Customer Reviews
Very, very poor Blu-Ray transfer 
2008-10-11
Fans of this film, be warned. This is the absolute WORST Blu-Ray transfer I've ever seen. It even rates poorly for a standard def release. Half of the frames were out of focus, and the in-focus shots were way overly grainy. The colors were nice, yes, but that's the only positive thing to say about this one. If you don't believe me, simply wait a couple of weeks until Hi-Def digest reviews the release, which I guarantee will confirm my conclusions.
For the record, my Blu-Ray library is over 50 titles, and I use a Panasonic BD 300 player and a 50" Panasonic plasma.
Again, be warned!
Does have Extras 
2008-10-09
Just wanted to state this is loaded with extras.. here is a review below of the blu ray version:
The Picture
Filmed in Technicolor and framed at 1.66:1, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad arrives on Blu-ray disc in a transfer that not only shows the effects of its 50-year-old age, but also exposes some of the inherent limitations of the Technicolor format. Let me first start by saying that Sony's AVC/MPEG-4 transfer does well at capturing the source without any visible compression artifacts or processing effects such as edge enhancement and it is as sharp as it can be given the source material. There are also good shadow details, even if the blacks aren't the deepest I have seen. The Technicolor process, however, particularly in 1958, was inherently grainy and often prone to some visible variations in color contrast and density. As such, this transfer is very grainy and does display some of those variations as well as some flickering throughout. One also has to remember that the Technicolor process was known for its hyper-realistic, saturated palette that often yielded something more surreal than realistic. Therefore, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad doesn't necessarily display natural flesh tones, but something more in line with what one would expect from a Technicolor production.
In fact, most of what we see today when Technicolor films are remastered are color palettes that are toned down to be more in line with what audiences today expect to see. I'm not certain Sinbad is even as hyper-saturated as it should be, but it looks well enough reproducing the film's colorful Middle Eastern garb and bright, sunny blue skies.
The Sound
Sony continues their trend of providing multiple language tracks on their Blu-ray releases with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. In this case there are two lossless options in the form of a newly remixed English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack and a French Dolcy TrueHD 5.1 dub as well as the original English mono soundtrack and a Thai Dolby Digital 5.1 dub. The new lossless English 5.1 mix offers a slightly more expansive soundfield that lets the score by Bernard Hermann breathe, exposing more of its intricate instrumentation. The dialogue is well balanced, if a bit harsh, and intelligible while the film's action sequences are lively with subtle use of the LFE to provide some much needed weight to the otherwise thin sound.
The original mono soundtrack is also rather good, if obviously less engulfing. It is well balanced with good dynamics, clear dialogue, and ample low frequencies. Sadly, instead of utilizing soley the center channel for a true monaural 1.0 configuration, Sony has provided the soundtrack in a Dolby 2.0 configuration. Still, it is good to have the original mix represented on this release.
The Extras
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad offers an abundance of exploratory supplemental materials that offer much insight into the work of both Ray Harryhausen and his longtime collaborator, composer Bernard Herrmann. Fans of film history, special effects and Harryhausen should be pleased by the wealth of informative extras available here.
The extras available on this release are:
Commentary with Ray Harryhausen, visual effects experts Phil Tippet and Randall William Cook, author Steven Smith, and Arnold Kunert -- The men offer very detailed information on the filmmaking and stop-motion animation process as the film goes by in a very conversational manner. Ray Harryhausen, in particular, offers up many informative anecdotes about the film's production. One interesting bit of trivia that can be gleaned form the audio commentary is the fact that Harryhausen had not actually met the film's young actor Richard Eyer (The Genie) until only a couple of years ago. Because of the scheduling, all of the location filming in Spain, where Harryhausen was, used a young Spanish double in his Eyer's place, while Eyer did all of his filming on the set in the US with director Nathan Juran.
Remembering The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1.78:1/standard definition) -- Ray Harryhausen reminisces on the production of Sinbad and his inspiration for doing the film. In the process, he offers up much information on the special effects techniques he employed during the filming.
The Harryhausen Legacy (1.78:1/standard definition)-- John Landis and many visual effects artists speak of Harryhausen's influence on their work.
The Music of Bernard Herrmann (1.78:1/standard definition) -- Music historian Steve Smith offers up an historical account of the legendary composer's music and tells of how he and Ray Harryhausen first came to collaborate.
Photo Gallery -- A montage of stills from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad set to the film's score by Bernard Hermann.
"Sinbad May Have Been Bad, But He's Been Good to Me" Music Video -- A promotional 45rpm recording created for the 1958 holiday season release ad campaign for Sinbad. The song is played back to a montage of promotional posters.
A Look Behind the Voyage (4:3/standard definition) -- This is an archival television documentary on the career of Ray Harryhausen.
This is Dynamation (Special Effects) (4:3/standard definition) -- A classic 1958 promo highlighting the film's special effects.
Ray Harryhausen -- Interviewed by Director John Landis (4:3/standard definition) -- John Landis interviews Ray Harryhausen in what is am ore a friendly discussion in which Landis it is obvious that Landis holds Harryhausen in very high esteem. Harryhausen once again details much of the techniques he used in the filming of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and many of his other films.
Previews (high definition) -- Promotional spots for upcoming and currently available Sony Blu-ray releases:
Casino Royale -- Promo for the upcoming 2-Disc Collector's Edition
Men in Black
CJ7
The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep
BD-Live -- This disc is BD-Live enabled for users with BD-Live (Profile 2.0) capable players. The BD-Live features available on this release so far are just promos for other Blu-ray releases from Sony, and offer nothing of any real added value.
No Special Features? 2008-10-07
Gosh, I would expect some special features with a blu ray release but according to the info above it has nothing.
What a disapointment.
Classic 
2008-09-20
Perhaps I was five or six when I first snuck into one of the cheapo movie theaters off of Myrtle Ave, in Queens, to see The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad. Or, perhaps I saw it first on WABC-TV's The 4:30 Movie, or late night, on Chiller Theater or Creature Feature. Regardless of when I first saw it, I was immediately hooked on the Ray Harryhausen special effects. Even in this day of CGI effects, I still prefer the older films, replete with blue screens that outlined actors against projected wonders, matte paintings, and stop motion photography. No, this is not a typical middle age belief that things were better in `ye olden days.' The computer graphics these days are far better and smoother than Harryhausen's antiquated system. But, it was the very artificiality of those effects that made them all the more scary, for dreams and nightmares are not mere reflections of reality, but refractions or distortions of reality, where things ripple, don't quite make sense, and are just a bit off. This more aptly describes the Harryhausen monsters, whose movements are a bit more herky-jerky (technically known as strobing) than those conjured up in the cyberworld for the screen. Thus, for me, those films will always be truer and scarier nightmares because of their very artifice.
There is no logic to much of the film, but it is a hoot, and has not an ounce of pretension in it. Who cares if the magician, who can animate skeletons, would seem to have no real use for a genie? Who cares if the genie could have wiped out the monsters and magician easily, if commanded, since he so easily moves the prolific Cyclops' treasure? Who cares if the Princess's father is ready to declare war on the Caliph of Baghdad for shrinking his daughter, when clearly the magician is to blame? And, who cares if the acting is all 100% cheeseball? B film hunk Kerwin Mathews, as Sinbad, is vapid and hammy, spouting off silly apothegms like, `Allah knows many ways of dealing with hungry men.' Perfect. Sexy Kathryn Grant- soon to marry Bing Crosby, is also perfectly ridiculous as an All-American Arab Princess Parisa. The only one of the three main characters that comes off with a modicum of respectability for his art is Torin Thatcher, as Sokurah the bald cross-eyed magician.
Yet, the real star of the 87 minute film, aside from Harryhausen's monsters, is the fantastic blaring brass score by Bernard Herrmann, in one of his best non-Hitchcock projects. From the first scene of the film, the viewer is sent on a thrill ride which, aside from a twenty or so minute lull in Baghdad, before the return Colossa, is truly non-stop. The soundtrack to the film even became a bestselling album in its day. Yet, the most frightening moment in the film comes not from anything actually seen onscreen, but when a storm rages at sea and the shrill chirping of unseen monsters drives Sinbad's criminal mutineers insane. Oddly enough, the sound seems to have been recapitulated a decade later by Stanley Kubrick in his coda for 2001: A Space Odyssey, after astronaut Dave Bowman descends into the infinite black obelisk around Jupiter, and has a phantasmagoric experience.
Movies such as this are terrific precisely because they are not great and they are not `cinema.' They are brief excursions from the dullness and frustrations of reality, and nothing more. As such, and almost half a century on, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad still succeeds in that mission as well as any other film ever to lighten human eyes. There are certainly far worse claims one could make for Arabs these days.
Classic 2008-09-20
Perhaps I was five or six when I first snuck into one of the cheapo movie theaters off of Myrtle Ave, in Queens, to see The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad. Or, perhaps I saw it first on WABC-TV's The 4:30 Movie, or late night, on Chiller Theater or Creature Feature. Regardless of when I first saw it, I was immediately hooked on the Ray Harryhausen special effects. Even in this day of CGI effects, I still prefer the older films, replete with blue screens that outlined actors against projected wonders, matte paintings, and stop motion photography. No, this is not a typical middle age belief that things were better in `ye olden days.' The computer graphics these days are far better and smoother than Harryhausen's antiquated system. But, it was the very artificiality of those effects that made them all the more scary, for dreams and nightmares are not mere reflections of reality, but refractions or distortions of reality, where things ripple, don't quite make sense, and are just a bit off. This more aptly describes the Harryhausen monsters, whose movements are a bit more herky-jerky (technically known as strobing) than those conjured up in the cyberworld for the screen. Thus, for me, those films will always be truer and scarier nightmares because of their very artifice.
There is no logic to much of the film, but it is a hoot, and has not an ounce of pretension in it. Who cares if the magician, who can animate skeletons, would seem to have no real use for a genie? Who cares if the genie could have wiped out the monsters and magician easily, if commanded, since he so easily moves the prolific Cyclops' treasure? Who cares if the Princess's father is ready to declare war on the Caliph of Baghdad for shrinking his daughter, when clearly the magician is to blame? And, who cares if the acting is all 100% cheeseball? B film hunk Kerwin Mathews, as Sinbad, is vapid and hammy, spouting off silly apothegms like, `Allah knows many ways of dealing with hungry men.' Perfect. Sexy Kathryn Grant- soon to marry Bing Crosby, is also perfectly ridiculous as an All-American Arab Princess Parisa. The only one of the three main characters that comes off with a modicum of respectability for his art is Torin Thatcher, as Sokurah the bald cross-eyed magician.
Yet, the real star of the 87 minute film, aside from Harryhausen's monsters, is the fantastic blaring brass score by Bernard Herrmann, in one of his best non-Hitchcock projects. From the first scene of the film, the viewer is sent on a thrill ride which, aside from a twenty or so minute lull in Baghdad, before the return Colossa, is truly non-stop. The soundtrack to the film even became a bestselling album in its day. Yet, the most frightening moment in the film comes not from anything actually seen onscreen, but when a storm rages at sea and the shrill chirping of unseen monsters drives Sinbad's criminal mutineers insane. Oddly enough, the sound seems to have been recapitulated a decade later by Stanley Kubrick in his coda for 2001: A Space Odyssey, after astronaut Dave Bowman descends into the infinite black obelisk around Jupiter, and has a phantasmagoric experience.
Movies such as this are terrific precisely because they are not great and they are not `cinema.' They are brief excursions from the dullness and frustrations of reality, and nothing more. As such, and almost half a century on, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad still succeeds in that mission as well as any other film ever to lighten human eyes. There are certainly far worse claims one could make for Arabs these days.
Some of the best of Harryhausen's creatures 2008-09-09
It's an incredible cinematic adventure as the legendary Sinbad sets off on a dangerous journey to the mysterious Island of Colossus. His quest is to break the spell cast over his beloved princess by a diabolical magician. But before he can save her Sinbad must battle an awesome collections of Mythical monsters - the man-eating Cyclops a saber-wielding skeleton a ferocious two-headed bird called the Roc and a fire-breathing dragon.System Requirements:Starring: Richard Eyer Kathryn Grant Kerwin Mathews and Torin Thatcher. Directed By: Nathan Juran. Running Time: 88 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2001 Columbia TriStar.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 043396011496 Manufacturer No: 01149
The Best of the Best! 2008-08-30
Although I don't have this restored 50th anniversary disc yet, I can say it's going to be wonderful! 50 years ago, when "7th Voyage" was released, I was a ten year old, just discovering Ray Harryhausen, and boy, this was THE MOVIE to discover him by! Today, this remastered version--in the original 1:66/1 aspect ratio--is the ONLY way to watch it: bye bye 'widescreen'!! Although I once had a 16mm print, it surely pales in comparison to the Blu-Ray and DVD versions now available at the 50th anniversary. Can't wait to lay my hands on this 'classic done right'; been waiting 50 years! Thanks Ray for all your hard work on this, then AND now!
The Best of the Best! 2008-08-30
Although I don't have this restored 50th anniversary disc yet, I can say it's going to be wonderful! 50 years ago, when "7th Voyage" was released, I was a ten year old, just discovering Ray Harryhausen, and boy, this was THE MOVIE to discover him by! Today, this remastered version--in the original 1:66/1 aspect ratio--is the ONLY way to watch it: bye bye 'widescreen'!! Although I once had a 16mm print, it surely pales in comparison to the Blu-Ray and DVD versions now available at the 50th anniversary. Can't wait to lay my hands on this 'classic done right'; been waiting 50 years! Thanks Ray for all your hard work on this, then AND now!
my opinion 
2008-06-24
Well i gave the movie 4 stars only because I didn't really care for it. But my kids and husband LOVED it. Just not my taste. But my 8 and 6 years old watch it over and over again. I just ordered another for my kids. The Golden Voyage I think. Anyway Its good for the boys when there is nothing but bad tv on.
Great! 2008-03-01
I like this movie for all the special effects. When I see a movie I like I buy it.
