Director: Richard Wallace
Year:  1947
Rating: 6.5

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Here is another Technicolor fantasy adventure film that sips deeply from the exoticism of the Arabian Nights. Everyone knows of Sinbad's seven journeys that have been told for centuries to children or groups gathering around a fire late at night but few know of his eighth journey but here it is. Douglas Fairbanks Jr plays the dashing hero as he always does - with exaggerated expressions and athletic grace (one sequence of him escaping the palace is pure dance and quite wonderful), flowery speech, a wide grin when in danger, a knowing look when with a beautiful woman - the swashbuckler who followed in the footsteps of his father of course but also of Errol Flynn who sort of trademarked the whole genre. Flynn apparently told Fairbanks that the swashbuckler era was over and he should decline the film - but it still had some legs on it. But for Fairbanks this was a return to film - he had been in the army for five years - his last film had been The Corsican Brothers in 1941. Kudos to him. Many stars joined the military but not many gave up five premiere years of their career. The film did only ok at the box office and in truth his best years were over.


Along for the ride are some well-known names - Maureen O'Hara again looking spectacular in Technicolor, Anthony Quinn, Walter Slezak, Jane Greer, Mike Mazurki, George Tobias and Alan Napier (the last 4 in small roles). It has that Arabian mystique and designs that all these sort of films indulge in - you wonder if they just passed the same sets to different studios to use - wonderfully lavish architecture, sets and costumes with harem girls and servants like running water. A lot of the pleasure of these old films now is just how good they look. From a distance I expect.


Sinbad is in a bazaar spinning tales of wonder to the onlooking men when he says - did I ever tell you about my 8th journey? Oh not another made up tale say the men - take it elsewhere - but Sinbad proceeds because he really enjoys being the center of attention like a two-bit politician. He and his friend (Tobias) are out near the shore when they see an empty ship rushing to the rocks and so they swim out and make claim to it - the dead bodies on it worry them not. It turns out that this is a famous ship - owned by Prince Ahmed who has been looking for the Treasure of Alexander the Great.



Everyone takes Sinbad for Ahmed and he plays along. This leads to an adventure - almost but not quite like the Treasure of Sierra Madre (certainly not as dirty) when a group of disparate characters - Quinn as a ruler who has everything but wants more, a woman (O'Hara) who is playing the angles and using her beauty to play both sides, a barber played by Slezak - who seems kindly but it is Slezak so you know he is probably up to no good and Sinbad of course. Betrayals and changes of fortune come around like a merry-go-round. It is nothing great - forgotten among a swarm of similar films - but fairly enjoyable.