This Arabian Nights swashbuckler was another revisit to a film I had first come across during childhood. Considering the popularity of its titular figure, it’s odd that it has yet to be released on DVD; in fact, I had to make do with a soft and washed-out print (sourced from VHS) for this viewing. Incidentally, I had intended to schedule the film over Christmas to go with the other Arabian Nights stuff I watched back then – CHU CHIN CHOW (1934), etc. – but ended up postponing it. Now seemed like a good time to get to SINBAD due to the overlapping of various cast and crew members with such recently-viewed titles in the same vein as FRENCHMAN’S CREEK (1944), THE Spanish MAIN (1945) and AGAINST ALL FLAGS (1952).
Anyway, the film is colorful entertainment – albeit overstretched at nearly two hours – in which Douglas Fairbanks Jr. admirably emulates his iconic father’s flamboyant style, particularly his craving gestures from THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1924). For the record, the younger Fairbanks himself appeared in a number of other swashbucklers: these include adaptations of such literary classics as THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937; the definitive version and, interestingly, in a villainous role – Rupert of Hentzau) and THE CORSICAN BROTHERS (1942; obviously in a dual role) as well as Max Ophuls’ typically stylish solitary excursion in the genre, THE EXILE (1947). By the way, given that this was the first cinematic Sinbad, his characteristics aren’t as yet those of the wholesome yet stoic hero featured in the later Ray Harryhausen effects-laden extravaganzas – rather he’s depicted as a rogue and a charlatan, albeit a lovable one.
Maureen O’Hara is, once again, the leading lady – even if her character isn’t as well-developed as the ones she played in either THE Spanish MAIN or AGAINST ALL FLAGS. Anthony Quinn is rather dull as an Arab potentate after a fortune in jewels and gold, the legacy of Alexander The Great lost to the ages. Walter Slezak’s character, however, is a memorable one – with a cowardly and eccentric exterior concealing his true self, a legendary ruthless villain named Jamal. Also in the cast are George Tobias as Sinbad’s comic-relief sidekick, Sheldon Leonard as a flustered auctioneer and Alan Napier, turning up towards the end as the guardian of the coveted treasure chest.
Anyway, the film is colorful entertainment – albeit overstretched at nearly two hours – in which Douglas Fairbanks Jr. admirably emulates his iconic father’s flamboyant style, particularly his craving gestures from THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1924). For the record, the younger Fairbanks himself appeared in a number of other swashbucklers: these include adaptations of such literary classics as THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937; the definitive version and, interestingly, in a villainous role – Rupert of Hentzau) and THE CORSICAN BROTHERS (1942; obviously in a dual role) as well as Max Ophuls’ typically stylish solitary excursion in the genre, THE EXILE (1947). By the way, given that this was the first cinematic Sinbad, his characteristics aren’t as yet those of the wholesome yet stoic hero featured in the later Ray Harryhausen effects-laden extravaganzas – rather he’s depicted as a rogue and a charlatan, albeit a lovable one.
Maureen O’Hara is, once again, the leading lady – even if her character isn’t as well-developed as the ones she played in either THE Spanish MAIN or AGAINST ALL FLAGS. Anthony Quinn is rather dull as an Arab potentate after a fortune in jewels and gold, the legacy of Alexander The Great lost to the ages. Walter Slezak’s character, however, is a memorable one – with a cowardly and eccentric exterior concealing his true self, a legendary ruthless villain named Jamal. Also in the cast are George Tobias as Sinbad’s comic-relief sidekick, Sheldon Leonard as a flustered auctioneer and Alan Napier, turning up towards the end as the guardian of the coveted treasure chest.