Monday 28 November 2005

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

With today's dependence on CGI, it is hard to remember how remarkable Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects were in days gone by.  While not as innovative as those in his earlier "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad", the ones here are pretty nifty -- figureheads that spring to life, dueling six-handed statues, a cyclops and so on.  What isn't too remarkable is the standard of the acting from the lead (John Philip Law), his leading lady (Carolyn Munro), and downward.  Apart from the big villain, they're all on the wooden side, and since they are reacting to things that weren't there while filming, they stare blankly into outer space or fixate willy-nilly with eyes like those out of "Ivan the Terrible".  Never mind it's still good fun if one can force one's mindset to a simpler time.  

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