Sinbad

Le Saboteur

Active member
No, not the comedian. It's Sinbad the Sailor we be after! Why he lacks a dedicated thread is baffling, but let's see if we can't rectify that omission.

sinbad-2.jpg



Sinbad is one of those characters who, like Batman, is so entrenched in the popular consciousness that people often forget his origins and more often than not haven't read the source material. Think about it for a moment; how many Batman fans do you know who have never read a single issue of the comic? I know three. Now how many of you knew that his origins lay in the The Book of One Thousand and One Nights? Yes, the Arabian Nights. Until recently, I hadn't. And I hadn't known that even that origin was contentious.

No, I had primarily introduced to the character through the efforts of John Phillip Law & Ray Harryhausen in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, & Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. The comics, video games, and stage show would come much later. Even Brad Pitt and Lou Ferrigno took a turn in the role!

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Yeah, I never thought he was Sinbad.

Goldenvoyage4.jpg


That's a little closer.

While we could venture further into Sinbad's many, many incarnations I thought we could stop here. Instead, while researching an unrelated topic, I learned that the UK's Sky 1 network is adapting the character to the small screen!

Sinbad-Crew-6.jpg


Trailer:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Uk8qV7v9_Bs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Behind the Scenes:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QiURf5voJZs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Who is Sinbad?

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gBHbi0rKaz4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Britons can see it now. I tried to check it out through Sky 1's on-line service to no avail, so North American viewers will need to wait until CBS decides to remake it; or, Syfy decides to pick it up. Whichever comes first.

Check out the series' site for more information here.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Sindbad!

Le Saboteur said:
No, not the comedian. It's Sinbad the Sailor we be after! Why he lacks a dedicated thread is baffling, but let's see if we can't rectify that omission.
Le Sabo, I have often thought of starting a thread but never bothered for one reason or another so I'm glad that you did.:hat:

Ah, Sindbad...(Yes, the proper spelling is 'Sindbad' with an extra 'd'!;))
Le Saboteur said:
Sinbad is one of those characters who, like Batman, is so entrenched in the popular consciousness that people often forget his origins and more often than not haven't read the source material. Think about it for a moment; how many Batman fans do you know who have never read a single issue of the comic? I know three. Now how many of you knew that his origins lay in the The Book of One Thousand and One Nights? Yes, the Arabian Nights. Until recently, I hadn't. And I hadn't known that even that origin was contentious.

No, I had primarily introduced to the character through the efforts of John Phillip Law & Ray Harryhausen in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, & Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. The comics, video games, and stage show would come much later. Even Brad Pitt and Lou Ferrigno took a turn in the role!
Before "Star Wars" and Indy came along, Sinbad was my hero. My introduction to him was watching "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" on TV as a wee lad. It was shown often and I loved it. Then seeing "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" in the theatres in 1974 made me even more crazy about him. My mother also bought me a Disney Read-Along record about Sinbad (which was curious because there was no Disney film about him).

I have read the original tales. In the mid-'80s, my girlfriend at the time gave me an "Arabian Nights" book as a birthday present. Her dad was a professor at McGill University and he was the one who recommended it after hearing that I liked the character. It's a nice hardcover book and I still have it to this day. What is interesting about the original stories is that they are told one-at-a-time to a poor man named, Hindbad, by a rich man named, Sindbad (a different character). Of course this larger story, in turn, is being recounted by Scheherazade each night.

Edgar Allan Poe wrote something called, "The Thousand and Second Tale of Scheherazade", which is about Sinbad's 8th voyage (and is what the Lou Ferrigno abomination-of-a-film is based on). I still need to find & read that one.
Le Saboteur said:
While we could venture further into Sinbad's many, many incarnations I thought we could stop here. Instead, while researching an unrelated topic, I learned that the UK's Sky 1 network is adapting the character to the small screen!
I will venture into the many incarnations.;) My video collection consists of:

(1936) Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (animated short)
(1947) Sinbad the Sailor
(1958) The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
(1963) Captain Sindbad
(1973) The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
(1977) Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
(1979) Sinbad the Sailor (animated TV special)
(1989) Sinbad of the Seven Seas
(1990) Scheherazade
(1996-1998) The Adventures of Sinbad (Canadian TV series)
(2003) Sinbad - Legend of the Seven Seas (animated film)
(2010) The 7 Adventures of Sinbad
(2011) Sinbad and the Minotaur

To my knowledge, a tale that I really enjoyed has yet to be filmed or animated. It isn't fantastical but it's damned good so, hopefully, this news TV series will cover it.

In Switzerland, I get a half dozen UK channels but not SKY! Aaargh!:( Guess I'll have to wait for an eventual DVD release. Thanks for the heads-up, Sab!(y)
 

Nurhachi1991

Well-known member
Sinbad is awesome!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oO8oSbfbL-Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

The Drifter

New member
I remember watching one long, long ago that I enjoyed. I can't remember much of it nor the title, but I knew that I liked it. If I can recall it seemed to have Mickey Rooney as some sort of hermit...

And, also Nurch, Sinbad was awesome with Phil Hartman in House Guest!
 

The Drifter

New member
Nurhachi1991 said:
What the heck happened to Sinbad anyway? He kind of just fell of the face of the earth ):

I have no idea, but I watched Jingle All the Way the other day. He's in that, but that came out around '97, I think.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Nurchachi1991 said:
Sinbad is awesome!
Le Sab's first words were: "No, not the comedian".:whip:
MinnesotaJones said:
Wait, this Lou Ferringo?:confused: He played Sinbad?
---
Ha! That film must have been awful.
Yes, Lou Ferrigno. The movie is terrible (and not even in a "so-bad-it's-good" type of way). It really STINKS.:sick:
The Drifter said:
I remember watching one long, long ago that I enjoyed. I can't remember much of it nor the title, but I knew that I liked it. If I can recall it seemed to have Mickey Rooney as some sort of hermit...
"Sinbad - The Battle of the Dark Knights" from 1998. I haven't seen it but, apparently, it's garbage. What did you recall liking about it?
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Stoo said:
Le Sabo, I have often thought of starting a thread but never bothered for one reason or another so I'm glad that you did.:hat:

Two of those reasons: Nobody would reply to it, and half of the responses would be about the comedian. Which is surprising considering the heavy influence of mythology on Sindbad's many incarnations.

Stoo said:
Ah, Sindbad...(Yes, the proper spelling is 'Sindbad' with an extra 'd'!;))

I've never liked that spelling. It reminds me of a city instead of a man. Sort of like Islamabad.

Stoo said:
I have read the original tales. In the mid-'80s, my girlfriend at the time gave me an "Arabian Nights" book as a birthday present. Her dad was a professor at McGill University and he was the one who recommended it after hearing that I liked the character. It's a nice hardcover book and I still have it to this day. What is interesting about the original stories is that they are told one-at-a-time to a poor man named, Hindbad, by a rich man named, Sindbad (a different character). Of course this larger story, in turn, is being recounted by Scheherazade each night.

I only recently started in on the collected 1,001 Nights that Penguin Classics released a couple of years ago. I haven't gotten to a Sinbad story yet, but I was surprised to see it listed in the table of contents.


Stoo said:
Edgar Allan Poe wrote something called, "The Thousand and Second Tale of Scheherazade", which is about Sinbad's 8th voyage (and is what the Lou Ferrigno abomination-of-a-film is based on).

I hadn't heard of that one, Stoo! Thanks for mentioning it. It's not in book format, but I did find it on-line. From what the brief reading I did, it appears that Poe intended it to be satirical. Guess he wasn't a fan!



Stoo said:
(1936) Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (animated short)

I think I have this, as well as Popeye & the Forty Thieves, on an old VHS tape. There was a third short I believe about the Sandwich Isles if I'm not mistaken.


I have the Brad Pitt animated film as well, and just recently picked up Golden Voyage and Eye of the Tiger on Blu-ray! Haven't watched them yet, but soon...

Stoo said:
(2011) Sinbad and the Minotaur{/QUOTE]

I saw this in the store as well, but opted not to pick it up. All the direct-to-teevee movies Syfy has made have been horrible. I'll probably rent it.

Sinbad+kissy+face+2.jpg


Stoo said:
In Switzerland, I get a half dozen UK channels but not SKY! Aaargh!:( Guess I'll have to wait for an eventual DVD release. Thanks for the heads-up, Sab!(y)

:hat:
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Some kind soul has taken to posting the series on Youtube in its entirety. If you're inclined to spend forty-five minutes of your time, you might give it a go before it's taken down.

Impressions?

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xQXyMP2j2_w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Le Saboteur said:
Two of those reasons: Nobody would reply to it, and half of the responses would be about the comedian. Which is surprising considering the heavy influence of mythology on Sindbad's many incarnations.
Quite frankly, knowing this crowd as much as one can, the lack of interest doesn't surprise me at all.:(
Le Saboteur said:
I've never liked that spelling. It reminds me of a city instead of a man. Sort of like Islamabad.
That's one of the reasons why I prefer the spelling. The Sindh river in the Indus Valley was once the border of the Persian empire and I think Sindbad is supposed to be a Persian who lived in modern-day Iraq. The 1963 movie, "Captain Sindbad", seems to be the only film (in English) to get his name right!
Le Saboteur said:
I only recently started in on the collected 1,001 Nights that Penguin Classics released a couple of years ago. I haven't gotten to a Sinbad story yet, but I was surprised to see it listed in the table of contents.
It was also a surprise to me when I received the book as a gift in 1985. My girlfriend at the time thought I knew where the stories came from so she was suprised at my surprise. (Only last year did I learn that the tales didn't originate in the "1001 Nights" and were put in there when famed explorer, Richard Burton, translated the book. That was another surprise!:eek:)

Enjoy the stories, Sabo. You will notice that his character is extremely different from the portrayals in films and Sinbad's encounter with a Cyclops is almost identical to that of Odysseus/Ulysses. (I'll also be curious to hear your thoughts of his 4th voyage.)
Le Saboteur said:
I hadn't heard of that one, Stoo! Thanks for mentioning it. It's not in book format, but I did find it on-line. From what the brief reading I did, it appears that Poe intended it to be satirical. Guess he wasn't a fan!
Thanks a lot for the link, my friend!:hat: Satire or not, it'll definitely be an interesting read.
Le Saboteur said:
I think I have this, as well as Popeye & the Forty Thieves, on an old VHS tape. There was a third short I believe about the Sandwich Isles if I'm not mistaken.

I have the Brad Pitt animated film as well, and just recently picked up Golden Voyage and Eye of the Tiger on Blu-ray! Haven't watched them yet, but soon...
The Brad Pitt animated film is highly enjoyable. There's also a Disney cartoon from 1935 but I've never seen it nor the animated, "Beyond the Veil of the Mists" with Brendan Fraser. Ever seen those?
Le Saboteur said:
I saw this in the store as well, but opted not to pick it up. All the direct-to-teevee movies Syfy has made have been horrible. I'll probably rent it.
Good decision to rent rather than buy "Sinbad and the Minotaur". The premise is interesting (searching for the head of the Colossus of Rhodes) but the overall film is quite awful. There's only about 1 minute of sailing, the villain is a carbon-copy of Sokurah from "7th Voyage" but without Torin Thatcher's acting chops. Plus, Sinbad is a butthead and his haircut is too modern (spiked hair with shaved temples). There's also some terrible dialogue such as, "So who did you **** off this time, Captain?":rolleyes:

Speaking of minotaurs:
Back in 1978, I read that one of the movies Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) worked on was, "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger", but I had never seen his name in the credits. Fast forward to a "Star Wars" convention in 1996 where I asked P.Mayhew about this at a Q&A session. He said that he was a stand-in for the stop-motion minotaur. He also added that he got sea-sick from filming on the deck.:sick:

This is just one of a few Sinbad/Star Wars/Indy connections that I shall bestow upon this thread.
;)

Thanks for posting the video of the new TV show. Going to watch it tonight!
 

Randolph Carter

New member
I'm a massive fan of the Ray Harryhausen Sinbad movies. Absolutely love them.

The new TV series is hugely disappointing.
I realize it has its fans, but for me, it's been a giant let down.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Stoo said:
In Switzerland, I get a half dozen UK channels but not SKY! Aaargh!:( Guess I'll have to wait for an eventual DVD release. Thanks for the heads-up, Sab!(y)

If you've managed to make it back to Norte America, Syfy has begun to air the first and only season of Sinbad. Yes, it was so popular in the UK that the axe fell hard and fast. This fact doesn't give me a lot of hope for the series' quality, but I could be surprised. It wouldn't be the first show to end up prematurely canceled.

A pair of launch trailers:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cRzqs1mw6zo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BdPW7KbtLAU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

6a01348361f24a970c017d425ae3f9970c-320wi

Syfy's show site can be found here.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Stoo said:
(2011) Sinbad and the Minotaur

Le Saboteur said:
I saw this in the store as well, but opted not to pick it up. All the direct-to-teevee movies Syfy has made have been horrible. I'll probably rent it.

I've seen the DVD on this on the same stall at the same boot sale for at least four weeks running.

I almost bought it for a £1 on the first week, but only because of the Undefeated Gaul connection. Then I considered how bad it probably was and left it.

Since it was still there a lot of other people seem to have felt the same way.
 

Henry W Jones

New member
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AmGKEPWLnw4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Wrong Sinbad?
 

WilliamBoyd8

Active member
One of my favorite movies was Ray Harryhausen's "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad".

The name "Sinbad" was originally in Arabic, the English names can be "Sinbad" or "Sindbad".
The same goes for "Bagdad" and "Baghdad".

The man that the press calls "Osama bin Laden" is called "Usama bin Laden" by the US Government.
No wonder he was so hard to find.

:)
 

Stoo

Well-known member
"Son of Sinbad" Screening

For anyone in the Montreal area, Le Cinéclub Film Society presents:

"Son of Sinbad" (1955) Technicolor 35mm

7:00pm Sunday, May 4
Cinéma deSève
1400 boul. de Maisonneuve West
(métro Guy-Concordia)

This one is rare. I've never seen it before and am in town! Totally stoked!(y)
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Stoo said:
Thanks for posting the video of the new TV show. Going to watch it tonight!

Did you ever sit down and check out the series? I started to, but then got annoyed with the image quality and stopped approximately halfway through the pilot episode. It's been one of those things I've been meaning to get back to watching, but never did.

Well, until now. I'm not sure of how the international rights break down, but Stateside, Hulu has the streaming rights for the entire first and only season! I'm two episodes in, and it's certainly an entertaining show thus far. The dhow is pretty cool, and they've spent a great deal of time at sea thus far. There was a swell looking roc, and some water demons that look like they're a cross between a hell hound a hippocampus. For a television budget, they're pretty awesome. Let's not forget the cannibalistic Lost Boys & Girls.

I'd recommend checking it out.

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While looking up something else, this popped up:

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Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage appears to have come out a couple of years ago in... Iran? Bollywood? I'm not sure, but the majority of the cast appears to be of (at least) Arabic origin. That's Captain Picard doing the narration, and it looks like it'll have a US-release sometime in 2014. Not sure if that'll be theatrical, but home video seems virtually certain.

For some people though, the real treat of the flick will be their use of classic stop motion animation a la Harryhausen!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/17hZIeXX-DA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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