The
Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1973)
+ Sinbad
and The Eye Of The Tiger (1977/Columbia/Sony/Twilight
Time Limited Edition Blu-rays)
Picture:
B Sound: B- Extras: C+ Films: A/B+
PLEASE
NOTE:
Both Sinbad
Blu-rays are issued exclusively by Twilight Time, are limited to only
3,000 copies each and can be ordered at the link below.
Every
fan of classic monster and Sci-Fi movies knows Ray Harryhausen. His
work perfecting the art of stop-motion animation broke new ground in
movie special effects. He even coined his own word for it,
Dynamation.
The partnership of Mr. Harryhausen with the Sinbad legends seems
fated in retrospect. Who better to bring this colorful character and
his amazing world to life than Ray Harryhausen and his amazing
models? This pair of limited edition (3,000 pressings each) Blu-ray
releases from Twilight Time proves once again that the combination of
Harryhausen and Sinbad leads to cinematic gold.
The
1973 released The
Golden
Voyage of Sinbad
features
John Phillip Law as the intrepid Arabian mariner, and the inimitable
Tom Baker as the evil wizard, Koura. The ravishing Caroline Munro
plays the slave girl, Margiana, and serves as the key to one of the
film's great mysteries. Caught up in the struggles of the tiny
kingdom of Moravia, Sinbad agrees to help its ruler, the Vizier, on a
quest that will deny the dark wizard Koura ultimate power. Along the
way Sinbad and his crew battle all manner of adversaries, all
wonderfully animated by Mr. Harryhausen's Ddynamation effects. These
include an animated wooden figurehead prow, an animated statue, and
an amazing cyclopic centaur. A visit to the Oracle of All Knowledge
shows off Mr. Harryhausen's versatility as an effects man, as the
Oracle's glowing visage hovers above a stone well. Kurt Christian
provides a wonderful comic turn as the bumbling Haroun, and Douglas
Wilmer is suitably regal as the tragically scarred Vizier.
The
1977 released Sinbad
and the Eye of the Tiger
offers
Patrick Wayne in the role of Sinbad this time, and features a young
Jane Seymour as the beautiful princess, Farah. Doctor
Who
veteran Patrick Troughton plays the sage Melanthius, and Margaret
Whiting nearly steals the show as the evil witch, Zenobia. As with
all Sinbad tales, this one involves an epic journey, and a race
against time to save the life of Prince Kassim (the brother of
Farah). Transformed into a baboon by the evil magic of Zenobia,
Prince Kassim cannot inherit the throne unless freed from the spell.
That leaves Zenobia's son as the only rightful male heir to the
throne. Moved by Farah's love and the prince's plight, Sinbad and
crew sail the world to take Kassim to a place of power where he can
be healed. Meanwhile, Zenobia pursues and uses her dark magic to
bedevil Sinbad and his crew. Amazing animations in this film include
a mechanical Minotaur, a massive Troglodyte, a gigantic walrus, and a
sabertooth tiger.
Both
of these movies don't just rely on Mr. Harryhausen's effects. They
also include amazing sets, actual sailing ships, and gorgeous
locations that ooze exoticism. Where current movies will lean on
green screens and projected images, these films use real locations
and sets, and for all of their campiness, end up feeling more
authentic on some level.
These
new releases feature attractive packaging and nicely restored
graphics, with the 1080p Resolution and 1.66:1 aspect ratios on each
providing excellent picture quality with impressive & accurate
color reproduction, plus the DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 on
each supplying excellent sound in nice upgrades over their original
theatrical optical monophonic audio mixes. Both Blu-rays also
feature trailers and isolated audio soundtracks in 5.1 mixes as well
(scores by Miklos Rozsa and Roy Budd respectively), sounding amazing,
plus we get more great illustrated booklets on each respective film
with new essays by Julie Kirgo (a different one on each film).
Voyage
also adds vintage featurettes on Mysterious
Island,
3
Worlds of Gulliver
(needing a Blu-ray release badly) and Earth
vs The Flying Saucers,
while Tiger
adds the vintage This
Is Dynamation
featurette.
Anyone
searching for the ideal gift for a fan of classic sci-fi and fantasy
movies need look no further than these wonderful new offerings from
Twilight Time. You can read more about the already issued 1958 7th
Voyage Of Sinbad
on Blu-ray at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7654/Ray+Harryhausen+Collection+(Sony+Blu-ray
To
order these new Sinbad
limited edition Blu-rays, you can buy them while supplies last at
this link:
www.screenarchives.com
-
Scott Pyle
