Mon 29 Jun 2009
A Movie Review by Dan Stumpf: SINBAD THE SAILOR (1947).
Posted by Steve under Action Adventure movies , Reviews1 Comment
SINBAD THE SAILOR. RKO, 1947. Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Maureen O’Hara, Walter Slezak, Anthony Quinn. George Tobias, Jane Greer, Mike Mazurki, Sheldon Leonard. Co-storywriters: John Twist & George Worthing Yates; director: Richard Wallace.
Moving on to swashbuckler movies from westerns, a while ago TCM did a series of “Sinbad” flicks which finally floated to the top of my to-be-watched pile.
Sinbad the Sailor is a lush 40s Technicolor extravaganza with odd touches of noir as an equivocating Douglas Fairbanks Jr. moves into uneasy alliance with an enigmatic Maureen O’Hara, and they both play cat-and-mouse with hard-boiled icons like Anthony Quinn, Walter Slezak, Jane Greer and even Mike Mazurki and Sheldon Leonard, all looking a bit out of place in Arabian Nights country, but giving it a shot anyway.
The stunt work is nothing to write books about (disappointing from a swashbuckler of Fairbanks’ pedigree) but the sheer, ebullient silliness of the thing carries it off.
Coming soon:
Dan’s reviews of Son of Sinbad (1955) and Captain Sinbad (1963). In the meantime, I wish I’d found a copy of this photo in color:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Fairbanks is energetic, but the stunt work is mostly minor considering his name. Still, it’s an attractive film with a sterling cast. Doug did several good films in the post war era such as The Exile, The Fighting O’Flynn, and State Secret. Slezak was fun in this one.
I think some of that noirish look may come from the influence of German expressionist fantasy on this film — like Joe May’s Indian Tomb and Lang’s Destiny, both influences on both Fairbanks Sr.s Thief of Baghdad, and the magnificent Korda remake.
Here’s a photo from an even better swashbuckler, The Black Swan with Power, Thomas Mitchell, Laird Cregar (as Morgan), and George Sanders sporting a wild red beard. And come to think of it Anthony Quinn is in that one too. Really gorgeous Leon Shamroy technicolor cinematography.
Whoever said technicolor was invented for Maureen O’Hara wasn’t kidding.
Swan is based on a great Rafael Sabatini novel that’s just a little below Captain Blood, Sea Hawk, and Scaramouche in terms of his best.
Dan, I’m looking forward to the review of Captain Sinbad (1963) an underrated later swashbuckler with Guy Williams and ripe villainy from Pedro Armendariz.