Out of all of Ray Harryhausen's creations, Medusa is definitely the scariest. I can still remember leaving the room as a kid whenever she was on screen and would wait until Perseus cuts of her head before I reenter the room. I certainly love the suspense leading to Medusa's reveal when they enter her lair especially with how we only see shadows of her rattling tail and head writhing with snakes before we get a full reveal.
I remember crawling out from under our piano and pretending to be medusa and scaring the shit out of my little brother. The remake has nothing on this old 1980s movie. I even like the old stop motion sfx infinitely better than the cgi crap.
@@JasonHauser125 Exactly, no matter how old the practical effects, they are actually there, on set, the human brain will always distinguise between something that is cgi as non-existent, therefore not real or scary or memorable, on the other hand practical effects are real, and i will never get over that we will never have that kind of cinematography from Hollywood again.
I am so glad to find someone who reacts to movies that are older than 20 years. It seems like everyone watches the last couple years over and over again and doesn't even know the rest existed.
@@RetroRobotRadio I haven't seen that one, I'll add a note. Oddly enough I recently recorded a reaction to a silent film, and it was so weird during the editing stage, because I was the only one talking!
@@alexachipman Mel Brooks has made a number of comedies over the year and each one is in a different genre. For instance he did Spaceballs as his sci-fi movie and Blazing Saddles as his western. Silent Movie is his silent film comedy.
@@scottallen4885 Burgess Meredith was in 4 Twilight Zone episodes, tying him with Jack Klugman as starring in the most. He had an enviable carrer in film, tv, and theater.
Just found your channel. I've watched a lot of first-reactions, and yours is wonderful. 95% are just "Ohh" and "Ahh". I appreciate your insights, knowledge of the subject-matter, criticisms and opinions. Worthwhile intellectual content instead of just big eyes and dropped jaws and mindless agreement. And, I agree, with pretty much all you said: The color, the costumes, the myth-mixing, the locations, the good and the bad, and BIG YES on extensive use of smoke-machines. Thank you for a thoughtful and rewarding reaction video.
Awesome!! Someone is reacting to this classic. I love this movie ever since I saw it as a child. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. Ray Harryhausen is a master with special effects. Jason and the Argonauts is another great movie he did. The couple Sinbad the Pirate movies he did were great. He did a couple of Land of the Lost movies too. Laurence Olivier is the definitive Zeus in my opinion. This movie introduced me to Maggie Smith who is great in the movie. Medusa looks excellent. The Kraken is amazing. All the other creatures are great. I love this film even though none of the mythology creatures in this movie aren’t really Titans.
How funny, this was the last DVD watched of mine. Burgess Meredith was wonderful. You can see him as a young man in the 1939 film, "Of Mice And Men", based off of the John Steinbeck novel. ✌❤🌹
I am so happy to have found your channel, Alexa! I've been binge watching your reactions. My girlfriend at the time and I were (and are) big Harryhausen fans, so we went to see this in the theater when it came out just for his sake. What a hoot it was to see the collection of great English actors having fun playing the gods, we hadn't known they were in the cast! Your comment about their lack of chairs, or at least pillows, cracked me up. I just read (in that all-knowing oracle, Wikipedia) that the producer Charles Schneer, after Columbia Pictures financing fell through, took it to Orion, but they insisted that Arnold Schwarzenegger play the lead!
YAY! I suggested this gem quite some time ago (only after I came across your channel, binged some vids, and thought of it as something fitting perfectly in your wheelhouse) and knew you'd get around to it at some point, but this was way better than I would have imagined. At the risk of sounding like a broken record (and I don't care, lol) absolutely love when you break in and add another layer (whether that be 'oh this is from that opera' or 'there is also another version' or bringing up the colours (or lack of) in the architecture (and a lot more that I can't recall right now)). I like to think when they made this film, they just basically asked Harryhausen what moments or characters he wants to work on, and that they would just string a story around it; this gem is basically his swan song and I love it for that. Medusa and her lair is one of my favourite bits of cinema. As for the remakes, you could probably do a two-for-one reaction vid, incorporating both (Clash and Wrath) together into one slightly longer posting (they're not worthy of your total academic attention). I like the casting for the Clash remake (a weird Schindler's List reunion with Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as Zeus and Hades respectively). If they had kept the playwright character, I could see Ben Kingsley easily slipping into Burgess Meredith's sandals. Maybe if you wanted to do an unofficial compare/contrast series of the gods and their attire/lairs... there is another that you may like dissecting, Immortals (2011), a HIGHLY stylized version about Theseus. I think I remember seeing a chez lounge in that one (again, I loved that you would do an aside and talk about that). Kenobi: I'm going to go get a drink Ammon: Bring on The Dionysia.
Yes he played Mickey from the Rocky franchise. He played Popeye’s father in the Robin Williams Popeye movie. He played The Penguin in the Adam West Batman series. He was a great actor.
This is one of my favorite films of all time. It has been very personal to me since I was 6 years old when this film came out. Your knowledge of Greece and Greek mythology is intriguing. I found you as a person to be generally intelligent, intriguing and captivating. This was an enjoyable reaction. As for the 2010 remake, I refuse to watch it, but all I know is it considered a major bomb. Leave this beautiful picture to remain what it is, as it stands alone as a classic of filmmaking history. That’s my advice as it pertains to watching the newer Clash of the Titans remake.
I like your quick cut away showing the goddess of R.P. not having a chaise lounge. Proving the gods and goddesses don’t require furniture and CAN stand eternally.
I loved this movie when I was a child! I watched it as many times as I could. Thankfully VCRs were starting to get popular and my parents bought one so I recorded this movie and kept watching. I wanted my own Pegasus so badly! I was so excited when I found your reaction to it because I’m almost 50 and I haven’t watched it since I was probably around 10
I think the Olympus scenes are based more on the 1979 Superman film, that is what they were trying to recreate, the sort of white glow effect of the actors suits. My favorite Myth based show is the 1997 TV version of The Odyssey , starring Armand Assante, I also liked Troy (2004} film.
I haven't read everything others may have posted so If I repeat something please let it slide 1. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I'm so happy you've done this one. It's my favorite FANTASY movie ever. Second is "Sword and Sorcerer" I've used this for D&D in the long ago past. 2. Boo to not having Burgess Meredith in the cast list. 🙄 3. The Kraken went home because Zeus wanted him to. 4. Judi Bowker is drop dead gorgous 😍🥰
Amazing film very classic Clash of the Titans directed by Desmond Davis produced by Ray Harryhausen and Charles H. Schneer starring Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress and music score by Laurence Rosenthal. Thanks Alexa great reaction just excellent😊😊😊
My old friend Ray did the special effects and produced this film. Now time to do 1963's JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, a movie I prefer. (Oh, you've seen it! Dang! Would've loved to have watched it with you.). Your insight and knowledge of Greek myth is stellar and I agree with you about dull Poseidon and the gods and goddesses dull fashion sense. Footnote: And I love Judi Bowler as Andromeda and she is the most perfect Mina ever in Dracula with Louis Jourdan. It's the only version that actually follows the novel for the greater portion of the film,, a BBC TV production. And the remake of CotT absolutely stinks.
This was filmed in Britain ... the first scene where they send the "sarcophagus" out to sea was filmed in near-freezing temperatures ... well if you wear skimpy clothes like that (and cold/wet metal doesnt help with keeping you warm either).
I might be able to answer one of your question. This movie predates the discovery that Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome were more colourful than was thought until then. It's not that long ago that we discovered the bleached colour particles in ancient statues. For the longest time everyone thought that the buildings and statues back then were white because we had no way of telling it differently. I think the show 'Rome' (2005-2007) which included this discovery.
Excellent point about early scholarship, but they did have some frescos available to peruse which should have hinted at it. The Rome series was visually surprisingly accurate, especially the graffiti! I also appreciated the emphasis on Bellona, who is forgotten in a lot of Roman media.
@@alexachipman Well, since the first Jurassic Park scientists found out that Velociraptors looked a bit different than depicted. In the newest Jurassic World they still use the old looks. Movies tend to present things like they think we are used to and want them to look like. It's the same as brand recognition. Though there I sometimes wonder if they even know what it means any more. The way they change and warp classics until they become unrecognizable.
@@grayscribe1342 Yeah, the marble statues thing was like discovering the Titanic split in half. I actually remember the painted statues being a big thing that was in the newspapers. They were all: "Ancient Roman and Greek Statues Were Actually Painted in Color.. And This Is What They Looked Like!" and everyone said, "... oh.. well then... guess they were the true first inventors of Technicolor... o_O" XD I think, in hindsight, many people still prefer the popular (mis)conception of Classical architecture being in all clean, white marble over the more historically accurate painted colors, which feel rather garish. Even frescoes are probably harder because of the more limited color palettes they had available and the use of primarily tempera paint (prior to the Renaissance, in Europe anyway) which change color and fade, hence so many old paintings having the same 2-3 tones.
If this your first viewing of Ray Harryhausen's effects, 4 recommendations: Jason and the Argonauts (1963), The 7th voyage of Sinbad(1958), The golden voyage of Sinbad(1973), Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger*(1977). *No connection to Rocky III song. Edit: you know some of us rush with comments.
My favorite Ray Harryhausen movie just might be the completely historically accurate "One Million Years B.C." Cavemen fighting for their lives against stop-motion dinosaurs! Hmmm...come to think of it maybe it's my favorite because it features Raquel Welch in a fur bikini...
If Perseus tried to reason with Medusa, I imagine the conversation to be something like this: Medusa: "Perseus. I have been looking forward to this meeting since you were born. The one who would finally vanquish me." Perseus: "You know who I am, Medusa?" Medusa: "The question is, do you know who YOU are?" Perseus: "Then you know why I've come." Medusa: "My eyes are the only thing to kill the Kraken, so you may save and marry the beautiful princess, Andromeda. You can see how many have sought my head to use against their enemies, and how well they did. Don't be so frightened, brave Perseus. Look at it this way: at least the prize is up for grabs. All you have to do is pluck it from my dead body." Perseus: "It doesn't have to be that way. Come with me to Joppa, veil yourself until the Kraken comes then you can kill it. And when I marry Andromeda and become king, I will forbid any attempt on your life." Medusa: "So all I will receive for my services is to be once again isolated from humanity. Why should I care? Let Andromeda know my fate: to be blessed with beauty by the gods only to be damned by them for it."
I've always loved mythology, after comic books they were the first things I read for fun starting with Norse myths. Someone needs to film the Welsh myths from the Mabinogion. As for Ray Harryhausen the man was a demigod, I cherish what Tom Hanks said when he gave him an Oscar: "Some people say Casablanca or Citizen Kane ... I say Jason and the Argonauts is the greatest film ever made," Hanks said.
19:07 Thank you for the genuine LOL. That was a Mystery Science Theater 3000-caliber quip. Subscribed. While on the topic of swords, have you seen Excalibur? It came out a few months before Clash of the TItans. Then Dragonslayer came out shortly after. 1981: what a year it was to be a 7 yr old future D&D nerd in the making!
Thank you! Alas, I am not a fan of Excalibur, but if you want to hear my thoughts, check out the King Arthur video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xb3oQ1tt5Fs.htmlsi=TfMhzT2uNkF9CGoq
This movie has such great memories for me. I first saw it as a little kid in the 80s but I remember really loving it as a teenager in the 90s when I would watch it endlessly on pay television. Were the special effects awful? Absolutely. But I still admired it for it's scope of storytelling. Also: Thank you for being so concise with your introduction. It's refreshing to see somebody who understands what we actually want to see.
I've watched this movie many times since I was a kid. I always enjoy it, particularly the Medusa sequence. The acting isn't anything fantastic, and the stop-motion stuff is certainly very dated.....but there is just a cool quality to it that holds up.
@@alexachipman Haha, I think I saw this in 4th grade English class. I remember my teacher's name, the college she went to (which happened to be her last name), her face..but I can't remember if it was English class. Yet my mom can tells me every time she runs into my kindergarten teacher. She gives me updates on her as if I know anything about her. Haha. I can't remember anything!
There is also a side story where Medusa's sisters, eventually settle down in Collinsport, and become sculptresses. In the comic book "Dark Shadows" based on the 1991 TV series, they appear in a side story in the comics only.
I think you might also like the TV mini-series Shogun, based on the James Clavell book. It is about a English sailor that gets stuck in the Japanese islands in the late 1500-Early 1600's. There was even a musical.
Great series. High time someone did "Shogun", I don't think many youngsters even know it exists. Filmed on location in Japan, with a largely Japanese cast and dialogue in Japanese. One of the first "appointment TV" series.
@@paintedjaguar I like the bonus features, and interviews on the DVDs. There was also a trade paperback book that also had behind the scenes footage, as well as concept art. It even made me want to learn more about the real person the story was based on, William Adams.
Hey just found your channel and have queued up a bunck of videos to binge watch. You've reacted to a whole load of my favourite films. Gonna see what you made of them If you did not like muppet Christmas Carol... I'm outta gere!
The last movie that Ray Harryhausen worked on. Love the movies he worked on. I'd rather watch all the older movies. Doesn't matter to me how campy they get or if they are considered a "b" movie. I grew up with them. Actors today rely on CGI instead of acting in a good story. So many good movies from 80's down to the 30's.....drama, sci-fi, crime, romance, comedy ect....
I remember playing around with stop motion animation as a kid, also inspired by him! I created some short films with my TNG Star Trek action figures! So much fun!
To be fair, in this version, Pegasus isn't the child of Medusa: in the ancient version, he's born when Perseus actually beheads her. Also, of course, Perseus in the myth doesn't ride Pegasus: he gets a pair of winged sandals from Hermes. It's Bellerophon who gets to ride Pegasus. But this is such a charming and creative re-telling of Perseus that I forgive it. Besides, if you can animate a flying horse, how can resist doing it? Harryhausen was very concerned to get the wing position and action as believable as possible.
Last Harryhausen film. Wow, what a treat. Hate how they insulted Bubo in the remake. The biggest tragedy, this film was a FLOP in 1981. The same year when they released Raiders of the Lost Ark, Time Bandits, History of the World, Part 1 (there was never a Part 2), and Excalibur.
When I was little there was a cartoon on TV called Ulysses 31. It was based on The Odyssey, but set in space. This isn't exactly a recommendation because I barely remember it, but maybe you would find it interesting? The only thing I remember clearly was the intro because the theme was awesome.
About other recommendations: late 90s were a good time for Hallmark Entertainment. At least 2 of their miniseries based on Greek myth. Jason and the Argonauts(2000) while CGI, made effort to resemble Harryhausen's style. The Odyssey(1997), had the smarts to cast Irene Papas (who played Penelope in 1968) as Anticleia.
You should know the Greek Myths didn't care as much about Good and Evil. For example the representation of Good here. Zues is known for uncountable affairs by tricking people. Also for killing his father. Also Hera his wife was also his sister. Of course this wasn't as unusual then. Nobility has quite often married family. Especilly in Europe. Of course that was usually cousins rather than brother and sister. But still... Hercules was the result of another of his affairs. Which he lived up to. He was neither good nor bad. Despite the amazing things he is known for. He is also known for killing his wife and son, in a fit of madness.
Or to really bring it home, Hades. Even the God of the Underworld was not seen as totally evil. Everyone who died ended up there. Yes the good and evil were seperated, but noone who dies goes to Olympus.
Of course not, Hades (other than the occasional affair) is fantastic, one of my favorites. Do you have any of the gods that you find the most interesting? For me it is Aphrodite and Persephone.
@@alexachipman I have mixed feelings about Hades and Persephne. An arranged marriage, which she doesn't like. But on the other hand poor Hades is alone half the year. So who do you root for?
I just ignore any changes to the mythology, in some cases it's just to preserve some mystery or not spoil something, sometimes movies seem like they just wikipedia'd for reference. I know what you mean with the Gods all in white robes. I just sum it up as this is them hanging out in their PJ's and all the ancient images are just for the mortals :P Like the scenes are them in the morning/evenings before they got on with whatever they'd usually do. There's a Hammer Horror 1964 film called 'The Gorgon'. About one of Medusa's Sisters, Megaera I think. You should check it out! I'm sure you'd like it :) So many old Hammer Movies for people to review, but very few do, so luring you with Medusa's Sister seems like a plan :D
I met Ray Harryhausen in the early to mid 90s during a SciFi convention. One of the nicest people i have met. Sat in the lobby with him and we just talked to each other. What a great memory! What a great film influence. Since you have watched most of his Mythology series i wont mention them. but films like Excalibur and to some extent O Brother, Where Art Thou? should be on your list!
That is so wonderful that he's great in person! I'm so glad you got to meet him! I've seen Excalibur a few times, but I plan on a King Arthur movie commentary / mashup video at some point and will definitely be talking about it!
And I have to speak up here: the story of Medusa as *Minerva's* priestess was composed by Ovid, a Roman poet ages after the "original" myths. He had a few axes to grind and the "Metamorphoses" was an expression of that. The Medusa that the ancient Greeks knew was always a Gorgon, a sister of three, and of them, the only mortal one. And, of course, as such, the sisters in the more ancient myth were always Gorgons, and no decisions had to be made.
I love that you know the original myths. Yeah they did change a lot but I liked this version for what it was. Artistic license was well implemented here.
@ 12:18 That's why they had the gods wear white, to differentiate them from the lowly humans, who wear colors like the primitives we are. LOL! (Just kidding. 🥸) Gonna roll the dice again Alexa and try another movie suggestion "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963), a similar one to this that I think was an inspiration for the TOS episode Who Mourns For Adonis?. When I first saw that that Star Trek episode I thought of that movie. @ 14:22 I love that owl. @ 21:41 An awesome shot alright! Some things to note about the constellation Perseus shown at the end; it's 2nd brightest star Algol is a noted and very studied variable star, and Perseus is the radiant focal point for the famous, annual Perseid meteor that peaks every August 12th. I like way they placed the images of the mythical characters in the movie over each constellation at the end. Since you know a LOT about Greek mythology, is there anything about making giant scorpions with Medusa's blood or whatever dripped out of there? @ 23:13 "And had a long happy monster life." LOLOLOL!!! That was a good one! 😆 That cracked me up. You'd make a great goddess in the next Greek myth movie, BTW. And you can double as technical advisor so they can get the details right! I have and like this movie too, but I have to admit that I like Jason and the Argonauts a little bit better even though it's older. ✌️😎
I agree, Jason is the better film, but I enjoyed them both. With Medusa’s blood, I am not aware of it creating bugs, but it is not without precedent. Her blood created Pegasus and Chrysaor the swordsman. Each drop of blood creates more snakes, which is likely the origin of that scene.
@@alexachipman Like them both too. Thanks for that info. Always had an interest in mythology. BTW, I was studying your abstract thumbnails and didn't realize I needed to click one to see the enlarged orientations properly, until afterward. Again, very nice work!
I saw this at my local cinema in Dover in July 1981. Couldn't agree more if youre going to have an actor playing the king of gods you might as well have the king of actors playing him, also try to review Jason and the Argonauts (original version)
I remember seeing a behind the scenes excerpt that explained the very deliberate decision to rebrand the Leviathan as the Kraken. However, the reasoning behind the decision I have forgotten.
This is a movie that needs more reactions from other youtubers. If you haven't seen them yet, Beastmaster, Highlander, and The Phantom(1996) could be your cup of tea.
To be fair, if Harryhausen had wanted to do the sandals instead of Pegasus, he would have been able to make racing across the sky and turning somersaults just as exciting.
I'm so glad you gave a shoutout to Jason & the Argonauts; It became one of my faves when I very first saw it in the theater when I was 10. Also, thank you for the chuckle re: Medusa's TikTok. May I recommend the short (12 minute) film "REBOOTED" for a comic take re: stop-motion vs CGI? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1Rkn6rnsgc4.html
@Alexa - Would you please, PLEASE react to Disney's Hercules movie AND the animated series?! Your Greek history commentary is an absolute MUST! Theory: I think the Disney staff strayed away from strict source material, for the obvious reason of making it kid-friendly, but I also think they had fun taking a different turn to make it fun, largely keeping to the fundamental, underlying themes, while changing superficial details. I think they did so, so somebody well-learned in Greek mythology could have fun seeing the changes and have a deeper appreciation for the source material and how it was spun for 90s kids.
Hmm my commentary on that film would be 50/50 of: - swooning over Megara - yelling at Disney for portraying Hades so poorly (I actually work with him IRL as a pagan)
@@alexachipman The series, thoooo *nudge, nudge*... Lisa Kudrow is Aphrodite! 😍 Think about it 😋 Fun fact: Virtually all the voice actors from the movie did the show (save for Danny DeVito due to scheduling conflicts), showing how well everyone got along. This was unprecedented at the time. You seriously rock. Climbing out of my hole, loving your commentaries. I've found so many of them profound and deeply moving. Thank you for your content 😊
Based on what I perceive to be your interests, I think you might like Roger Zelazny's "Amber" sci-fi/fantasy series. It has a lot of references to very old literature, e.g. Shakespeare.
Just seeing this. Thank you for reviewing the greatest movie to me of all time. I was soooo disappointed back in 2012 with that mess that was released. I hope that one day, a true parallel remake to this one will be made. 🤞🏼
Love this reaction to one of my favourite films, but there is more than one myth about how Medusa became a Gorgon. Some blame Athena and some blame Aphrodite.
I hope you watched other Ray Harryhausen movies like Jason and the Argonauts, The 1960 Mysterious Island which is a sequel story to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the Sinbad trilogy. Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. The First Men to the Moon is a good movie too.
For my personal opinion, I would say yes, you should check out the remake (directed by Louis Leterrier - the director of the Dark Crystal Age of Resistance) and also its sequel, Wrath of the Titans. I don't think they're awesome, but they're entertaining enough, and I did notice they corrected some of the problems you had with this version (Olympus and the Gods for example) but making other mistakes and problems? Well it's hard being perfect, but they're worth a watch. Even if it's just so that you can compare
I'll add that at least Perseus came to kill Medusa for a reason. In the original story, Perseus just bet he could get her head for that king who wanted to marry his mom. Medusa was just a bet before Perseus went and beheaded her(in some stories while she was asleep). As a major Greek Mythology buff since I was a kid, I LOVE that you know all the story beats and the real goddess Medusa and Poseidon pissed off.
its my favoriite stop go animation movie glad someone appreciates it my favs are The owl/ the one guy that came along with the hero dies trying to help him gets stabbed in back :( Percy ii just call him that and Burgess meredith he is a legend for a old guy B+ movie looove it !
A far as Medusa goes, I'm in the camp of real life, direct sight, w/ eyes meeting. If mirror reflection doesn't work, then tic Tock or any reproduction (film, artwork, etc.) would not. I could see an argument of through a window of glass, but I would not favor that as a problem. Saw the binoculars comment below. No, that didn't meet the requirement of the victim actually seeing Medusa eye to eye (if too far away). Just a thought.
Good point - glass might count as reflective. It is also see-through. In HP looking through a camera sight mitigated the basilisk so maybe an argument could be made for that? You would be partially petrified?
For me this movie representation of the gods on Olympus is the version every subsequent version has to beat. The idea that ancient Rome/Greece was not all white clothes & architecture but very colourful hadn't hit mainstream culture yet by 1981, it wouldn't really happen until the TV series Rome, (2005-2007). - Thought you'd be a Ray Harryhausen fan.