The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
is the second in the
trilogy of films about Sinbad the heroic sailor and his adventures
on the high seas. Again, it features the special effects of Ray Harryhausen
The plot sees Sinbad (played
by John Phillip Law) obtain one of the three pieces of a puzzle that is
believed to be a map showing the
location of the magical Fountain of Destiny, which bestows powers such
as renewed youth. Sinbad sets sail
for the lost continent of Lemuria, which is said to be the location of
the Fountain, but he is pursued by the evil
wizard Koura (Tom Baker), who is seeking the Fountain as part of his ambition
to conquer the country of Morabia.
He uses his dark powers to animate a range of stop-motion foes for Sinbad,
including a gargoyle, a
multiple sword-wielding statue of Kali and the figurehead of Sinbad's own
ship. However, there is a catch for Koura,
because each time he summons his "daemons of darkness"
he ages significantly,
and he is a very old man by the time he reaches the Fountain of Destiny.
Naturally he gets there first, and his youth is restored before
he engages in a final swordfight with Sinbad (in which he uses the power
of invisibility to try to defeat Sinbad).
Tom Baker is superb as the
evil Koura, in a performance that helped him to gain the role of the Doctor
(and this was one of his
last roles before stepping into the Tardis). He delivers a performance
that is suitably
menacing, yet you just cannot
help liking Koura. There are many moments in the film when the viewer is
reminded of the Doctor -
such as the wide staring eyes that became a Fourth Doctor trademark. 'The
Golden
Voyage of Sinbad' is worth
watching just for Tom Baker alone.
Quotes: Achmed:'You
will die if you go on this way.'
Koura:'To
summon the daemons of darkness there is a price. And each time I call upon them, it consumes part of me.'
click here to return to Tom Baker's Film Credits Page
