Great video, reminds me of my childhood and a weekly movie series called the 4 o’clock movie, a local production here in Detroit and the weekly themes all had commonality, ie ape week, vampire week , Godzilla week and so forth . Harryhausen movie week always took priority over homework
Gejo I would love to know what you think Ray would've thought of my orchestral music (performed by a live orchestra) as an accompaniment to his stop model animated masterpiece Little Red Riding Hood. Would you mind having a look and let me know your thoughts. Thanks Gejo. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eZHtUT9W4rc.html
I met him once and asked him if Gwangi was supposed to be a Tyrannosaurus or an Allosaurus as he seemed to have elements of both. Ray told me that he was indeed a hybrid.
Ray Harryhausen is such a legend that we don’t even refer to his films by the director who directed them, or the actors who starred in them, but rather the FX master. He’s the only person in his class for that feat alone.
Well Ray was on set during filming and a some of the directing himself, as well as guide the hired director what to do, mostly for any scenes he would need to animated in, but Ray was involved in every aspect of those picture from start to finish.
Thank you so much for this. You'll never know how much Ray's films meant to a small African American child (growing up in the South Bronx during the early 70's), watching these wonderful films on TV on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I would run downstairs after and engage in some make believe swordplay (2x4's collected from a nearby junkyard lol) with my friends who also watched in their homes as well. Ray Harryhausen is a name even my Mom knew, since it was she who took my older sister to the cinema to see his work from 60's (I either wasn't born yet or was too young to go), but when his films came to tv--the whole family stop what they were doing or plan to have dinner in front of the tv and be taken away. So many wonderful memories of both my Mom and Dad and the rest of us just watching and laughing and totally engaged; my first Harryhausen film I saw in the cinema was Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger I was 11 or 12! We didn't connect on many things, but it was on sports and action films we enjoyed together and he took me and a friend to see Eye of the Tiger. Ray's work has been so influential to me (as a screenwriter/filmmaker), even when I saw Clash of the Titans with my first girlfriend--it was like visiting an old friend. My niece discovered his stuff online when she a little younger and I was there to sort of guide her way to becoming a fan as well. Again, thank you for this wonderful trip down memory lane and history and talent about this great artist.
Those are genuinely wonderful sentiments. I love hearing how works of imagination inspire good memories and emotions for so many people. I can’t think of a greater epitaph for Ray than to say he made millions of children around the world smile and dream.
I feel extremely lucky to have met him when I was a kid. I met him at a convention in the late 80’s. I was the only kid there but I was spellbound. He was a true gentleman and a master the likes of which we will never see again. I cried when I heard he had passed in 2013, but I know he is with the immortals now.
Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans have some of the most indelible FX moments in film history. Thank you for saluting a true master's talent.
Harryhausen is a freaking LEGEND! In the early 80s, SFX nerds of the world were (justifiably) gaga over how awesome ILM's Battle Of Hoth sequence looked. ILM was a couple dozen guys in a warehouse with millions of dollar worth of equipment. A year later, Ray would remind the world what one man in a garage can do, on a shoe-string budget...and produced his glorious swan-song, Clash Of The Titans! Ray's movies were a staple of 70s afternoon TV, and served as inspiration for an entire generation of writers, artists and FX wizards. His creative legacy will likely never be matched by any single person.
@@richmcgee434 no doubt. However, probably the most INTERESTING interpretation of the character can be found in the movie Medusa Against the Son of Hercules. In that flick, Medusa resembles a blackened, leafless tree with a glowing eye in the center of the trunk.
Yep, saw it at the movies with my parents when it came out. Didn't know any backstory as in hadn'theard of Medusa before...TERRIFYING! Lol still one of my fav movies,
Another point of harryhausen was how diverse his monsters were. Some were beautiful like Pegasus whilst others were actually terrifying like medusa. Kali and the skeletons used to give me nightmares as a kid.
I was sent a link to this tribute by a friend in America and I am so glad he did. Beautifully put together with relevant observations and facts spot on by Robin Bailes. As the author of the Ray Harryhausen: Master of the Majicks books I know how much work has gone into making this to make it, not only accurate, but also a highly entertaining tribute, when there are so many similar films around. Certain cross-references, covering Ray's career, picked up on things that I had somehow missed, or maybe things I had just forgotten. I have watched these films so many times, on my own, with like-minded friends and most fortunately with Ray himself, but they still hold a magic that will be hard to capture again, even with today's technology. We are right to continue celebrate this incredible artist.
I helped organize the "Famous Monsters of Filmland" festival at the Scala cinema back in 1991, Ray Harryhausen was one of the guests, we went down to his apartment in Kensington to pick him up, and in the journey back to Camden, while we were little more than kids, in our early 20s he was the most gracious and wonderful man. Happy to answer our ridiculous questions.
In every interview I've ever seen with him, that is the impression I got. A humble and gentle artist. Having seen this documentary made me realize what an artist he was in so many different disciplines such as drawing and sculpting. This is a one of a kind man who should be celebrated with the greatest artists of all time
@@hoover2501 I recall this one documentary feature attached to Jason And The Argonauts, where the host introduced Harryhausen with this gushing praise. He got genuinely uncomfortable looking, like he was flattered but also like "stop! that's too much!" But you know, he earned every bit of it.
There are a few films that are synonymous to me with happy childhood sunday afternoons, watching TV with my dad and my brother. 'Ivanhoe' (1952) is one of them, 'The Time Machine' (1960) another. And of course 'The Golden Voyage of Sinbad'. How I loved this movie and its Robert E. Howard vibes, of which I just learned later in life. But at that time, I could not take my eyes off the living galleon figurehead, the four armed fencing goddess, the griffon or the one eyed centaur. And actually this has not changed til today, over 30 years later. Ray Harryhausen was a great man and remains an outstanding artist and unforgotten inspiration for evermore.
I'm so grateful for watching Harry's films in the early 70's. So many directors even now, using CGI imitate the originals. But I don't Need CGI, I can enjoy black and white, or Hammer's horrors, or Thor Ragnarok with the same enthusiasm. My nieces and nephews cannot see old films like best friends. We who watch this documentary can watch 80 years of movies saying WOW.. thank you Harry.
No matter how much you laud Harryhausen, it will never be enough. Words cannot be made to do the vividly agile work which he accomplished with his creations. So I will focus instead on this video itself. It is intelligent, knowledgeable, & keenly perceptive. It is so obviously the work of a true film connoisseur. But most importantly, it pinpoints the greatest strength of the Master's work: it had heart. So did this video. And it moved me to tears with its touching ending. It's how all we monster kids feel about our old --- & very, very dear --- friends. We love them. And we believe. Thank you, all of you, in front of & behind the camera. 🎞️
Tom Baker was offered the role of the fourth Doctor after the producer of Doctor Who at the time saw him in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. It's hard to imagine what the show's legacy would be today if not for his iconic stint on the show launching it to worldwide popularity, so genre entertainment fans owe Ray Harryhausen a debt beyond just his great contributions to cinema.
Ray Harryhausen was a GOD. I cannot say enough good things about him. One of the foundations of my childhood. I will never miss him because I can never forget him. Every fantasy movie I see every element of science fiction I read brings me right back to my childhood and his amazing work. He is like Bruce Lee he set the standard that everyone must be judged by. And you are so correct he could never compete against the amazing achievements that special effects offer today. But those same effects don't hold a candle to the wonder that each one of his creations invoked in every one of us.
The Ceratosaurus/Triceratops fight in "One Million Years B.C." is animated so smoothly, lit so realistically, filmed so lovingly with forced perspective shots and close-ups, integrated so perfectly with the live action that, frankly, I love it better than any scene from any of the Jurassic Park franchise.
4 года назад
That skeleton fight scene was GOLD. Even as a kid in the late 70's that was still amazing: 20 years after it was shot. It made a VERY big impression on 5 year old me.
While I love your sendups of bad movies, your loving analysis of Harryhausen and other filmmakers is your best work: entertaining and illuminating. It's one thing to say "this is great, I love this," it's a whole other thing to say "this is great, and here is why."
I remember seeing The Gate in the theater when I was a kid, and thinking of Harryhausen movies I had seen as a very young child. I loved Star Wars, yet Clash of the Titans held just as much weight, and had a tinge of horror that Star Wars didn’t. The destruction of the city, the virgin sacrifices, and the sacrifices in the city plagued by Calibos, who was a very creepy beast. It’s almost a greatest hits of Harryhausen, mixed with a different time for Hollywood. Still love how the jealousy and anger of Maggie Smith’s Thetis, came through her idol, then breaks apart killing those who worshipped her. A Titan against a Titan!!! It still makes the remake look like a vapid and soulless cash grab.
Clash Of The Titans was MY Star Wars, always will be. When I found out that it was based on Greek Myth, I wanted to know more. And so, at the age of nine, I was provided the college-level Larousse World Mythology book that told me nearly everything I wanted to know about it. I owe that to Harryhausen.
I saw the 7th Voyage when it came out in 1958. As a six year-old I was more scared than I'd ever been in a theater, and also enchanted, unable to look away from the screen. A great childhood memory that's relived every time I see Harryhausen's work. Thanks for this one.
It’s a real shame I only got into Ray Harryhausen’s films until after his death. I had been aware of his movies but never sought them out until my early teens. Unfortunately, I was too late to experience these films in the presence of a true genius. He might be gone, but we will make sure that he will never be forgotten.
This was a wonderful video! This is a great source of knowledge about Ray Harryhausen's films. I knew about his work but I had only watched : * First Men in the Moon 1964 * Sinbad and the Eye of Tiger 1977 (With the stunning Bond girl Jane Seymour) * Clash of the Titans 1981 I wrote down every Ray Harryhausen's film you mentioned in this video and I am eager to watch them in the near future. Here is my list: * Mighty Joe Young 1949 * The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms 1953 * It came from beneath the sea 1955 * Earth vs the Flying Saucers 1956 * 20 Million Miles to Earth 1957 * The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad 1958 * The Three Worlds of Gulliver 1960 * Mysterious Island 1961 * Jason and the Argonauts 1963 * One Million Years BC 1966 * The valley of the Gwangi 1969 * The Golden Voyage of Sinbad 1973 Thanks again for your videos that bring back movie classics to the next generations.
exactly. The props and models existed in the real world and had weight. It was this very heightened fantasy-feel that made it seem somehow more real than cgi.
Now if only Ray had done The Odyssey, with the Cyclops Polyphemus, and sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis. But we’re already spoiled with the Kraken, which resembles an actual Titan instead of a run of the mill sea serpent.
@@rampage75_25 Yeah after growing more familiar with how Hades actually was portrayed in Greek mythology I've come to sympathize with him at times. Honestly Ares is more fitting of being in villainous roles due to how barbarous and bloodthirsty he is.
This has to be one of the best documentary shorts I've ever seen on RU-vid or anywhere else. Very entertaining and informative, and you can tell that it is told with admiration and love. Mr. Harryhausen's films instilled in me a love for fantasy and adventure at a very young age, and it is a feeling that I have been chasing ever since. Thank you for making this.
What would special effects be like without Ray Harryhausen in this day and age? I only hit the 'Like' button because there is no 'Love' button. The Valley of Gwangi was my most favorite movie for the longest time. Thank you.
Ray was a GOD ! I watched his movies as a child and still to this day they’re loved. Movie making will never be the same. The world lost a good one when he died 😞
There a number of projects that Harryhausen wanted to do, but never got the chance. Ray had done test footage for WAR OF THE WORLDS and series of children stories. I'm just glad that he didn't end up like O'Brian when he was forced to make the re-make of one of his classic films THE LOST WORLD with lizards.
I never thought to look up how he did the torch bounce-lighting in the Medusa scene for _Clash of the Titans_ before. Man, that trick with the red & orange lighting gel wheel was *clever* as heck! I can't believe he did it for that Hansel & Gretel project years earlier too. God, that just shows so much ingenuity. This was a brilliant video, which is exactly what these brilliant movies deserve :) Had almost the same experience growing up, in terms of these movies being on TV a whole lot when I was a kid, and they're still just so freakin' amazing. It's why I can't stand it whenever some schmucks on the internet try to point out imperfect special fx in movies today. Harryhausen was brilliant, but even a kid knows this is stop-motion (or "claymation" we used to call it, until we realized they weren't made of clay) and that they were somehow added in on top of the movie footage - no matter how cool the "contact" stuff was. It never mattered that the creatures didn't blend in perfectly - what mattered was always how they impacted the story and if they're entertaining. Plus, there's a real beauty to the _unreality_ of them - just like when you see an indie game purposefully using lo-fi visuals like low polygon counts today. It's practically an art style choice, and anyone can appreciate that they move or look a little differently than the actors they're interacting with. I'm glad you pointed that out with your line, "For audiences today accustomed to CGI - and especially for children - _they're still unlike anything they've ever seen."_ Not nearly enough people get this stuff well enough to point that out! They're timeless, and it's great to see such a thoughtful overview of these films - awesome job, Dark Corners.
Why do people focus so maddeningly on realism in the effects and style of a film? When, in fact what really matters is BELIEVABILITY and effective STORY-TELLING, which I think is what Harryhausen shows all film viewers and makers.
Of all the Ray Harryhausen films, my personal favourite is 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), with The First Men in the Moon(1964) a close second. His stop-motion movements of many of the creatures is almost lifelike, and much better than today's CGI effects, which are insipid by comparison. Bravo, and many thanks, Robin, for a positive documentary on an underrated, yet brilliant, filmmaker. "Aliens, Dragons, Monsters, and Me"(1987), a 30 minute ABC-TV documentary about Harryhausen himself, I highly recommend viewing, if you haven't yet seen it. 🐉🐉🐉🇬🇧🇬🇧🇺🇸
@@Okiedog1 I think it's a matter of the age of the person watching. Clash of the Titans was one of my favorite movies growing up and I remember thinking he was funny and generally liked him. When I watch that movie now I just find him insufferable and keep wishing his scene would be over.
I love everything about Ray Harryhausen’s world of fantastic creatures. Seeing them seems to be a key to open the door to imagination. Today's CGI could never come close.
I have had the pleasure to meeting both them on a couple of a occasions. I remember the first time I met Ray was in a crowded room and I literally turned around and ran into him.
I was about five or six years old when I saw The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. It was the first film I ever remember seeing in a theater, somewhere in the Bay Area, and I was utterly captivated by the monsters, especially the six armed fighting statue of Kali. I was hooked, and a fan of Ray Harryhausen even before I knew who that was.
That is the difference between a Ray Harryhausen film of yesteryear and today's CGI. With Harryhausen's films the effects were so "realistic" that we gave into suspension of disbelief throughout the entirety of the movie. With the majority of today's creature features, especially those seen on SyFy, as soon as we see the CGI characters it takes one out of the movie totally.
I think it's more that with Ray Harryhausen and Willis O'Brien, you can see a bonafide ARTIST at work, whereas today's effects work is very workman like.
Although not my top favorite Ray Harryhausen monster or related movie, I believe Ymir from 20 Million Miles To Earth is probably the best of his creations due to the sympathetic personalty given to the poor devil.
4 года назад
I Will always be deeply grateful to Mr Harryhausen..my childhood was better by watching all this monsters And creatures...rest in peace Mr Harryhausen ..
Decades ago, I recall seeing a brief Harryhausen doc on the "Sci-Fi" channel (teasing an upcoming Harryhausen Marathon) which made mention of his numerous contributions to SMA and cutting-edge film production techniques...may you rest in peace, sir...Godspeed, Mr. Harryhausen!!
I don't always agree with your reviews,but they are ALWAYS entertaining.Thank you for this Ray Harryhausen tribute.Wonderful,wise words and both inspiring and moving.
A magnificent documentary. Genuinely moving and informative. While it is a cliche to say that Harryhausen is a legend, he is a legend that all too often I discover that modern fantasy fans no longer know. So, I approve of any effort to fight against this. Well done!
A wonderful tribute, that's left a big dumb smile on my face, and a blanket of warm and fuzzies on my soul. Seeing "Jason And The Argonauts" at the theatres in 1963... made me a Sci-fi/ fantasy fan for life. Ray Harryhausen's works ended up being the measure for adventure films to this day.😊 Respectful Thanks 👍🏾🙏🏾👊🏾
I rewatched Clash of the Titans a week ago. It still holds up and possesses two qualities that few modern SFX extravaganzas have; charm and a sense of wonder. I hope Harryhausen was pleased by all the love and respect younger filmmakers lavished on him in the last few decades of his life.
One can never get enough about the Great Ray Harryhausen: single-handedly did the fantastic and magnificently dramatic creations for decades of wondrous productions. Only him. One man! One incredibly brilliant, charming, humble man. If it was a Ray Harryhausen movie, you knew you were in for a magical experience like nothing you'd ever seen before! Creatures the pathos of which could make an audience weep.
Outstanding work gentlemen, a remarkable tribute to a true innovator and titan (pardon the pun) of the industry 👍🏼 I have to laugh at the critics who scoffed at the “outdated” effects of Clash of the Titans, preferring the “modern techniques” ILM was pioneering. Oddly enough, sound and color were once modern too, until they became the everyday standard. Today any studio with the biggest computer and shiniest software can crap out a CGI blockbuster, and audiences just take it in stride. But Harryhausen films still evoke a sense of magic and wonder, that modern films can’t match, even decades later. And that’s why they’re still the best ever. 😁 Edit: oh and i vote for Kali & Talos ☺️
Happy Birthday Harryhausen🎉! I own a book written by Vanessa: Titan of Cinema, a recollection of her father's life in and out of his career along with mementoes, unfinished work, and photos that make up his personal chronicle. It's so relaxing looking through memories of another man's life - a man who worked with dedication and patience that amounted to inspirational heights. He deserves every appreciation for his art; and you, Robin, deserve every thanks for keeping the history alive. I love rewatching the movies and I love rewatching your retrospectives.
I grew up with Harryhausen's films starting with airings of His 1950's work on TV in the early 1973, after which I saw The Golden Voyage of Sinbad ij the theater during first run. (I was eight.) From there I saw the rest of his films as they came out, and his work inspired me to develop my skills as an illustrator of monsters and fantasy landscapes. I have since gone on to expose my nieces and nephews to his films starting early in their childhoods, and in doing so I noted that they, being used to more advanced CGI effects, could not handle the physicality of the 3D stop-motion puppets. The movements of them freaked the kids out, and it was not because they were too little for the material. They just were used to slicker stuff and Harryhausen's work dragged them straight into the uncanny valley, with 7th Voyage and Jason being the ones that freaked them out the hardest. They eventually got used to it, though, and now they are firmly of the opinion that CGI simply does not hold the same kind of "heart." Lastly, it was my distinct honor to meet and chat with him at length on two occasions, with the second being a book signing for the comprehensive career retrospective coffee table hardcover at NYC's Alice Tully Hall, which also included a double- feature of 7th Voyage and Jason, which he watched with the sold-out audience of fellow filmgoers who had worshiped his effort since childhood. It was tantamount to finding out Santa Claus was 100% real and having him hang out with you and witness your appreciation of his efforts. The audience went completely nuts during the sequence with the Children of the Hydra's Teeth, and I can only imagine how it must have warmed his heart to experience the reaction that it got. But the icing on the cake was when I got off the line after my copy of the book was signed and I hit the snack bar for a drink. Standing at the bar was a very pretty elderly woman, and something about her face was ringing a bell. Then I realized it was Kathryn Crosby, 7th Voyage's Princess Parisa in the flesh. Turned out she lived in town and her son told her about the screening, so she decided to attend. I of course asked her to sign my book as well, which she very sweetly did, so the entire day was a dream come true. And just before Jason screened, her presence was announced to the audience, of course she was showered with applause. Simply put, it was the greatest display of fan appreciation and respect that I have ever seen and one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of my life.
I grew up in the sixties, and now in my sixties...I still enjoy these gems more than any of the C.G.I. laden movies of today. I have nothing against the new effects, in fact some of my favorite modern movies have some awesome scenes and characters that arguably wouldn't have fared as well using the older techniques...but my love for the classic fantasy films of my youth will always remain.
Ray was a tremendous inspiration to me as a young artist, not only in his hard work and boundless imagination but also in showing just how much a single artist is capable of doing on their own. All hail the king of creatures!
I grew up watching these incredible films. I loved the fantasy and when young the monsters really frightened me but l enjoyed it. I felt sympathy for some of them and and felt sad when they died. I still watch the films today and enjoy them as much as ever. About ten years ago I went to a Ray HarryHausen exhibition and saw some of the models and sketches. I was like a child in a sweet shop. His films will always live on an feed our imagination
I had the most wonderful experience of meeting Ray Harryhausen at Lincoln Center about 2003 ? I got an autographed copy of his book and shook his hand. They played Jason and 7th that day and had some cast and his original figures there. What an experience. I had been into Mr. Harryhausen since I saw 7th at age 7 in 1958. I have always thought Jason was one of the most astonishing movies of all time , and I was 13 when that just blew me away. Between Herrmann and Harryhausen , truly a match made in heaven. Thank you Mr. Schneer, thank you Dark Corners for making today happy.
Clash of the titans was a huge childhood influence on my love of movies. Which led to a love of everything with Harryhausen's name attached. Any of the skeleton fight scenes are some of my absolute favorite though.
Wonderful video. I love Harryhausen. The fight against the Hydra's Children at the end of Argonauts, to this day, I can't describe what it summons in me. I'm in tears, seriously. The sequence is pure magic.
This was a reverent look at the career of a great! My favorite creation was the creature from Venus in "20 million miles from earth". As a kid I cried when it died.
I know its not the most impressive of his many creatures, but as a child I was absolutely enthralled by the Minoton from "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" and if there is any specific trivia or information about that animation I'd love to hear about it. I know that in the live action shots that the same actor that portrayed Chewbacca Peter Mayhew was in the shell/costume. Thank you for all the wonderful content and the passion you bring to this channel.
A couple of things we didn't mention about Minoton; he was originally going to be built by animated creatures working in Zenobia's dungeon. As well as Minoton Peter Mayhew was going to play Trog in a suit, and he apparently got the part of Chewbacca because Star Wars make-up designer Stuart Freeborn asked if the 'tall guy' was easy to work with.
@@robinbailes5236 That's great thank you, I guess that is the kind of thing you'd want to know before you stick someone in a makeup chair for who knows how many hours a day. : )
A superb look at the legendary animator, with a great deal of talent and limitless patience. Fascinating to learn that he studied acting, fencing and other disciplines needed to make his animations as realistic as possible. With such a staggering number of creations to choose from, it's hard to pick just one, but I have to go with Kali, if only because of the difficulties involved in getting all of the arms to work so beautifully!
Fantastic video! I'm a huge, huge Harryhausen fan, and like you, seeing his films in my childhood lit a fire in my imagination. Even watching them today, so many decades later, I still feel that childlike sense of wonder and awe, and I find myself smiling all the way through them. Thanks for all your hard work putting this together. I found myself smiling all the way through this, too.
When I first saw Clash of the Titans when I was young, I was completely blown away by the whole movie. As a Greek mythology nerd, it was right up my alley. But sitting there in the theater as an eleven year old, seeing Medusa just scared me the crap out of me! But at the same time, I just couldn’t take my eyes off her!! She was terrifying but so awesomely amazing as well!! To me,,,,all these years later, there is no other Medusa,,,only Ray’s!
Thank you for this well-put-together and well-considered exploration of Harryhausen's career. The first movie I ever saw was a screening of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, in remote Cold Bay AK a couple of years after its release -- but through the years of my childhood I discovered who he was when I became old enough to read and to pay attention to the credits, to discover specifically who it was that made that handful of better monster movies I loved when they showed up on DIALING FOR DOLLARS so wonderful. Once I figured out he was the common factor, I tried to learn everything I could about him. The first "new Harryhausen movie" I knew about ahead of its release was THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD. Like a lot of young Harryhausen fans, when I realized he could do this alone like a wizard in a tower, I resolved to be 'the next Harryhausen'. Money from my first summer job bought me an animation camera -- and God help me I tried, but I was never very good at the animation. But I enrolled in acting classes, as I'd read he did -- and I found out the theatre was more properly where I belonged [I was a professional stage actor and director for decades]. Though my life took me in a different direction, it was still from Harryhausen that I learned that primal lesson -- that you can put your imagination to productive use instead of leaving it behind in childhood, and you can even make it into a way to make a living. So even though my aspirations changed, in a way I owe all of the best parts of my life and career to this man and his work. And I take just as much delight in them today, at 58, as I did when I was a small boy.
Thank you for this! I knew you were planning a Harryhausen tribute for a while now. I was very excited to finally watch it. As I write this, I've watched it 4 times. I love it! I also love your enthusiasm. It echos my own. I grew up with his films on TV and it the theaters back in the 60's and 70's. They were pure magic. And I had mixed feelings about Clash of the Titans when I saw it in 81. Of course it was fantastic - Harryhausen's most accomplished work! Yet I also realized the technology was becoming dated. I happen to think the evolving technologies are often fabulous as well, especially when they are used in service of the story, not the other way around. I can't separate my love of his movies from my nostalgic feelings for them. I was a boy then, and those movies were pure magic to my sisters, me, my friends, and probably even our parents. Reading many of the comments, it's clear that some of Harryhausen's fans are young fantasy film lovers who weren't even born when any of these films were made. But they know and appreciate good magic when the see it. I enjoy your bad movie reviews, but I really love you tributes. Thanks.
The Medusa was definitely the most terrifying, mesmerizing, and unforgettable villain of all. When I watched the movie in the theater on its opening day, I sincerely believed that the Medusa was too powerful and dangerous for Perseus to defeat! I was actually convinced that the movie would end badly because of the Medusa. THAT is how overwhelming it was for a little kid to watch Harryhausen monsters on the big screen. Those monsters took over the movie and seemed to command it. 👍😎
Good Night! I think I use to own that broken DvD player in the background a long time ago! Oh, and Harryhausen is freaking awesome. His creatures have soul and that is just something I can't say about modern CGI monsters so I find it easier to go back to one of his films than I do to a film that just came out a couple of years ago.
Taro the Dragon was always a favourite creature of mine, something about his body design made him a very realistic dragon in the same way that the Rhedosaurus feels similar to a real animal. also, shout out to the Ymir, Hydra, Ceratosaurus, Homunculus, Minoton and Dioskilos. All very real creatures.
I'm sure I join 90% of Harryhausen fans as counting "Jason and the Argonauts" as my favorite. As for number 2: I lean towards 20 Million Miles to Earth because the Ymir is such a well-thought-out, ultimately sympathetic character.
Harryhausen was my idol growing up. As a child, I carried around his books in hardcover (as no paperback editions existed) and would take them to school with me every day. My dad knew someone who knew his assistant and I sent a letter to him through her. I was told he read it but didn’t respond. I’ve since paid homage to him in a feature film I directed “ReAgitator” where I have a character battle a stop motion skeleton, which I used an approximation of Dynamation for. (Instead of rear projection I used a monitor.)
Brilliantly documentary! Im 36 but grew up watching a lot of these with my dad, really sparked my imaginatiin for the rest of my life! Even has given me the ideas to write my first books! 👍
A lot of people in my generation don't even know Harryhausen exists, maybe they've seen a screenshot of one of his films before, but that's at best. If you ask them who he is, they'll only go "huh?". I'm absolutely blessed to have parents who were fans of his work and were willing to pass down the amazement they felt in the theater to me with the old tape recordings of these movies they got from the TV, and I'm more than happy to share these films with my friends who have no idea who Harryhausen is and see how awestruck they are when they learn how these effects are achieved. Thank you for the video, really captures that wonderment that all Harryhausen fans felt watching his movies.
Harryhausen's creations had hearts and souls, something that's rarely (if ever!) achieved through algorithms. Hell, even Ray's flying saucers had more personality than most cgi inventions.
I feel bad for taking this thing for granted. Always loved monsters, and cool creatures. The imagination beyond human, or the mixture into human, is just fascinating. Yet I guess compared to the spoiled special effects of today, I only remember these films by channel surfing and passing at only a glimpse of some odd older motion effects. Its weird, because I had nothing against general old movies, or playing a game my computer couldn't handle at 20fps, but something about the quick take on these effects through me off. I guess having grown up in the prequel Star Wars area, or around games where everything was computer generated anyway, I just didn't expect early stop motion against live action to look like this. Watching a more comprehensive study though, I'm slapping myself for not joining in on any of the airings. The animations not that odd once adjusted to it, and some of the movements and details are incredible - and certainly better than the tinfoil hat aliens, and some of the more truly cheesy stuff of its time. But also, the movies are full of these creatures, and its not just a 3 minute distraction? Well, count me in. Thanks for covering a fascinating topic, and an interesting guy who... I honestly owe a lot more respect to for what he's done for effects, and bringing imagination onto the screen with the care and heart a good actor gives to his own performance.
