I'm back again, to talk about another of the significant things from my childhood. That being, the Arabian legend of Captain Sinbad, Sailor of the Seven Seas! I've talked before about my abiding love for one of my top favorite films of all time, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, as well as how I discovered the other Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films of the 70s, thanks to (pre-Joe Bob) TNT's Monstervision. But now I'm going to get into what was probably the first Sinbad film I saw as a kid, and the influence of the character in my young life, in general.
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| The first major Sinbad film. |
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| Arguably the best Sinbad film. |
Now it's entirely possible that I saw something like 1947's Sinbad the Sailor, starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., or even 7th Voyage itself, on TV as a youngin' in the 80s. It's also very possible, even probable, that I saw some old cartoon played on TV, like the old ComiColor cartoon Sinbad the Sailor, or the classic Popeye Sinbad cartoon. The last is especially notable, both for featuring fantastic animation and effects (thanks to Fleischer Studios), but also for the fact that Sinbad (Bluto) is portrayed as a villain!
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| Iwerks greatness. |
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| Fleischer greatness. |
Either way, while I cannot clearly recall in what form I first encountered the legendary Sinbad as a small child, I most inarguably did encounter him. He was enough of a cultural character, "out there in the ether", so to speak, and he must've left enough of an impression on kid me, that I was inspired to name my first childhood pet after him. At freshly six years old, I got my first dog, a mid-sized, white and fluffy "Cockerspaniel/Terrier mix", whom I decided should be named after Sinbad the Sailor. I even clearly remember that there was a little girl who lived behind us (I don't remember her name...maybe Sarah?), who I would talk to or play with now and then, who I introduced the dog to, and she asked about his name "Is it because he's a sin, and he's bad?". And I was like "No! He's like Sinbad the Sailor!" She clearly didn't know who Sinbad even was, but I sure as hell did!
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| My childhood dog, Sinbad. |
Getting back around to the point, as it pertains to the first Sinbad film I ever saw growing up, because it's how I vaguely seem to remember it, let us just say for the sake of this article that it likely was the titular film of this piece: 1963's Captain Sindbad. First thing's first, let me say that I have no idea why this film put a "d" into Sinbad's name. It's entirely possible that in some versions of the old stories, his name had an extra "d". But this is the only piece of entertainment that I actively know of, where it is spelled this way. Perhaps they did it to be different, and have it stand out more? Who knows.
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| Cool poster art for the film. |
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| Another cool poster. |
Captain Sindbad was a King Brothers production, a smaller outfit who had mostly been known for crime and western films, but who had also been responsible for bringing the Toho kaiju film Rodan to the west, as well as trying their own hand at a giant monster feature in 1961, Gorgo. "Sindbad" is well directed, as always, by Byron Haskin, a director I have a fair amount of affinity for, thanks to classics like Treasure Island, The War of the Worlds, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, and of course this gem. It features a wonderful cast, led by Guy Williams (of Zorro and Lost in Space fame) as Sinbad, Heidi Bruhl as Princess Jana, and and Mexican actor Pedro Armandariz (known for his roles in John Wayne westerns Fort Apache and The 3 Godfathers) in a wonderful turn as the pompous and maniacal villain, El Kerim.
Another great role, and probably my favorite character in the story, is the goofy court wizard Galgo, played by British character actor Abraham Sofaer. Production took place at Bavaria Studios, in Western Germany, which was home to a wide variety of films, such as the likes of The Great Escape, The Sound of Music, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Enemy Mine, and The Neverending Story.
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| Dashing leading man, Guy Williams. |
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| Captain Sinbad's international crew. |
The setup for Sindbad is simple enough, but bearing all the trademarks of a classic fantasy tale. The aging king of the middle eastern land of Baristan, is seemingly too old or too ill to rule, and thus manipulated by the classic "evil vizier", it is instead the wicked and cruel El Kerim who rules the kingdom in his stead. He is a military dictator, seemingly making war to consolidate power, and he intends to marry the princess Jana, to make his rule permanent. Along with all of this, he intends to capture and/or destroy the great Captain Sindbad, a hero of the people who is also Jana's beloved. Both to eliminate Sindbad's threat as a rival, as well as the threat he might pose to leading the people in revolt.
To this end, though Princes Jana convinces the awesome (and hilarious) wizard Galgo to change her into a "firebird", so that she can deliver a message of warning to Sindbad and his crew of El Kerim's plans. But Kerim himself orders Galgo, whom he holds power over via a magic ring, to transform some of his guards into giant Rok birds, to drop boulders on their ship, seemingly eliminating his threat.
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| Princess Jana and the wizard Galgo. |
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| The evil El Kerim. |
Naturally, most of the crew survives, including our beloved hero, the good Captain. Being rescued by some fishermen at sea, Sindbad sets out to try and rescue the princess, aided by some of his closest crewmen who manage to find him in Baristan. Plans go awry, however, when he discovers, much to his dismay, that Kerim quite literally has no heart. It has somehow been removed by black magic, and protected in some far off and dangerous tower, so long as it is kept safe, he is seemingly immortal and unharmable. At the very least to conventional things like swords or spears.
In the due course of events, with a mind to spoilers, Sindbad and Co. manage to learn of the heart and the tower, thanks to Galgo, and they set out to destroy it. The final act of the film is a race against time, as having refused to marry El Kerim, he has ordered Princess Jana to be executed. Because he's a real prick like that.
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| The Monster from the Pit. |
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| The Hand of Doom. |
As far as how this film measures up to other Sinbad movies, I would personally say pretty well. The original 1947 Sinbad the Sailor, with Fairbanks Jr. in the titular role, is a good movie, and a fun adventure, but it barely has any of the more fantastical and fantasy elements that make, in this man's opinion, a Sinbad story great. And while Sindbad lacks, sadly, the amazing stop-motion magic of Ray Harryhausen (or one of his proteges), like 7th Voyage, Golden Voyage, and Eye of the Tiger enjoy, otherwise it is, for the most part, every bit as lush and lavish a production. The acting is on point, the story is very solid, it features some great sets and costumes. And most importantly, to a young boy, it has its share of magic and monster battles! Not stop-motion, of course, and it would have been great if they could have afforded it. But the special effects that are on display, are not shabby whatsoever.
The effects for Galgo's magic, as well as those of the invisible monster Sindbad is forced to fight in the arena, are quite strong for the 60s, for a film that most assuredly didn't have a big budget. The giant mechanical hand which guards the heart in the tower, is also a very impressive feat of design and animatronics, for the time. Even the great Hydra-like beast the men face in the swamp, while it doesn't move the best, still aesthetically LOOKS fantastic. All told, even without stop-motion model wizardry, this movie is a testament to the strength (and superiority over CGI) of practical effects.
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| My favorite Sinbad. |
On a final note, where it concerns my favorite Sinbad depiction, and where Guy Williams ranks? I have stated in its own article, that Kerwin Matthews from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is, without question, my top favorite Sinbad of all time. The dude was just the total package, and had it all. I think as far as Williams is concerned, I would almost be willing to say he is tied for my 2nd favorite Sinbad, though I think I have to still give the edge to Patrick Wayne from 1977's Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. Guy Williams is a great leading man, and portrays the legendary sailor very well. But there is just something about Wayne, he has a presence, and his acting was actually quite strong. He was an actor who, in my humble estimation, should have been a much bigger star. Then again, I feel the same way about Kerwin Matthews. So ultimately, I guess I'd say Williams is probably my 3rd favorite Sindbad, but that's still pretty great!
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If you've never seen any Sinbad films, ever, I would highly suggest you give this one a whirl. In fact, I'll do you one better, and list out what I think are films, in order of "MUST SEE", the Sinbad adventures I think you should all watch. And make sure you do, because they're excellent!
1. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1957)
2. Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
3. Captain Sindbad (1963)
4. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)
5. Sinbad the Sailor (1947)
And as a fun bonus, you simply MUST watch the 1936 animated Fleischer masterpiece, Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor! It can pretty easily be found online for a free watch. Cheers!
