The 7th Voyage of Sinbad

Sinbad has to reach an island ruled by a horned giant in order to restore a princess who has been shrunk to the size of a hand. The plot is thin, but the plot is not the reason the film exists. Ray Harryhausen's creatures are. What you are watching is a technical turning point. The method puts live action and animated miniature models into a single frame, and here Harryhausen was working it in colour. There is a cyclops, a two headed bird, a fire breathing dragon and, most famous of all, a sword fight against a skeleton. That duel still explains better than any argument what handmade effects work looks like. Bernard Herrmann's score lifts the whole thing a second time. The weaknesses are obvious. The acting is flat, the dialogue is boilerplate, and the vision of the East runs on the cliches of its era, with costumes and characters that are uncomfortable now. Who it is for: lovers of classic fantasy adventure and stop motion history. Who it is not for: anyone expecting realistic effects.