kids encyclopedia robot

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958 poster).jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Nathan H. Juran
Produced by Charles H. Schneer
Ray Harryhausen (associate producer)
Written by Kenneth Kolb
Starring Kerwin Mathews
Torin Thatcher
Kathryn Grant
Richard Eyer
Alec Mango
Music by Bernard Herrmann
Cinematography Wilkie Cooper
Editing by Roy Watts
Jerome Thoms
Studio Morningside Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) December 23, 1958 (1958-12-23)
Running time 88 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $650,000
Money made $3.2 million (est. US/ Canada rentals)

The 7th Voyage of Sinbad is an exciting adventure movie from 1958. It was filmed in Technicolor, which means it has bright, vivid colors. The movie tells a heroic fantasy story, directed by Nathan H. Juran. It stars actors like Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher, and Kathryn Grant. Columbia Pictures released the film, and Charles H. Schneer produced it.

This movie was the very first of three films about Sinbad the Sailor made by Columbia Pictures. The other two were The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). All three films were brought to life by Ray Harryhausen. He used a special technique he created called Dynamation. This method used full-color widescreen stop-motion animation to make amazing creatures move on screen.

Even though it's called The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, the movie doesn't follow the exact story of "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor" from the old tales. Instead, it takes ideas from the Third and Fifth voyages of Sinbad. In 2008, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was chosen to be kept safe in the United States National Film Registry. This means it's considered a very important movie for its culture, history, or beauty.

Story of the Adventure

The brave sailor Sinbad the Sailor and his crew land on a mysterious island called Colossa. There, they meet Sokurah, a powerful magician. Sokurah is running away from a huge, one-eyed cyclops. He escapes, but the cyclops takes his special magic lamp. Sinbad doesn't want to go back to Colossa right away. This is because Princess Parisa of Chandra is on his ship. Sinbad and Parisa are planning to get married. Their marriage will bring peace between her father's land and Sinbad's home, Baghdad.

Trouble in Baghdad

Back in Baghdad, Sokurah shows off his magic at the parties before the wedding. He even turns Parisa's handmaiden into a snake-like creature for a short time. Sokurah warns everyone about a dark future and war. But the Caliph of Baghdad, who is like a king, still won't help him go back to Colossa. Later that night, Sokurah secretly uses his magic to shrink Princess Parisa! This makes her father, the Sultan of Chandra, very angry. He declares war on Baghdad.

Now, Sinbad and the Caliph have no choice but to help Sokurah. The magician explains that they need the eggshell of a giant bird called a Roc. This eggshell is needed to make a potion that will make Parisa big again. The only place to find a Roc egg is on Colossa. Sokurah gives Sinbad plans for a huge crossbow. This weapon will help protect them from the island's giant monsters.

Journey to Colossa

7th voyage of Sinbad - Roc
Sinbad and his men confront the Roc.

Sinbad gathers more crew members, even some from the Caliph's prisons. Before they reach Colossa, a tricky man named Karim convinces these new crewmen to take over the ship. They capture Sokurah, Sinbad, and his loyal men. A terrible storm hits, and strange, sad sounds from a nearby island make the crew almost crazy. The ship is in danger. One of the captured men frees Sinbad so he can save them. Karim falls to his death from the ship's mast during the storm.

Facing the Cyclops

On Colossa, Sinbad, Sokurah, and six crew members go into the valley where the cyclops lives. Sinbad's loyal helper, Harufa, follows them. Sinbad and Sokurah split up. Sinbad and his men find the cyclops' treasure cave. But a cyclops captures them and locks them in a wooden cage. Meanwhile, Sokurah finds his magic lamp. But the cyclops chases him, and three of the men are killed. With help from tiny Parisa, Sinbad escapes. He then blinds the cyclops and tricks it into falling off a cliff. Sinbad decides to keep the magic lamp until Parisa is back to her normal size.

The Roc and the Genie

Sokurah leads Sinbad and his hungry men to where the giant Rocs nest. Because they are so hungry, Sinbad's men try to break open a Roc egg. A baby Roc hatches, but the men kill it and cook it for food. While they are eating, Parisa goes into the magic lamp. She becomes friends with Barani, a child-like Genie who lives inside. Barani tells her how to call him for help. In return, Parisa promises to set him free. The parent Roc returns and kills the men who ate its chick. Sinbad tries to call the genie, but the Roc grabs him. The giant bird flies high and drops Sinbad, who falls unconscious into its nest. Sokurah kills Harufa and takes the princess to his secret underground fortress.

Final Battle and Freedom

Sinbad wakes up and rubs the magic lamp. Barani appears and takes Sinbad to Sokurah's fortress. Barani helps Sinbad get past a chained dragon that guards the place. Sinbad reaches Sokurah, who finally makes Princess Parisa normal size again. Sinbad refuses to give Sokurah the lamp. So, the magician brings a skeleton warrior to life! Sinbad fights and destroys the skeleton with his sword. With the genie's help, Sinbad and Parisa find their way out of the cave. They stop to destroy the magic lamp by throwing it into a pool of hot lava. This sets Barani the genie free!

Leaving the cave, they meet another cyclops. Sinbad releases the dragon, which fights and kills the cyclops. Sinbad and Parisa escape. But Sokurah orders the dragon to hunt them down. Sinbad heads to the beach, where his men have set up the giant crossbow. They use it to kill the dragon. The dying dragon falls on Sokurah, crushing him. Sinbad, Parisa, and the remaining crew sail back to Baghdad. Barani, now a human boy, joins them as Sinbad's cabin boy. As a final act of magic when he was freed, Barani filled the captain's cabin with the treasure from the cyclops' cave. It was a wedding gift for Sinbad and Parisa!

Meet the Cast

Here are some of the main actors and the characters they played in the movie:

  • Kerwin Mathews as Sinbad, the brave sailor
  • Kathryn Grant as Princess Parisa
  • Richard Eyer as Barani, the friendly Genie
  • Torin Thatcher as Sokurah, the tricky magician
  • Alec Mango as the Caliph of Baghdad
  • Harold Kasket as the Sultan, Princess Parisa's father
  • Alfred Brown as Harufa, Sinbad's loyal helper
  • Nana DeHerrera as Sadi
  • Nino Falanga as Gaunt Sailor
  • Luis Guedes as Crewman
  • Virgilio Teixeira as Ali, one of Sinbad's crewmen
  • Danny Green as Karim, the leader of the mutineers
  • Juan Olaguivel as Golar

Movie Music

The music for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was written by Bernard Herrmann. He was also well-known for working with director Alfred Hitchcock. Herrmann also wrote the music for three other Harryhausen films: Mysterious Island, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, and Jason and the Argonauts. Ray Harryhausen thought the music for The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was the best of the four. He felt that Herrmann's main song for the movie made people really feel for the story.

Robert Townson, who produced the soundtrack, recorded the music again in 1998. He said the music was rich and full of life. He believed The 7th Voyage of Sinbad showed how film music can be a true art form. He even said the music could stand alongside any great music written in that century.

Comic Book Versions

The story of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad was also made into comic books:

  • Dell Four Color #944 (September 1958)
  • Marvel Spotlight #25 (December 1975)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Simbad y la princesa para niños

kids search engine
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.