[Robert Harris]

Well before the era of digital effects via which the wall between fantasy and reality could virtually be erased, there lived a hard working band of "digital" animators, who used small tools, as well as their digits to delicately manipulate all sorts of creatures the likes of Gertie the Dinosaur, King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, as well as a host of skeletons, harpies, a hydra, and the giant bronze Talos.

From Mr. Young onward through the 1950s and into the '80s with his work on Clash of the Titans, the most well-known purveyor of this special kind of "digital" magic has been Ray Harryhausen, now 88 years old.

My two Harryhausen's are (and always have been) 7th Voyage (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts, created five years later. These films represent the height of quality from that era as envisioned and created by Mr. Harryhausen.

These films were created for children and teens, but were viewed by young adults, and loved by all. Seen today the dialogue of 7th Voyage may seem a bit stilted, but the effects are not.

Here's where things get difficult however, especially when it comes to Blu-ray. Because of the taking stocks 7th Voyage has faded, especially in the dupes -- and all of the effects sequences encompassing both live action and effects are dupes. The dupes were always grainy, but slightly softened when printed via dye transfer.

Jason, created on a later stock should be far less problematic.

I've been reading comments on line about the grain, the overall look, and the concept of digital sharpening, leaving lines around different visual elements in the film. And I come away realizing that a great percentage of those viewing 7th Voyage simply don't understand what it is, how it was made, what it can and should look like, and precisely how far the image, especially from faded elements, could be pushed to make it presentable.

What I would suggest, with the web being a wonderful archive of information, is that the uninitiated to these works spend a bit of time reading about the difficulties in production and precisely how these films were created half a century ago. I believe that research will give a better mindset and general understanding of what is on screen, and why it looks as it does. One bit of research worth doing is for the term "matte lines."

A great deal of work and investment has gone into bring 7th Voyage to Blu-ray, and to my mind it has paid off handsomely as a wonderful gift to cinema aficionados.

As an aside, one of the other treasures of this film as well as Jason (which I hope will follow on blu) are the brilliant scores by Bernard Herrmann, which have been historically among the most sought after scores on vinyl.

Recommended.

RAH

[Ed St. Clair]

Thanks, as always.

[EnricoE]

about a year ago i saw jason and the argonauts in hd via hdnet movies and it was wonderful. sure, it had it's fair amount of grain and some smearing do the broadcast real-time encoding, still a high-bitrate of 18mbps, but in the end it was a great presentation. so without a doubt, robert you'll be pleased with the upcoming blu-ray release

i can't wait to get my hands on the 7th voyage!!!

[DaViD Boulet]

RAH,

glad to read your comments here. At dvdfile, I tried my best to educate readers about the history of the optical effects and the presence of the grain in the release print used for the transfer (I hope that my technical descriptions at least vaguely resembled reality). I feel very strongly that given the onslaught of "it didn't look as good at Toy Story" reviews for vintage material like this, it's important that informed reviewers do their part to help educate film lovers who might not fully understand the signature of photochemical/optical processes, especially in a film like this that's so effects-rich. I can't wait to see other Sinbad films on Blu and it will be a joy if Jason has better preserved earlier-generation source material that can be used for the transfer.

Funny to see you mention that the target audience was young kid/teen. I had never thought of that before watching this on blu-ray for review... growing up with these films on television, I was the right demographic when I first grew to love these films. But watching this Blu-ray Disc, the veil was removed and I was suddenly surprised to find that these movies were indeed targeted towards kids and young teens... not an adult mindset. Of course, anyone can enjoy the adventurous yarn, but the plot/script and acting do require a little more flexibility on the part of adult viewers.

[Douglas R]

I'm not entirely convinced that 7th Voyage was made for children. In the UK the film was given an A certificate when it first opened which meant that no one under 16 could see the film unless accompanied by an adult. At the age of 13 I had to plead with my father to take me to see it. He enjoyed it as much as me!

[Sam Posten]

Snagged this at Frys for $13 yesterday, looking forward to it bigtime!

[Tino]

Thanks for the review Robert, and your insight is much appreciated.

But I have one question, In your opinion, is this the best Sinbad could have looked, or could more have been done to make it look better than it does (while understanding how difficult it was to make this film "presentable, I must admit I was a bit disappointed with the transfer)?

Thanks again.

[Douglas R]

I think there are problems with the transfer in that I don't believe the amount of grain on display was present in theatrical screenings.

[Robert Harris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas R

I think there are problems with the transfer in that I don't believe the amount of grain on display was present in theatrical screenings.

Can you please clarify and fully define the words "theatrical screenings?"

[Douglas R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Harris

Can you please clarify and fully define the words "theatrical screenings?"

Well, I meant when the film was first released in cinemas in 35mm in 1958.

[Jesse Blacklow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas R

Well, I meant when the film was first released