Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
Encyclopedia
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger is a 1977 fantasy film
, the third and final Sinbad film that Ray Harryhausen
made for Columbia, after The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
. The film was directed by Sam Wanamaker
. The live action was filmed in Spain
, Malta
, and Jordan
(at the tombs of ancient Petra
) between June and October of 1975, with Harryhausen's stop-motion animation work lasting from October 1975 up to March 1977.
Sinbad (Patrick Wayne
), sailor and Prince of Baghdad
, seeks permission from Prince Kassim to marry his sister Princess Farah (Jane Seymour
). But a spell is placed on Kassim by their evil stepmother Zenobia (Margaret Whiting) turning him into a baboon
(one of Harryhausen's stop-motion creations) just as he was going to be crowned caliph
. Sinbad sets off with Princess Farah to find an old Greek
alchemist
named Melanthius (Patrick Troughton
), who is said to know where to discover a cure than could break the evil spell.
Sinbad and his crew eventually find Melanthius and his daughter Dione (Taryn Power
), who agrees to help them with their quest. Melanthius tells Sinbad and his crew that they must travel to the land of Hyperboria where an anicent civilisation once existed, to find an ancient pyramid where Kassim can be cured. Zenobia, her son Rafi, and a bronze golem
named Minaton resembling a Minotaur
secretly stalk them. On their quest, Sinbad and his crew encounter creatures such as a trio of ghouls, a killer wasp
(effected by Zenobia's magic), a giant walrus
, a troglodyte
(a creature that is friendly to Sinbad and his crew), and Zenobia in the form of a defrosted smilodon
. In the end, Zenobia and her son are slain; Kassim is restored by the magic of Hyperborea and is crowned King upon his return.
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
, the third and final Sinbad film that Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
made for Columbia, after The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is a fantasy film released in 1974 and starring John Phillip Law as Sinbad. It includes a score by composer Miklós Rózsa and is known mostly for the stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen...
. The film was directed by Sam Wanamaker
Sam Wanamaker
Samuel Wanamaker was an American film director and actor and is credited as the person most responsible for the modern recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London...
. The live action was filmed in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
(at the tombs of ancient Petra
Petra
Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited...
) between June and October of 1975, with Harryhausen's stop-motion animation work lasting from October 1975 up to March 1977.
Plot
Patrick Wayne
Patrick John Morrison, better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne , is an American actor, the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films in his career, including nine with his father...
), sailor and Prince of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, seeks permission from Prince Kassim to marry his sister Princess Farah (Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (actress)
Jane Seymour, OBE is an English actress best known for her performances in the James Bond film Live and Let Die , East of Eden , Onassis: The Richest Man in the World , and the American television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman...
). But a spell is placed on Kassim by their evil stepmother Zenobia (Margaret Whiting) turning him into a baboon
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
(one of Harryhausen's stop-motion creations) just as he was going to be crowned caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
. Sinbad sets off with Princess Farah to find an old Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
named Melanthius (Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton
Patrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
), who is said to know where to discover a cure than could break the evil spell.
Sinbad and his crew eventually find Melanthius and his daughter Dione (Taryn Power
Taryn Power
Taryn Stephanie Power is an American actress and the younger daughter of the actor Tyrone Power and his second wife, Mexican actress Linda Christian.Deutsch, Linda . , Lewiston Evening Journal...
), who agrees to help them with their quest. Melanthius tells Sinbad and his crew that they must travel to the land of Hyperboria where an anicent civilisation once existed, to find an ancient pyramid where Kassim can be cured. Zenobia, her son Rafi, and a bronze golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
named Minaton resembling a Minotaur
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
secretly stalk them. On their quest, Sinbad and his crew encounter creatures such as a trio of ghouls, a killer wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
(effected by Zenobia's magic), a giant walrus
Walrus
The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
, a troglodyte
Caveman
A caveman or troglodyte is a stock character based upon widespread concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans may have looked and behaved...
(a creature that is friendly to Sinbad and his crew), and Zenobia in the form of a defrosted smilodon
Smilodon
Smilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
. In the end, Zenobia and her son are slain; Kassim is restored by the magic of Hyperborea and is crowned King upon his return.
Cast
- Patrick WaynePatrick WaynePatrick John Morrison, better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne , is an American actor, the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films in his career, including nine with his father...
as Sinbad - Taryn PowerTaryn PowerTaryn Stephanie Power is an American actress and the younger daughter of the actor Tyrone Power and his second wife, Mexican actress Linda Christian.Deutsch, Linda . , Lewiston Evening Journal...
as Dione - Margaret Whiting as Zenobia
- Jane SeymourJane Seymour (actress)Jane Seymour, OBE is an English actress best known for her performances in the James Bond film Live and Let Die , East of Eden , Onassis: The Richest Man in the World , and the American television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman...
as Princess Farah - Patrick TroughtonPatrick TroughtonPatrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
as Melanthius - Kurt Christian as Rafi
- Nadim SawalhaNadim SawalhaNadim Sawalha is a Jordanian-born English actor and father of actresses Julia and Nadia Sawalha.He was born in Madaba in 1935 and came to England from Jordan in the 1950s, to study drama...
as Hassan - Damien ThomasDamien ThomasDamien Thomas is a British actor noted for his roles in British films and television, such as his role as Richard Mason in the 1983 BBC production of Jane Eyre....
as Prince Kassim - Bruno BarnabeBruno BarnabeBruno Barnabe was a British film and stage actor. He performed in the West End, on Broadway, and in Egypt, Australia, and New Zealand.- Biography :...
as Balsora - Bernard KayBernard KayBernard Kay is a British actor with an extensive theatre, television and film repertoire.Kay began his working life as a reporter on Bolton Evening News, and a stringer for The Manchester Guardian. He was conscripted in 1946 and started acting in the army...
as Zabid - Salami Coker as Maroof
- David Sterne as Aboo-Seer