Director: Richard Wallace
Year: 1947
Rating: 6.5
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.
