Ray Harryhausen gets the 4K treatment for his first colour classicBy Jim Bray Nerds around the world rejoice! One of the movies that inspired generations of people to either geek out happily or pursue a career in special effects (or both!), has finally reached 4K disc status, and it's a fine package. The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was Ray Harryhausen's first colour feature after working for years in the world of black and white, and partially because of that it was a groundbreaking film in the annals of cinefantastique. It featured a classic Arabian Nights-type tale brimming with fantastic creatures and a fantastic musical score by Bernard Herrmann – who would also score a few more of Harryhausen's epics and some of Alfred Hitchcock's outings as well. And the 4K package includes enough interesting Harryhausen (and Herrmann) stuff to keep you fascinated for hours on end. Or even on your rear end! The 7th Voyage is about as straightforward an action/fantasy film as a Ray Harryhausen movie can be, but it's also so much more – mostly because it's a Harryhausen movie. And that caveat means it's a real spectacle as well. The film stars Kerwin Matthews in the title role, with Kathryn Grant (later Mrs. Bing Crosby) as the girl/princess/requisite love interest. The bad guy is played by Torin Thatcher, who brings great screen presence to his role as a sorcerer bound and determined to keep possession of a magic lamp and the genie who's trapped inside waiting to be summoned to do his master's bidding. The script, written by Kenneth Kolb, sees Sinbad and his crew land at a mysterious island (the Island of Colossus) where he meets and faces Thatcher's evil magician, the genie, and a terrific variety of Harryhausen's trademark critters, from two headed Rocs and giant Cyclopses to a skeleton swordsman and a mean, fire breathing dragon. The first time on the island Sinbad and his crew find themselves menaced by a Cyclops and it's all they can do to get away. But get away they do, bringing Sokurah (Thatcher) along with them, who rewards them by whining and scheming to get Sinbad (or anyone, actually) to mount an expedition back to Colossus to retrieve the magic lamp he lost there and which is by then in the possession of the Cyclops. Naturally, Sokurah prevails and Sinbad, his crew, and Princess Parisa (Grant/Crosby) head back to Colossus. On the way there, Sinbad has to deal with a mutinous crew and other interesting stuff, and once there, the real fun part of the adventure starts as Sinbad and his guys search for the Cyclops' lair, in the process being attacked by the Roc and facing other challenges including the abovementioned dragon and skeletal soldier. It's a lot of fun and Harryhausen is in great form in this outing. The animation and other special effects are what Harryhausen fans have come to know and love, and I also loved Bernard Herrmann's musical score. The 4K treatment is great, but it's also a doubled edged sword. That's because it's extremely grainy, thanks to the various layers of film Harryhausen required to meld the animated stop motion (er, Dynamation) puppets with the live elements that were filmed long before Ray had a chance to get his talented hands on the "effectiveness". That said, I liked the Blu-ray when it came out (there's also a Blu-ray in this package, as well as a digital code), so I expected a nice upgrade to the UHD technology. And it is a nice upgrade, the best video version of the film yet, appreciably better than the Blu-ray. So I'm happy. I'm also happy they didn't digitally correct the grain or other artifacts – or if they did, they did it so it doesn't show. Then there are the supplements, which Harryhausen fans should love. I don't think any of the supplements are new (most of them are on the Blu-ray and it appears identical to the one released for the film's 50th anniversary), but most of them are well worth the Harryhausen geek's time. The 4K disc gives you a terrific, hour-long Harryhausen Chronicles documentary, narrated by Leonard Nimoy. This was my favourite of all the supplements – well, that and the John Landis interview with Harryhausen that's on the Blu-ray. You also get the trailer. Over on the Blu-ray there's plenty more meat to sample. First up is an exquisite audio commentary featuring the Great Man himself, accompanied by Phil Tippet and Randal William Cook, animators he inspired when they were kids, as well as author Steven Smith and producer Arnold Kunert. It's gold! There's also about a half hour's worth of "Remembering the 7th Voyage of Sinbad", a similiarly-lengthed "The Music of Bernard Herrmann", "a Look Behind the Voyage", a quick "This is Dynamation" promo, and an image gallery. You also get the music video "Sinbad May Have Been Bad, But He's Been Good to Me Music Video." And then there's the abovementioned Landis interview with Harryhausen. Landis, who grew up to be a director of some note and/or infamy, is like a kid in a candy store as he speaks with his hero. They discuss Jason and the Argonauts for the most part, that that's fine with me. In fact, Jason is my favourite Harryhausen movie so even though the interview isn't necessarily particularly relevant to 7th Voyage, it's still most welcome. Bottom line for this 4K outing is that Harryhausen fans should head over to their favourite video retailer, whether online or brick and/or mortar, and pick up this fine example of one of Ray Harryhausen's most famous films. Now, how about Jason and Harryhausen's other Sinbad movies? I liked the Golden Voyage of Sinbad even better than 7th Voyage and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, while comparatively weak compared to Harryhausen's other Sinbad movies, is still a fun time in the home theatre. Heck, release all Harryhausen's films! There isn't a really weak one among them and all are well worth owning – especially (hopefully!) in 4K. Copyright 2026 Jim Bray |
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