(1958)
Directed by Nathan Juran
Starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher, Alec Mango, Danny Green

Okay, so why are we reviewing a Sinbad movie here in the Krypt? Simple… it does have monsters! And more importantly, they were created and animated by the one and only Ray Harryhausen. It cannot be stated enough of what the impact of Harryhausen’s work had influenced not only the industry at that time, but all the people that would be so inspired by his work that they decided their future path would be connected somehow to what Harryhausen had started. So, while this film isn’t going to give you chills and goosebumps, I’m pretty sure it will still thrill you and just be in awe of some of the work that Harryhausen has given us. And now thanks to this incredible 4K that has just come out, along with a ton of extras, it’s going to help you fall in love with the master’s work, as well as still being so impressed with what he accomplished, I’m sure you’ll soon forget that it’s not a horror movie.

Kerwin Mattews plays Sinbad, though not the first actor to play this fictional character, which would have been Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in Sinbad the Sailer (1947), Mattews is the ones that people will remember, mainly due to the fantastic elements he battles with. Kathryn Grant plays his future wife, hoping their marriage will settle the rivalry and war that their two cities have been fighting, now joining them in peace. But once the princess is found to have been shrunk down to a few inches, even though the audience is fully aware the person responsible, the strange magician Sokourah says he can break the spell but needs material from his island, which is a place Sinbad did not want to return due to the giant cyclops creature they had fought earlier. But to keep the princess’ father from starting a war, he agrees on the trip.

What we get to see is Sinbad and his crew fighting off 2 different cyclops monsters, some two-headed giant birds, a swordfight with a skeleton warrior and a mighty dragon protecting a cave of the magician, Sokourah. The one crucial thing the magician is looking for is the special lamp that holds a magic genie within.

Nathan Juran, a journeyman director who had won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction or the 1941 film How Green Was My Valley, before he started directing a decade later with The Black Castle (1952), starring Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. He had worked with Ray Harryhausen previously, on 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), before doing a few low-budget pictures like The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958), both using the pseudonym Nathan Hertz. While I find those low-budget fare still pretty entertaining, I’m sure in Sinbad he worked rather closely with Harryhausen in all the shots which would include his work once principle photography was done.

Again, the main reason to watch this film is the stop-motion effects that Harryhausen created. In this new 4K release, you can see even more of the details of the creatures, from skin textures to feathers, and more. It really is fascinating just to watch these different sequences, how they were films, and even planned out, so Harryhausen knew how to have it filmed, so he could work his magic in afterwards. So much fun here.

This release is packed with extras. On the 4K disc is a featurette on Harryhausen that almost runs an hour. Then there is one remembering The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad, one on Dynamation, and interview with Harryhausen by John Landis, one on the music by Bernard Herrmann, as well as audio commentary by Harryhausen and more. For any fans of his work, this release is a must have.

FYI – These frame grabs in this review do not replicate the 4K images from the actual print.