Sinbad the Sailor (1947)

The trailer calls Sinbad "gay" and they are dead on.It's very hard to believe that he's interested in the extremely hot Maureen O'Hara. It also calls Maureen "the loveliest prize in Arab". I have no clue where Arab is but she sure is lovely. I assume this is the first Sinbad movie and although there are no Ray Harryhausen monsters,it's still a good movie. Sometimes they ramble and I found myself not paying attention but there's plenty of action to make up for that. As usual,Sinbad assembles a crew(not shown) but this time he has a Chinese barber that he doesn't trust. Why do they need a barber?Why let him shave you if you don't trust him?. It's your typical Sinbad story...adventure,action and plenty of hot girls. This is a movie you should see.

Sinbad the Sailor is directed by Richard Wallace and written by John Twist and George Worthing Yates. It stars Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Maureen O'Hara, Walter Slezak, Anthony Quinn, George Tobias and Jane Greer. Music is scored by Roy Webb and Technicolor cinematography by George Barnes.Sinbad (Fairbanks Jr.) regales all about his Eighth Voyage, where he went to the fabled island of Deryabar in search of the lost treasure of Alexander the Great.There's so much good about Sinbad the Sailor, the lush colour photography, the skilfully constructed sets and paintings, Roy Webb's evocative score, costuming to dazzle the eyes and Fairbanks Junior with energy and athleticism to burn. The trouble is that RKO only push the boat out half way, for they have let the writers come up with a very verbose screenplay, one which is painfully stretched to nearly two hours of film! For a family fantasy adventure film there is a surprisingly small amount of action to entertain the masses. When it comes, in dribs and drabs, it's well put together and a merciful relief, but alas, more elongated passages of barely worthwhile dialogue is just around the corner.Still, the good points in the production are reason enough to sit through the two hours. Even the casting decisions, that sees American, Irish, Austrian & Mexican actors playing Asians, are forgiven given the gusto and charm they put into their respective roles. But don't be fooled, the poster proclaimed it as "One Of The Greatest Adventures Of All Times", that would be true, if only they had shaved about 30 minutes off of the first hour! 6/10

Visually breathtaking, this RKO Technicolor fantasy is a sumptuous feast, funny, campy and deliriously entertaining. There is really no reason or point to complain about any silly thing in this gloriously silly and funny film because it is produced like that already. But, wow, a Technicolor treat of truly 'gasp out loud' art design and set construction reactions, and hilarious for kids as well. Maureen O'Hara makes as unlikely a princess (think, casting) as anyone else thoroughly enjoying themselves in this expensive storybook feast. Made for $2.6m in 1946 and all of it there on screen, this film boasts a wondrous supporting cast of character players... even Sheldon Leonard as a startled auctioneer, and sexy Jane Greer all dressed in harem finery. The real art deco splendor of the Arabian styled art direction really kicks into high spectacle when they sail to Daraynbar and go to the Princess' palace... there is a green corridor with a incredible spiral staircase: scenes where I found myself repeating just to believe what I was seeing. This is a really beautiful funny film and a lot of fun... but the color the costumes and the sets are beyond belief in their Hollywood fantasy imagery. I guess after the Universal series of similar films with Maria Montez and even Monogram's success with THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER it seems RKO wanted to top the lot for sheer dazzling screen imagery and fantasy screen fun. They succeeded!

Simply stated, Douglas Fairbank, Jr. makes this film an effective tribute to his father's much more enjoyable classic "The Thief of Bagdad". Everything from the setting, the story, and the characters mirror that classic silent film. Fairbank, Jr.'s gestures, movements, and most notably his mock laughter towards his adversaries denote his father's performance.Sadly, the film itself does not so nobly mirror "Thief". From bad dialog, poor effects, and an uninspired story we're left with an average adventure film. Only the performances of the actors and the beautiful Technicolor photography raise this film from mediocrity.Maureen O'Hara as the "princess" provides a strong, sexy female lead to this male dominant cast. Walter Slezak chews up the scenery as a slimy heavy. Even Anthony Quinn gets into the act as a competitor to Fairbanks for O'Hara and the inevitable "treasure".Fairbanks provides the best performance of the cast, one more compelling if you've seen any of his father's films. He captures his father's charm brilliantly. Unfortunately, he lacks his father's physical prowess as is evident by the abundant use of stunt doubles.I casually recommend this film to anyone who enjoys Fairbanks, Sr. films, pirate films, or to anyone who just likes looking at Maureen O'Hara--in Color! If you can find a copy of this film on video check it out.