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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The (Blu-ray) (1973)
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Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The (Blu-ray) (1973)
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Released 6-Jan-2016
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Details At A Glance
| General |
Extras |
| Category |
Action Adventure |
Featurette-Mysterious Island Featurette
Featurette-3 Worlds of Gulliver Featurette
Featurette-Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Isolated Musical Score
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| Rating |
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Year Of Production
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1973
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| Running Time |
104:59
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RSDL
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Flipper
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Dual Layered
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Cast & Crew |
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Start Up
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Menu |
| Region Coding |
1,2,3,4,5,6
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Directed By |
Gordon Hessler
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Studio
Distributor |
ViaVision
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Starring |
John Phillip Law
Caroline Munro
Tom Baker
Douglas Wilmer
Martin Shaw
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| Case |
Standard Blu-ray |
| RPI |
$15.95
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Music |
Miklós Rózsa
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NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.
Plot Synopsis
Even to this day, perhaps the most renowned special effects titan of Hollywood’s pre-digital era is the late great Ray Harryhausen. One of Harryhausen’s better-known opuses was 1958’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which was spearheaded by the stop-motion technician himself due to his interest in a lavish Sinbad movie. Although not quite as good as the revered 7th Voyage, 1973’s The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is nevertheless a sumptuous action-adventure, and it does carry a more distinctive Middle-Eastern flavour than its predecessor. Harryhausen fans should find Golden Voyage to be perfectly satisfying, with the film serving as a luscious playground for the special effects pioneer to fill the screen with fantastical creatures. It’s the handmade, personal feeling of Harryhausen’s signature stop-motion animation that give movies like this their enduring charm, which is something that simply cannot be replicated in a computer.
While sailing with his loyal crew, Sinbad (John Phillip Law) comes into possession of a golden tablet of unknown origins, which he chooses to wear around his neck as an amulet. However, the sinister Prince Koura (Tom Baker) is determined to take back the tablet, which he recognises as being part of an ancient puzzle that will bestow the bearer with “youth, a shield of darkness, and a crown of untold riches.” Travelling to a coastal town in the country of Marabia, Sinbad meets with the local Vizier (Douglas Wilmer), who by chance possesses another golden tablet which fits with Sinbad’s amulet. Discovering the way to the Fountain of Destiny, and therefore the third piece of the puzzle, Sinbad sets off with Vizier and his crew, also bringing along a slave girl named Margiana (Caroline Munro). In addition, Koura joins the expedition, hiding his true motivations.
Compared to The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, there is a noticeable uptick in the quality of the special effects, particularly in regards to Harryhausen’s “dynamation” techniques. The fifteen-year gap between the movies visibly allowed Harryhausen to hone his craft even more, with the stop-motion effects looking impressively fluid. Admittedly, several shots involving mattes and compositing do look rough and phoney, and there are obvious miniature shots, but the movie is nevertheless a visual treat. Golden Voyage was lensed by cinematographer Ted Moore, who also worked on a number of James Bond adventures, making him a logical choice for a picture of this ilk. The movie looks simply gorgeous, full of rich colours, with eye-catching location photography and textured production design giving Golden Voyage an expensive look. It was a cheap movie, but it’s hard to tell, as Harryhausen movies were renowned for making small budgets count.
With Harryhausen’s effects serving as the star of the show, director Gordon Hessler’s work on the picture is workmanlike and pedestrian, with Golden Voyage in need of stronger pacing and more focused storytelling. It doesn’t help that performances are far from perfect, with the actors all espousing faux accents that are a bit distracting. John Phillip Law is an adequate Sinbad, while his leading lady Caroline Munro is better seen than heard. The only memorable thespian here is Tom Baker, exceptionally hammy and enjoyable as the villain Koura. This is reportedly the motion picture which won Baker the gig on Doctor Who. Interestingly, the film also makes use of an unrecognisable Robert Shaw in an uncredited appearance as the Oracle. But perhaps the most memorable aspect of Golden Voyage is Miklós Rózsa’s extraordinary, flavoursome original score, which perfectly accentuates the sense of adventure. Rózsa was hired on account of his majestic compositions for The Thief of Bagdad, an acclaimed fantasy movie which actually inspired Harryhausen.
There is little denying that The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is dated to an extent, and does suffer from dull storytelling, stilted dialogue and forgettable characters, but there’s a certain aura of magic which ensures the movie is worth watching in spite of its flaws. It’s a charming Saturday matinee fare, and though pictures like Golden Voyage are more remembered because of the reverence that’s held for the legendary man responsible for the special effects, there are enough strengths to make this one worth watching.
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Transfer Quality
Video
Film fans can rejoice: The Golden Voyage of Sinbad looks outstanding on Blu-ray, sporting an AVC-encoded 1080p transfer (framed at 1.66:1) that genuinely does justice to the source. This is presumably the same well-reviewed transfer that was used for Twilight Time’s limited run Blu-ray release in America (sourced from Sony), and frankly it’s difficult to imagine this 1973 adventure classic looking any better.
It’s critical to note that the source is not in perfect condition. Due to the nature of the special effects process, the stop-motion creatures always look pristine while the actors and environments in the same shot tend to look faded and excessively grainy. This has nothing to do with the remastering process, though - Harryhausen filmed his creatures via rear projection techniques, thus such shots will never look better unless the original live-action footage is somehow dug up and remastered, before the creatures are digitally matted in. And I doubt that will ever happen, especially since it might diminish the movie’s old-world charm. What matters is that no DNR or edge enhancement was utilised in the creation of this transfer, leading to a very organic, detailed image that’s representative of how the film looked during its theatrical run over four decades ago.
Whereas the special effects shots do look rough, there is very little to complain about elsewhere - the photography otherwise looks remarkably detailed and crisp. Colours are rich and bold, and it’s easy to admire the detail of the production design. Blacks look deep, while shadow delineation is exceptional. Noticeable flicker does pop up early into the movie, but it’s not a recurrent issue. A fine layer of grain covers the image that’s entirely organic, and with the video being afforded a healthy bitrate, the grain looks refined rather than blocky. Just be aware though, that the grain can be overly heavy at times; grain haters are advised to steer clear of this one.
Via Vision’s encode does not bring about any encoding anomalies, as my eyes did not detect any aliasing, banding or ringing, nor is there any crush. It’s smooth sailing from top to bottom, resulting in a beautifully natural image that replicates the look of seeing a 35mm print projected at the cinema. Do not expect The Golden Voyage of Sinbad to look perfect by modern standards due to the inherent flaws of the source, but it does look as perfect as it ever will, and shows yet again that decades-old movies can still shine and be given new life in high definition.
Only English subtitles are available. They do their job sufficiently, with no bothers to speak of.
Video Ratings Summary
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Audio
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad arrives on Blu-ray with a bombastic DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless track, which will almost certainly please fans. The 5.1 track was designed during the movie’s restoration process from the original elements, and though the movie’s original mono track is not included, it’s hard to cry foul when the audio presentation is as crisp and satisfying as this.
What sticks out the most is Miklós Rózsa’s positively epic score, which comes through with generous oomph, occupying the surround channels to great effect, resulting in an immersive viewing experience. Dialogue is mostly reserved for the front speakers, and there are no problems with the mix; it’s easy to hear what’s being said by the actors, as the dialogue is never overwhelmed by other sounds, and the chatter is welcomely clear and free of muffling. Do not expect much in the way of separation, but this is due to the movie’s design.
This Blu-ray also comes with an isolated music track, encoded in DTS-HD 5.1, and it’s an utter treat for fans of Rózsa’s music. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad sounds terrific on the whole.
Audio Ratings Summary
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Extras
Unfortunately, this supplemental package is rather disappointing, including three featurettes unrelated to the movie, a trailer, and an isolated score. This is a far cry from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, which had a commentary and numerous movie-specific featurettes. What a shame.
Mysterious Island Featurette (SD; 11:14)
Not related to Golden Voyage in any way, this is an interview with Harryhausen about the making of Mysterious Island. Harryhausen breaks down a number of key sequences from the film, and discusses how they were brought to fruition. The featurette ends with a brief slideshow of Mysterious Island promotional art.
3 Worlds of Gulliver Featurette (SD; 7:13)
Another featurette which in no way involves Golden Voyage, this is a brief interview with Harryhausen about the production of 3 Worlds of Gulliver. He discusses the complex special effects processes involved, and shares general production trivia. As with the previous extra, this piece ends with a slideshow of promo art and production stills.
Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers Featurette (SD; 11:53)
Harryhausen sits down with a very enthusiastic Joe Dante, who talks to his idol about the making of Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers. Harryhausen talks about the special effects techniques, and how he managed to make the movie with limited funds. There’s a three-minute slideshow of storyboards after the interview.
Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:48)
A nice historical curiosity, which highlights how polished the movie is compared to earlier Harryhausen movies.
Isolated Score Track
As mentioned in the audio section, this is an opportunity for fans to listen to Rózsa’s score by itself as the movie plays, encoded in DTS-HD 5.1. A worthwhile inclusion for enthusiasts.
R4 vs R1
NOTE: To view
non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually
also NTSC compatible.
Our edition is identical to the Region A release distributed by Twilight Time, which has long sold out and goes for ridiculous prices on eBay. The movie is not available anywhere else in the world on Blu-ray. An easy win for the local.
Summary
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is a fun, sumptuous action-adventure, which endures thanks to its terrific stop-motion effects and positively epic score. Fans of Harryhausen's work will almost certainly enjoy this one.
Via Vision's Blu-ray release is mostly good news. Video and audio are exceptional, but extras are in disappointingly short supply. One supposes that Harryhausen unfortunately passed on before an opportunity arose to conduct interviews or a commentary, but surely there are some vintage pieces floating around? And what about a commentary with historians or enthusiasts?
Nevertheless, this disc comes recommended.
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© Callum Knox (I studied biology)
Monday, January 11, 2016
| Review Equipment |
| DVD | PlayStation 4, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG 42LW6500.
This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
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| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver.
This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
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| Amplification | LG BH7520TW |
| Speakers | LG Tall Boy speakers, 5.1 set-up, 180W |
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