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Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The (1974)
A fine, clear morning, and all is well!
Higher! Ahoy there! Look up! Fetch me a bow. Look. Captain? Captain Sinbad? Up there in the sky. It's holding something. Abdul. Shines like gold. Too strange to be an albatross. A jackdaw? They steal bright things. No, no. Too big for a jackdaw. Omar! You fool! You have brought bad luck on us all! Captain! Cast it over the side. It is evil. I feel it. [ Bird Squawks ] Captain! For the love of Allah, cast it overboard. I think I'll keep it. [ Thunderclap ] Sinbad! Sinbad! Sinbad! Sinbad! - Sinbad! - [ Thunderclap ] [ Men Shouting, Indistinct ] [ Shouting Continues ] I can't hold her, Captain. She's running before the wind! Look! We're being driven onto the rocks! Slice that sail! Let it drift if you have to! Abdul! Allah, give me strength! Sinbad! Sinbad! Marabia. It must be Marabia. We are way off course. No. The dream I had, Rachid- This is all part of it somehow. We've been brought here by some mysterious force. Is it not written that a wise man will try to realize his dream, to follow it? Some say it is through dreams that Allah speaks to mortal man. To forsake the dream- Is to forsake him! Captain, he who walks on fire will burn his feet. Captain? I'm going ashore. Aye, there's a good anchorage beyond. That's where we'll meet. Do as he says! We make for the anchorage! You are Captain Sinbad? I am. You are also a thief. And a thief is a king until he is caught. The bauble that hangs at your throat, Captain, is mine. Hand it to me, or you will have no throat. You'll be dead if you don't. You stole it from my courier. Very well. - Hi-yah! - [ Whinnies ] [ Man ] Koura! The black prince! Prince Koura! [ Chanting ] [ Chanting ] [ Whinnies ] We have waited for you a long time. He escaped, Achmed. He rode into the city and escaped me. The sultan's guards were there to help him. But you are all right. I brought the city gates down upon their foolish faces. Master, your hand! We must hurry. He who searches for pearls should not sleep. Sinbad is even now with the vizier. I must hear what passes between them. Walls have mice, and mice have ears. - [ Caws] - I have my spy. He has failed me once, but never twice. You tell a strange tale, Captain. Nevertheless, one fact makes me believe your story. The amulet around your neck- it makes us allies against the same enemy who covets it as much as I. Fate, destiny have brought us together. I would like to think so. Why? Our country is being choked alive by a great evil visited on us by Prince Koura. Koura? The one who attacked me? A man versed in every black art... and dedicated to bringing this domain under his power. Please. I have an equally strange tale to tell. When our sultan died without a son, he made me heir to two things- the two being part of one secret. What are these two things you speak of? You shall see. [ Doors Creak, Slam, Lock ] Here is the first. These pictures tell the story of a legend as yet unrealized. Little remains. As our sultan breathed his last breath, and I hastened here to read the secrets, a great ball of fire engulfed this room- a fire which took away my face... and left these few scorched patches that now you see. A ball of fire? It was Koura's work. You spoke of two things bequeathed thee. Here is the second, something the fire could not destroy- A token, a sign, a riddle. It is said the riddle will begin to be unraveled... when this and the one about your neck... are placed before a great eminence who dwells in a temple of many faces. And yet still incomplete. A perfect match. [ Vizier ] You see? I was right, Captain. Only destiny could have brought you here. Yeah, but it's still a riddle. These, this- The key to a great and mighty secret? What secret? What is to be revealed? Power. Absolute power. Power to rid this land forever of Koura's black and ugly ambitions. If this power were to fall into Koura's hands- [ Vizier ] That thought constantly torments me. [ Voice Echoing ] If Koura were to obtain absolute power, freedom and happiness would be lost. Absolute power. I pray to Allah that he does not hear me. We will see to it, you and I, that we solve this mystery before Prince Koura. If Allah be willing. Part of it must be here. I see a ship. A long voyage. An island. And these foreboding symbols can only mean danger of death. Or great riches perhaps. A lost treasure. Or it could mean nothing at all. The more I study it, the greater the puzzle becomes. What of these? There is a third part still to be found. It must be found, or our land will be plagued forever. But how to get the third? Vizier. Don't you see it? The meridian? There are shoals at the island? It's a chart, Vizier! A nautical chart. And you are a sea captain. Allah be praised! [ Laughing ] [ Laughs ] You. You can go home. Is this a ship or a monastery? - We sail with the tide! - She only removed two veils. [ Laughter] If the winds are with us, we should reach this area before the rise of Venus. Then we follow Orion into waters I've never sailed before. Why do you stare at me? You have the belief of destiny, for that is what has brought us together. Possibly. With Allah's help, we will surely triumph. There is an old proverb I choose to believe. Trust in Allah... but tie up your camel. [ Rustling ] [ Yelps ] It is Koura's spy, his watchdog. Quick! Quick! [ Chirping ] There! [ Chirps ] Already it may have betrayed us. [ Chirps ] [ Sinbad ] In name of the Almighty, what was it? Koura's creation- a living homunculus- an extension of his eyes and ears. And with it, he now knows as much as we. It's a race then. A duel! We seek an island, an ultimate destination. He will also seek it. Find me a ship and a captain who can be trusted. We must sail with the next tide. [ No Audible Dialogue ] [ Grunts ] [ Grunts ] All right, all right! Splendid! Excellent! You're even better than they say. Sinbad, isn't it? Captain of the ship that lies offshore? - Aye. - Ahh! I am Hakim, owner of this ornate establishment. I wish to employ you. Sorry. I sail with the tide. It is only a small service- No longer than it takes to drink a coffee. - I'm sorry. - No, just hear me. It will only take a moment. It's only a small service. This is my son, Haroun- a fool. 200 gold coins if you take him with you. Take him with me? [ Laughs ] I couldn't even use him for ballast! 300 gold coins. My friend, you cannot pick up two melons with one hand, and I cannot work miracles. Hurry. Come sit down. The girl. That girl? A worthless slave. You view her with favor? She is yours. I give her freely, along with my son and 400 gold coins. What is your name? Margiana. That mark. How did you get it? I don't know. I've had it since I was a child. - An evil eye. - No, no. It won't come off. - A good omen, perhaps. - Yes, to ward off evil spirits. [Sinbad ] You have nothing to tell me? She is curvaceous, not deliciously fat as I prefer, but at night, a cottonseed is the same as a pearl. She finds favor in my eyes. Yes? It's a bargain- The girl, my son and 400 gold coins. Allah will smile on you. More likely he will laugh at me. Bring them to my ship. It shall be done. A very strange trip, this one. Grand Vizier! Look what's coming. As-salaam alaikum. I've heard of gold going to a man's head. But this? - Cast off. - [ Man ] Slip the gangplank. Cast off! [ Man ] Cast off! Raise the sails. Up! [ Shouts, Indistinct ] Fair wind, Captain. [ Shouts ] A fair wind and a fine one. [ Crewman Shouting ] Every voyage has its own avor. - You know what is expected, Captain. - Aye, my lord. In few moments, Sinbad's ship will come around that headland. Follow him, Captain- gently, cunningly, keeping him always just within sight. He who is patient obtains. You're thinking as I am, Rachid. Captain, an island, if it exists here, can only be one place- Lemuria. Lemuria? Aye, a mythical island. Mariners have been searching for it for centuries. [ Rachid ] They say it is all that is left of a once-mighty continent, now sunk beneath the waves, a place of untold dangers and death. One who fears the unknown will one day take fright in his own backside. Well, there you have it. We seek Lemuria. We wager our skill against death. And for rich reward. Find this island and a handsome prize awaits every man. - Are you with me? - Aye! To Lemuria! - And a bounty to boot! - [ All ] Aye! - [ Men Cheering ] - Even if it be into the jaws of hell itself! We cannot be bought, Captain. Only with money. Be warned. We can afford no laggards. Every man must carry his own weight and more. [ Haroun ] There's water down there. There's water everywhere. We're at sea. This boy's a genius. [ Groans ] I remember my father's shop, my father coming up... Father! This was his idea wasn't it? Quick run round the harbor to sober up- Clear the cobwebs away. All right. Sea breeze is beautiful. Cobwebs are all gone. Now we can go home. Sorry. We're on course. You're with us all the way. All the way? Oh, well. Things could be worse. A couple of days away from home isn't too bad. A couple of weeks? A month? More than a month? Oh, two, three years, perhaps. Two or three years! I'll be an old man by then! Ancient! Show me to my cabin so I can lie down. No cabin. No lying down. Bunk with the men. You want to eat? You work. Work. Work? This is terrible! Haroun! You pace like a caged beast. For one who enjoys the hashish, you should be more at peace. - I'll put you on watch. - On watch? All you have to do is sit and keep a sharp look out. Sit down and look. Fine! Haroun. Up there. That's where you sit. [ Chuckles ] Oh. I forget I have company. Your pardon. No, no, no. I am the one who bows. You are my guest. - But I am your slave. - Slave? Up, up. You own me now. Own you? No human being has the right to own another. You're free now. You belong to no one but yourself. On this ship, you are at no one's beck and call. You understand that? Right. I go to change. Fetch me a drink! Please. - You will be sleeping in here? - Of course. [ Rachid ] Captain Sinbad! Sinbad! Aye. Haroun saw a light on the horizon. Over there. - A ship. - Following us? - Stay on this course. - Aye. If she's still with us at daybreak, we know. [ Vizier ] It is Koura. Ah, yes. I should come about, stand off and sink him. If he does not sink us first. Sinbad has sent more pirates to the bottom of the sea than I can count. There is much at stake. We have the lead. We must maintain it. We can't outrun a ship like that forever. But you can outwit him. The cabin looks very neat. You have all a woman's gifts. Yes, all of them. Save one. - What is that? - Curiosity. You never asked why I brought you along. [ Chuckles ] I've only just become a free woman. Slaves do not ask questions. Besides, I'm happy you brought me. We're being hunted. Pursued... like prey. - And I must lose the hunter! - Who pursues us? A man. A great, black bat of a man. He is one of the reasons you are here- he and that mark on your hand. But why? Why? I wish I knew myself. Hold steady! We'll lead him into this area of dense mist here. There's enough rocks and shoals to snare a prow or rip open a keel. But if you run him there, you run the same risk yourself. Not quite the same. I've navigated these waters before. Eh, Rachid? Once before. [ Man ] Abandon the chain! [ Man Shouting ] [ Scraping ] [ Haroun ] How can he see to steer the ship? It's terrible. How can he see anything? The captain won't need to see. He'll feel his way through. [ Man Shouts ] Drop anchor! Not yet. Pursue that ship! Continue into this? We will be wrecked! Captain Sinbad navigates these waters. Then he must have a chart to follow. [ Man Shouts ] [ Scraping ] [ Men Shouting ] [ Shouts ] - Three points east. - Aye, Captain. Aa Allah wills. [ Chanting ] [ Chanting Continues ] Koura! Koura! [ Shouts ] It's alive! It's moving! It's alive! It's alive! [ Grunting ] [ Shouts ] Call everybody! For the love of Allah! The chart! It's taken the chart! Never mind the chart. Fight it with fire! Burn it! Burn it! [ Grunting ] [ Groaning ] [ Grunting ] [ Koura's Voice] Return. Return. Return. [ Grunts ] She sunk straight to the bottom. Impossible. Wood oats. The harpoon was iron. [ Vizier ] It took the chart. Ah, but I still carry the course... here. Return. Return. Return. Return now. Return! I breathe life into you. Return! Master. Master. Your face... it's aged. Master, you are ill. You saw everything. I came when I heard your cry. Then you know. - Enough, master. - Yes. Yes. You will die if you go on this way. To summon the demons of darkness, there is a price. And each time I call upon them, it consumes part of me. Come. We have no time to lose. Haul in that rope. Easy, easy. Your sword. Bring us back on course, Captain. [ Lute Strumming ] You like the lute, Captain? Very much. You must play me a tune some time. - [ Men Laugh ] - I was playing a tune. [ Man ] Land ho! [ Vizier ] Lemuria, where we are destined to find our answer. We go ashore at daybreak! May good fortune accompany us too. The captain reports we are well on course. But there is no hope of overtaking Sinbad. No matter. I expected such a possibility. I am prepared for it. Mandrake root and a few chemicals is all that is needed. No! Don't throw stones in the well you drink from. Do you dare defy the demons of darkness? I've watched them drain your strength. [ Gasps ] Look. See what they have done to you already. If you continue, you will perish before this journey is over. Have you no faith in my powers? We are soon to triumph. My life, my blood shall bring life. Don't fear it, Achmed. It is our friend. [ Yawns ] [ Growls ] [ Snorting ] - [ Growls ] - [ Chirps ] [ Koura Chuckles ] [ Clicks Tongue ] [ Chirps ] [ Chirps ] Come up. [ Clicks Tongue ] You will find Sinbad, my good friend. Seek him out. Seek him out. Magic purges the soul. The night with its ears, and the day with its eyes. [ Chanting ] - [ Chanting Stops ] - Come ashore. [ Shouting ] There's someone moving. Beckoning. I didn't expect you to volunteer. Land, any land is good for these legs. Even dangerous land? You never told me it would be dangerous. You didn't ask. Landing on these shores is cause for celebration. - Have them return to the ship. See that every man gets wine. - Aye, master. I know you proposed we go alone into this place? But just the two of us? We shall not lack for protection, Achmed. We shall not lack for that. - [ Squawks ] - Stop. [ Lute Plinks ] Sinbad, look. [ Gasps ] Your courage has deserted you. Me? No. My heart is full of bravery. But I have cowardly legs. As it was written, a temple with many faces- It is the temple of the oracle of all knowledge. I never thought to stand here. The great eminence, we must seek him out. Is it the oracle? No, the keeper to whom we shall present ourselves. I bring you a token, a sign from the sultans of Marabia. We come humbly seeking the oracle of all knowledge. Two golden tablets that fit as one. [ Anguished Chanting ] [ Grunting ] [ Shouting, Screaming ] Two tablets brought forth to the light, yet a third remains from sight. A third? A final place must still be found. A place that lies deep below the ground. He talks in riddles. No race is lost, until in fact, it's won, and close behind you comes the black and evil son. [ Continues ] Spawned by the devil, suckled upon black milk, in human form... clad in robes of silk. Destiny, destiny, destiny is invisible yet visible. And men may try to hide, yet its waters mark it clearly... like a rainbow in the sky. Destiny is a place where both good and evil wait... and yet their very quality negates their power. For it is the very deeds of weak and mortal men... that may tip the scales one way or the other. And then the world shall know and you shall know... which way the fates have chosen you shall go. Go! Go now. Go? Go north. North to barren lands... of pagan places and pagan bands, before a goddess cast with many limbs. And death to all intruders is their whim. In that sacred place, hid from the eyes of man, is the third gold tablet that completes the plan. Go now. Go now. Go north. Go north. Back! Back! Go back! [ Rachid ] Go! Go! Down here! Inside! [ Whimpers ] [ Shouts ] [ Men Coughing ] Captain! The entrance is blocked! [ Foreign Language ] Farewell, Sinbad. Perhaps it is our destiny to be buried alive. Man's destiny lies in his own hands. A live dog is better than a dead lion. [ Praying ] [ Sinbad ] Rachid, your bow. All of you, your turbans and sashes... make a strong rope. I knew he'd go mad down here eventually. An arrow. A straight, sure arrow. A strong rope. Come on, men. Trust in Allah! [ Laughing ] But tie up your camel. Hey, come. Do as he says. Your turbans and sashes. Hurry! Hurry! Tie strong. Strong. Go, go. Rachid. Sinbad, you've done it! I'm the lightest. But I'm the most foolhardy. - Easy, Captain. - It's holding fast. [ Haroun ] On you go! [ Scraping ] [ People Gasping ] [ Rachid ] Go on, Captain. [ Chirps ] [ All ] Sinbad, Sinbad. Down! [ Chirping ] [ Groans ] [ Grunts ] What is it, master? All of you, up you come! Margiana first. Hurry! [ Shouting, Ululating ] [ Shouting ] [ Shouting ] Moving north. [ Vizier ] It is as the oracle said. All right. There's a steep climb ahead. [ Shouting, Chanting ] [ Drum Beating Continues ] [ Chanting Continues ] [ Chanting Continues ] [ Jingling ] [ Chanting, Grunting ] [ Grunting ] [ Shouting ] What is it, master? They mean to sacrifice us to their living god. Don't. - [ Shouting ] - Mighty Cali, mightier than thou am I. Make obeisance to me. [ Metal Clangs ] [ Metal Squeaks ] [ Koura ] Dance. Dance for me. Stop! - Achmed. - Master. I shall remain and commune with their deity. Go. [ Chattering In Native Language ] Go now. [ Oracle's Voice ] In that sacred place, hid from the eyes of man, is the third gold tablet. The third golden tablet is here somewhere. And I shall find it. I shall find it! I won't be denied! I won't be- Koura! We meet again. To the death. To the death. To the death, Cali. Death to our enemy. No, wait! Don't! - Stay back! - [ Groans ] [ Shouts ] [ Grunts ] Stand clear! Haroun! Sinbad! The golden tablet. - [ Chanting ] - [ Margiana Screams ] Here, it is written that the fountain of destiny lies within easy march. Yes, where the gods smile upon mortal men. But I shall not enter that hallowed place empty-handed. It is also written that he who places each of these tablets... into the waters of the fountain... shall receive, in turn, youth, a shield of darkness, and best of all, a crown of untold riches. All this is my destiny. But I fear your destiny lies before you. For have you not destroyed their most precious shrine? [ Grunting ] [ Koura ] May Allah receive you. I bid you farewell. [ Drumming, Chanting In Distance ] Their journey is over. And mine, almost. Return to the ship, Achmed. To hear is to obey, master. Have the crew make ready for our return to Marabia. Sire. [ Gasps ] [ Screams ] They think she's one of their own- A goddess! We are saved. No. She is the chosen one of their god of the single eye. [ Grunting ] [ Screams ] [ Crying ] No! No, no. No! No! [ Screams ] Sinbad! Margiana! [ Screams ] [ Shouting ] [ Grunting ] [ Hoofbeats Approach ] [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Chanting ] [ Growls ] Vizier, take off your mask! Uncover your face! [ Shouts ] Sinbad! Into the tunnel! This way! Ah! Ahh! Rachid, over there. Vizier, in there. We must find Margiana. [ Growls ] [ Sighs ] Let them sustain me. [ Whispering ] Margiana. Margiana. [ Water Rushing ] The fountain of destiny, the final place. Almost- Almost- [ Sobbing ] [ Sobbing ] Margiana. Come. You followed me instead of Koura. Then he has won the race. - The race, perhaps. - And the prize? Not the prize. A crown of untold riches. I regret nothing. [ Footsteps ] - [ Gasps ] - Shh! Frightened you, huh? Margiana? [ Water Rushing ] The final place. [ Chanting ] The energy of youth is mine again. You are too late, Sinbad. The shield of darkness, a crown of many riches, I'll deny you these! Oh, gods and demons of darkness, rid me forever of this enemy who stands between me and my destiny! I plead! They don't hear you, Koura. I implore! [ Hoofbeats ] [ Grunting ] Kill him! Destroy Sinbad! [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Roars ] It is as the oracle foretold. The forces of good and evil battling eternally. It also foretold that it's the deeds of weak and mortal men... [ Oracle's Voice ] May tip the scales one way or the other. Rachid! [ Growls ] [ Growls ] [ Growls ] Sinbad! [ Screams ] [ Screams ] [ Groans ] [ Roars ] [ Groans ] [ Whimpers ] And now, Sinbad, a shield of darkness shall be mine. I see no shield. You will. Look carefully, Sinbad. What you cannot see, you cannot kill. I congratulate you, Captain. Your sword arm is excellent. But your eyes betray you. For now, you cannot see me at all. For all your strength, you are helpless. As helpless as a child. I can kill you any time, Captain. Any time. [ Laughs ] Am I here? Or right beside you? No. You cannot kill me, but I can destroy you. All of you! Sinbad! Shh. A crown of untold riches. Your Majesty, are you not the true and worthy successor to the throne of Marabia? Has not Allah delivered this into my hands... from the wondrous waters of the fountain of destiny itself... to rest upon your head? Praise be to Allah, the all-merciful. I can't understand. Sinbad, why did you do it? Give away a whole kingdom, a priceless treasure- Why? I value freedom. A king is never truly free. Why, he's even told who he must marry. [ Haroun ] Captain! Captain! Will you take me on as a fully-edged seaman now? [ Shouts In Foreign Language ] Make yourself fast with that rope. Don't worry. I always trust in Allah! Aah! [ Together ] But tie up your camel! [All Laugh ] |
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