JohnHowardReid Copyright 31 December 1946 by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Palace: 22 January 1947. U.S. release: 13 January 1947. U.K. release: 18 August 1947. Australian release: 25 September 1947. 10,724 feet. 119 minutes.SYNOPSIS: On his 8th voyage, Sinbad finds himself competing with a beautiful princess, a blood-thirsty emir, a scheming barber and a mysterious thug called the Jackal for a treasure buried in the long-lost palace of Alexander the Great.NOTES: Negative cost: a staggering $2,460,000 - all of which is up there on the screen to enjoy and admire. Initial domestic rentals gross: around $3 million, which after paying print, advertising and distribution costs, probably broke even or made a small loss which overseas rentals would have turned into a very modest profit overall.COMMENT: I don't suppose we should be surprised that Sinbad was not nominated for any prestigious Hollywood award, though it easily outshone The Yearling in both the Color Cinematography and Color Art Direction categories. The trouble is of course that Sinbad was conceived purely as entertainment, not as "prestige". And what great entertainment it offers. True, the script is a trifle wordy, but I mean, who's listening all that intently when such breathtaking scenery and exotic costumes are constantly drifting past the camera? The dialogue has a poetic ring to it, and a lightly perfumed flavor of the Arabian Nights. Not a heavily authentic flavor it is true, but it will pass with all but the most finicky Burton scholars. And the performances are totally right. Fairbanks is perfect as the bragging Sinbad, Miss O'Hara surprisingly comes through with flying colors in a tricky role as a scheming princess who uses her beauty and romance as a tool, whilst Walter Slezak gives one of the most riveting portraits of his villainous career as a double-edged barber with more than close shaving on his mind. The support cast is full of familiar (if impenetrably bearded) faces, which just adds further pleasure to an already overcrowded slice of derring-do. Roy Webb's lyrical music score is a further major asset.OTHER VIEWS: A cleverly written, impishly played, and lightly directed romp through the exotic pages of your Arabian Nights. Mr Fairbanks plays with the right tongue-in-cheek bravado, Miss O'Hara is a Turkish delight to dazzle the eye, Mr Slezak the sort of smooth-talking, fast thinking villain to keep the action simmering (with a slight assist from the more openly mercenary Anthony Quinn) for 117 minutes. Sumptuous sets and costumes round out the tale very nicely thank you, though we do miss a few of the more exotic creatures of the Nights such as giants and djinns, monsters and wizards. -J.H.R. in Photoplayer.

Brendan Carroll A friend lent me the DVD of this film recently which gave me the chance to revisit a film that I first saw on TV when I was about 7. I will not bore you by repeating the complex plot (as almost every reviewer on IMDb seems compelled to do) but I will make some observations about this neglected classic.Firstly, Mr Fairbanks. Having spent most of his career up until 1941 trying to avoid comparisons with his famous father, here, he deliberately channels Douglas Fairbanks Senior and is utterly charming and compelling in the role. Better, he adopts some of his father's mannerisms and at one point even rubs or scratches his left palm when a theft is imminent, exactly as his father had done in THE THIEF OF THE BAGDAD some 20 years before. Most people probably didn't even notice this tribute to Doug Senior.Next, the almost continuous music score by Roy Webb is really excellent. Webb was RKO's house composer and is never mentioned much nowadays. He rarely got such a grandiose opportunity as this and he rises to the challenge beautifully.Last but not least, there is the performance by the great Walter Slezak. This is possibly his best role, although he also appeared memorably in Vincente Minelli's THE PIRATE around the same time and was equally outstanding.Slezak was the son of the famous Austrian tenor Leo Slezak and came to America when the Nazis annexed Austria (his father remained in Vienna). He was an accomplished actor in German films and on the stage and his performance in SINBAD THE SAILOR is absolutely delicious. His mesmerizing presence and exquisite delivery of some very classy dialogue are one of the joys of this film. The film is impressively mounted and unusually lavish for an RKO film, the color photography is ravishing and the large supporting cast well chosen.Oh, and Maureen O'Hara probably never looked as beautiful, though no attempt is made to explain just how an Arabian Princess acquired such a broad Dublin accent. Perhaps she went to a convent there to finish her education?In all, a delightful piece of old school Hollywood escapism with a highly literate script and very good special effects. Were it to be made today, the film would be smothered in CGi and unnecessary, gratuitous sex and violence. Watch it and mourn what the movies have lost.

olarko Don't look for derring-do, monsters, or any of the other usual trappings of the usual swashbuckler. This is not a usual film; rather, it's a very funny satire of the pirate movie and -- if you listen -- is very interesting! Sinbad is forever questioning his heritage until he reaches Dariabar; Shireen doesn't believe anything he says until she realizes that he really is Sinbad; she too has heard the legends of the fabulous sailor with whom she is truly in love. Melik and the Emir are interested only in gold -- as true villains are! The asides are hilarious; the dialogue is very well written. It's beautifully filmed -- the colors are wonderful as are the costumes and settings, and the acting is just right. I thoroughly recommend it!

Juha Hämäläinen Douglas Fairbanks Jr., like father like son. Or at least trying to be, as he dances the action almost in a way of ballet like his more legendary father used to do in many classic adventure films. Great sets and glorious colors give this adventure much the same charm as Alexander Korda's 1940 production of 'The Thief of Bagdad' has. The director has wisely used all advantage of them and created some truly fantastic pictures, that are delightfully beautiful and symmetric to look at. They seem like Edmund Dulac's illustrations from old fantasy books suddenly coming alive.Much in the same vein of 'The Thief' most of the acting is done with due exaggeration and tongue in cheek. Acting wise the hero is merely left to play the second fiddle to the villain, the stoical but creepy Anthony Quinn. But the real main attraction and a scene stealer for me is Maureen O'Hara as "the rose of Bagdad". Jane Greer also pops up as a servant to O'Haras princess, but unfortunately her role here is just too small. This is a great, fun fantasy from the golden age of Hollywood showing a specifically good example of its values for powerful production design and the film would probably deserve a little more recognition.