes some of Harryhausen's most memorable creations - the dancing snake-woman, the vicious two-headed roc, the fire-breathing dragon, a skeletal warrior and, best of all, the gigantic cloven-hoofed Cyclops.   This cavalcade of monstrous creations is clearly the film's main draw and they certainly put their human co-stars to shame.  The Cyclops alone has more charisma than the rest of the cast put together.  The comparatively bland ensemble of human thesps were presumably selected not on the strength of their acting ability (which in many cases is pretty negligible) but so that they would not distract too much from the real stars of the show, the animated monsters.  And rightly so.

It is the sheer genius of Ray Harryhausen's work that makes this film so enjoyable and has prevented it from dating as much as it might.  This colourful Arabian Nights-themed concoction of myth, sorcery and intrepid adventure is pure escapist fun that continues to delight and enthral.  You can keep your soulless computer-generated effects wizardry, a complacent technology that has taken virtually all of the magic out of the art of special effects.  The eye-popping spectacle that is The 7th Voyage of Sinbad gives us the real McCoy - effects you can genuinely marvel at and which leave you feeling that you've had your money's worth.

Film Synopsis

Sinbad the Sailor is returning to Baghdad with the Princess Parisa, whom he intends to marry to secure a lasting peace between their two countries.  On the way, he and his crew land on the island of Colossa to replenish their stock of food and water.  Here, Sinbad meets the sorcerer Sokurah, just as his men manage to get on the wrong side of a giant one-eyed monster, the Cyclops. Sokurah saves Sinbad's crew from being barbecued by the Cyclops with the help of a genie from his magic lamp.  Just as Sinband and his men reach the safety of their ship, Sokurah drops the lamp into the sea and the Cyclops seizes it.  The sorcerer insists that Sinband takes him back to the island so that he can recover the lamp, but the sailor refuses and they continue on their way to Baghdad.  There, having once more failed to get his own way, Sokurah shrinks Parisa in a ruse to force Sinbad to take him back to Colossa,  Parisa can only be restored to her normal size with a magic potion made from the eggshell of a giant two-headed bird that is found only on the island.  Once Sokurah has defeated the Cyclops and recovered his lamp, he will have no further use for Sinbad.  The sailor and his crew will make a nice tasty snack for his pet dragon, or so he thinks...