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Original Release Year: 1958
Running Time: 88 minutes
DVD Released By: Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment
Video: Anamorphic widescreen
Audio: English mono 2.0, Spanish mono 2.0, Portuguese mono 2.0
Extras: Four featurettes, vintage poster image, cast & crew filmographies, trailers, printed liner notes
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
Closed Captions: English
Region: 1
Format: NTSC
Chapters: 28
Packaging: Keepcase
MSRP: $24.95
UPC #: 043396011496
Catalog #: 01149
Status: Available (individually, or as part of The Sinbad Collection Box Set and The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen: Legendary Monster Series Box Set)
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Zillamon51
Sinbad returns to Baghdad, where he is to wed the Princess Parisa. Desperate to regain the magic lamp, Sokurah casts a spell that reduces the Princess to barely over an inch in size! He then claims that the antidote can only be made in his secret fortress on Colossa. Sinbad and his crew (many of whom have to be recruited from prison) set sail. Upon reaching Colossa, they will have to overcome the mighty Cyclops, gigantic two-headed birds, a fire-breathing dragon, a sword-wielding skeleton, and the devious Sokurah himself in order to safeguard the power of the lamp, free the benevolent genie, and restore the Princess.
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is immensely entertaining; truly one of the best fantasy movies ever made. The special effects, by Ray Harryhausen, are astonishing. This film was released in 1958, and even modern Hollywood CGI rarely equals his work. The human characters aren’t terribly bright (it takes Sinbad two-thirds of the movie to figure out that Sokurah has orchestrated these events so he can regain the lamp), but it doesn’t really detract from the swashbuckling spectacle of it all. The film also benefits from a rousing score by the legendary Bernard Herrmann. Grade: A
Video: The anamorphic widescreen transfer is bright and clear. Some shots (especially composites) suffer from occasional grain and murkiness. The print is in excellent shape, with no significant damage. Considering the age of the film, it looks great!
Grade: B+
Audio: Three language tracks are included: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. All are mono, presented in 2.0. The dialogue, music, and sound effects are sharp and clear on the English track. The Portuguese track is serviceable, but a noticeable step down. The Spanish track is very muffled. Grade: A-
Extras / Menus: There are a lot of extras to go through. "A Look Behind the Voyage" is a 12-minute program about Ray Harryhausen’s beginnings, and the making of the film. It features interviews with Ray, producer Charles H. Schneer, and star Kerwin Mathews (Sinbad). The second featurette covers the making of Jason and the Argonauts. It also runs 12 minutes, and is hosted by director John Landis (An American Werewolf in London). "This is Dynamation" is a three-minute promotional clip, which demonstrates the film’s special effects. "The Harryhausen Chronicles" is an extensive program narrated by Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek). Running 58 minutes, it covers Ray’s beginnings, and his associations with Willis O’Brien (King Kong 1933) and writer Ray Bradbury. It chronicles the encouragement offered young Ray by his parents, and includes early footage from several experimental and unfinished projects. There is also footage from Ray’s military training films and fairy tale adaptations. Additional commentators include director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach), Lucasfilm’s Dennis Muren, and Mr. Star Wars himself, George Lucas. This program by itself would have been a great supplement; together with the other features, it truly makes this disc a special edition.
This disc also contains theatrical trailers for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 20 Million Miles to Earth, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, Jason and the Argonauts, It Came from Beneath the Sea, and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. There are also cast and crew filmographies, as well as a single image of the film’s original poster. Liner notes are printed on the DVD insert. The menus are all static, with no music or animation. This is a terrific batch of supplements! Grade: A
Final Analysis: One of the greatest fantasy films ever made, on a fully loaded DVD. Final Grade: A
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