The 7th Voyage of Sinbad Reviews

Stop-motion animation master Ray Harryhausen's first color film is also one of the greatest achievements in fantasy filmmaking since KING KONG. For the first time Harryhausen ventures into the realm of myth and legend (his previous films were the modern-day giant monster variety), resuscitating the Sinbad adventure, long thought to be box-office poison. The film opens as Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews) sails to Baghdad, accompanied by Princess Parisa (Kathryn Grant), his future bride. A violent storm blows the ship off course, and the travelers land on the island of Colossa, where they find the sorcerer Sokurah (Torin Thatcher) being chased by a monstrous cyclops from whom he has stolen a magic lamp. Sinbad fends off the cyclops, but only with help from the lamp's genie are they able to escape. During their retreat, the lamp falls into the sea and is recovered by the angry cyclops. Despite the sorcerer's pleas to return for the lamp, Sinbad sails for Baghdad. Sokurah, however, shrinks the princess to miniature size to force Sinbad to see things his way. The rest of the film is an assault of the visually fantastic: Sinbad and his crew battle a baby roc and its giant mother, another cyclops, a fire-breathing dragon, and in the most memorable scene of all, Sinbad has a thrilling sword fight with a living skeleton. Harryhausen would make more magic in such outstanding fantasy features as MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, and CLASH OF THE TITANS.