The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

                                      

                                                               Intro

Following The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad, filmmakers set out to expand film success with other sci-fi and fantasy films, including Mysterious Island, as well as the film adaptation of Mysterious Island. By the beginning of the 1970s, Harryhousen and the film crew looked to renewing the Sinbad series.

                                                      The Plot

In 1971, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad was released, bringing audiences back into the classic fairy-tale genre of sorcery and monsters. The basic concept is still the same: Sinbad is pitted against a devious magician who uses his abilities to summon Harryhousen creatures against our hero. The distinction here is that the odds are stacked against the bad guy, who’s named Kora (Tom Baker). Normally, the heroes have to scramble to get something or somewhere, otherwise their lives are in jeopardy. Here, Kora must race to find the three pieces of a medallion, otherwise his body will continue to age at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, Sinbad (John Philip Law) and his crew race to the island of Lemuria, in search of the Fountain of Destiny. Whoever gets to it first, be it Kora or Sinbad, is rewarded with limitless riches, as well as eternal youth. Along his journey against Kora, Sinbad befriends the disfigured leader of Marabia, whose face was burned by the magician. He also takes in Margiana (Caroline Munro), a slave girl he met in his dreams. She carries on her palms markings that resemble eyes, which will be explained later in the story. Along the trip, Sinbad’s crew is harassed by Kora’s Homunculus, a small creature with bat-like wings. Through it he listens in on Sinbad’s conversations, and is able to pick up pivotal information. Kora also brings a curse on the ship’s figurehead, which attacks Sinbad’s crew. After defeating it, they finally reach Lemuria. The heroes find a cavern, which leads them to the “Oracle of All Knowledge”, which is voiced by Robert Shaw. Talking in riddles, it warns Sinbad of a battle between good and evil. Following this, Kora blows up the entrance, trapping them. Using a rope, the men are able to climb through a hole in the ceiling, and to safety. Later, Kora is captured by a group of natives, but gets their respect by bringing the statue of Kali (a six-armed Goddess) to life. As he continues his search in the natives’ chamber for the third piece of the medallion, Kora is confronted by Sinbad, who challenges him “to the death”. However, Kora pivots to Kali, who attacks the good guys with her six swords. After an impressive duel, they finally destroy the statue. By doing so however, they also anger the natives, who try to kill them. Upon seeing Margiana’s hand markings, they interpret the eyes to mean she should be fed to their Centaur creature. They lower her into the monster’s lair, where she is captured by it. Afterwards, the sailors break free and jump down into the cavern levels, in pursuit. Searching, Sinbad finally finds her unharmed. They then descend further into the cave, searching for Kora. Eventually, he is discovered in a room, kneeling before the Fountain of Destiny. Attempting to finish him off, the heroes are disrupted by the arrival of the Centaur. Battling them, the monster is also confronted by a Griffin. The two engage in a fight that represents good vs evil, which was alluded to by the Oracle earlier. However, Kora intervenes, wounding the Griffin and allowing the Centaur to win. Despite this, Sinbad again battles the monster, eventually killing it. Finally, he and Kora fight to the death. Using his new power, Kora is able to become invisible, leaving Sinbad vulnerable. However, his abilities fail him as he stands behind the water fountain, allowing the hero to spot him in time to kill him. With the conflict behind them, Sinbad grants Margiana’s freedom, and gives the Fountain’s gifts to the Vizier, whose wounds fade away.

                                              Breaking Down the Movie

In this film, Sinbad is portrayed by John Phillip Law, who is not quite as memorable as Kerwin Matthews, but he’s acceptable for the role. His female costar is Carolyn Munro, who’s known for a variety of roles in the Hammer horror films, as well as playing alongside Doug McClure in “At the Earth’s Core”. Most interestingly I think is her lead role in the Star Wars rip-off “Starcrash”, where she plays a character that is a blend between Han Solo and Princess Leia. While I really think Munro isn’t bad as an actress, I felt this movie shortchanged her a tad. While female leads at this film period were still reduced to being the damsel in distress, they at least portray a key role in the story. The slave girl Munro portrays isn’t even given very many lines, and does little to help the heroes when they’re in danger. She’s pretty much just standing nearby or busy getting captured by monsters. At least in 7^th Voyage, Kathryn Grant’s character rescues the sailors from the Cyclops trap, and manages to maintain a presence in the movie. Don’t get me wrong, Carolyn Munro has had decent movie roles before and after this one. She is definitely Sinbad’s most stunning, and beautiful costar, though they still could have given her a sword to fight with or something. Heck, Carrie Fisher was taking out stormtroopers like nobody’s business in the Lucas films. What really sets this movie apart from all the other Sinbad films, though, is Tom Baker’s role as the evil sorcerer Kora. Unlike past antagonists, Baker really gives his character a personality. Other actors would have delivered standard threats and curses with relative blandness, but Baker adds a slimy element to each scene he’s in. I’ve heard from some sources actually that this role here is what got him hired on as the new Doctor Who, so that testifies to his sturdy performance. Aside from these characters, the stop-motion creatures are cool as always. The Kali statute is pretty amazing, as it takes on all the sailors simultaneously. Actually, the scene made me wonder if George Lucas used this as an inspiration for General Grevious in Revenge of the Sith, given the characters’ similarities. Also, the Griffin and Centaur creatures stand out as well animated, and make for good combatants at the film’s conclusion. Overall, some of the story can get tiresome here, since we’ve already seen a lot of this in previous fantasy movies. However, the animations are cool as always, and the film benefits tremendously from Tom Baker’s presence. I give this one four out of five stars!

1973 Trailer of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad