Review of Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977) by Blais E — 12 Dec 2010

My second choice as Maestro Harryhausen's greatest endeavor, I saw this over & over when it was initially released. The fantasy creatures, as usual, are superbly designed & brought to life in Mr Harryhausen's inimitable style; the battle between the benign ape-like Troglodyte & the enormous Sabre-Toothed Tiger is breath-takingly rendered, as is the attack from the bizarre, insect-like ghouls early on.

Jane Seymour, as Princess Farah, is as always, spectacularly beautiful, and the surprising casting of Big-Band songstress Margaret Whiting pays off in spades as she makes for a very memorable villainess as the conniving sorceress, Zenobia.

The only drawback is the casting of The Duke's son, Patrick Wayne, as Sinbad--while certainly a handsome, pleasant, & amiable enough fellow, he was a terribly flat actor who had none of the charisma of his father, & his monotoned line delivery is coma-inducing.