Myth Maker: The Fantasy Films of Ray Harryhausen
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- We celebrate the centennial of stop motion pioneer Ray Harryhausen whose fantasy films ushered in a new era of special effects. From his early days on Mighty Joe Young to the birth Dynamation and Sinbad to the literary adaptations and dinosaur movies to his mythological masterpieces Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of Titans.
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⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
2:18 Early years
4:37 Monster movies
8:23 7th Voyage of Sinbad
10:57 Dynamation
14:47 Adaptations
16:58 Jason and the Argonauts
20:57 Dinosaur Movies
22:45 The Sinbad sequels
26:04 Next generation of effects
28:35 Clash of the Titans
31.55 The Legacy
The Films
7th Voyage of Sinbad - When a princess is shrunken by an evil wizard, Sinbad must undertake a quest to an island of monsters to cure her and prevent a war.
Buy: (UK) amzn.to/31b4Hye (USA) amzn.to/2BCSM1h
Jason and the Argonauts - The legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.
Buy: (UK) amzn.to/2Z89Pke (USA) amzn.to/3hQTcBY
One Million Years BC - Prehistoric man Tumak is banished from his savage tribe and meets pretty Loana, who belongs to a gentler coastal tribe but he must fight caveman Payto to win her favours.
Buy: (UK) amzn.to/3fKup0u (USA) amzn.to/2NpJA3a
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad - Sinbad and the vizier of Marabia, followed by evil magician Koura, seek the three golden tablets that can gain them access to the ancient temple of the Oracle of All Knowledge.
Buy: (UK) amzn.to/2Vaq2nK (USA) amzn.to/2Z07Fmx
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger - Sinbad The Sailor sails to deliver a cursed prince to a dangerous island in the face of deadly opposition from a powerful witch.
Buy: (UK) amzn.to/2zWfEse (USA) amzn.to/2Z5RTq8
Clash of the Titans - Perseus must battle Medusa and the Kraken to save the Princess Andromeda.
Buy: (UK) amzn.to/2YpMICk (USA) amzn.to/2BCSxTV
The books
Harryhausen: The Lost Movies Buy: (UK) amzn.to/3fSoc2M
(USA) amzn.to/2NAwBMh
Ray Harryhausen: Titan of Cinema Buy: (UK) amzn.to/318uKpR
(USA) amzn.to/2CzMRe5
The Art of Ray Harryhausen Buy: (UK) amzn.to/2VbsREU
(USA) amzn.to/2VaN9hU
A special thanks to our Dark Cultist Patreon supporters.
Shadows - Brent Beebe, Chris Hewson, Chris Weakley, Christie Bryden, Colleen Crouch, Conner Brennan, David H. Adler, Hidden Trail Video, Joseph Dougherty, Heather & Micheal Bailes, Steve Scibelli, Brad Webb, Henry Brennan, Godessoftransitory, Allan Liska, Jasmine Shafer, Ford, David Church, You Don't Get To Know, Anthony Strocks, Stephen Crane, Dan D Doty, Devon Trahan, Christopher Eckart, Joseph Hines, John S Savage, Joseph C Niedbala, Logistical Nightmare, Lorna Smart
Acolytes - Dark Roast, Dave Smith, Lavaughn Towell, Mark Buckley, R Lagdao, Raven House Mystery, Russ Chandler, Simon Ash, Simon Esslemont, Uwe Marquardt, Alex B, Amber Wesley, Tony Belmonte, Amber Wesley, Peter Grantham, David Conner, Robert Freeborn, Janne Wass, Brian Kidd, Albertus Magnus, Rachael Kafrissen, David Pellot, James Robertson, Nils Muninsheim, Adam Everett, Johnathan Henning, Lee Taylor, Peter Wilson, Ch'aska Huayhuaca, Daniel Blevins, Tim Smith, Popeye Otaku, Kyle Olson, Prince Charming, Mystic Cyclone
Initiates - Alexandra Virgiel, Bob de Builder, Brian Ullmark, Clifford Parson, Derek, Double-U, Felix Weibig, GadgetBlues, Greg Galanos, Greg Hartwick, Jakub Kabenski, James Smith, Karl Bunker, Martin Vlachynsky, Maria Gd, Melissa Hayes, Stephen LaPlante, Roop 298, VC, Jonathan Olds, Terry Le Croix, Barry P, Jeffrey A Pleimling, Joshua Allen, Adam E Jordan, Seth Coleman
Written and presented by Robin Bailes @robinbailes
Directed and Edited by Graham Trelfer
Myth Maker: The Fantasy Films of Ray Harryhausen
#RayHarryhausen #StopMotion #DarkCornersReview - Zábava
Enjoyed this? Don't miss our Top 10 Harryhausen creations czcams.com/video/exs-ivqak4k/video.html
Nicely produced.
Ray Harryhausen had me at "20,000,000 Miles to Earth".
His Ymir design and animation are the stuff of legend in the animation community.
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
Ray Harryhausen was a dear friend of mine for 25 years. I'm sure he would have appreciated this documentary very, very much. Compliments from Germany!
That's really wonderful to hear. Thank you so much.
Wow! That's a neighbor I would have loved to have
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.
czcams.com/video/eZHtUT9W4rc/video.html
You lucky duck, getting to know Ray Harryhausen. ❤
I hope you still talk to Ray, in spirit ofc ;) ) and send along my thanks and the thanks of millions and millions of admirers over 70+ years.
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.
Great story!
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.
Is African America similar to Chinatown? I remember little Moscow in Las Vegas. These little worlds within big cities have always been a real trip
It was fun growing up with such memories and imagination, fantasy. I think kids today are missing that sence of being taken to new worlds. So sad.
That's SO cool man! Love this👍🏿
Ray Harryhausen: the man, the myth, the legend. We'll never forget his creations and their impact on cinema.
Nice info 🕹
You said it! Even today his work is amazing. I remember growing up in the 80’s and his stuff was scary to me.
I loved these movies as a child and i still like all kinds of monster designs
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.
sethsassy love those movies 🙂
High respect to Harry, we salute you !
Just like the classic Universal monster movies Harry's films have a myth like quality.
"The figure must act," said Harryhausen. I thought of that when I saw the raptors menacing the children in Jurassic Park.
The Medusa scene was, and still is the best. Stop motion somehow adds more creepiness. Nothing like CGI
Still creeps the hell out of me. Still can’t watch that scene.
I’ll stick with the remake scene. :)
The stop motion gave Harryhausen’s creatures an other worldly magical feel.
CG just can’t replicate that.
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.
Seeing it for the first time as a child, Jason and the Argonauts blew my mind - and it still does.
When Ray Harryhausen. died, an art form went with him. He made un- real look real.
I saw it much later in life, my mid-20s. Even then, I was in AWE of those SFX, especially with the time period they were made in mind.
I was 10 years old when Clash of the Titans first came out. Medusa scared the absolute bejeezus out of me.
Still the best looking interpretation of that character to date.
@@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,
@@ryandtibbetts2962 Interesting. Have to take a look at that.
The Medusa scene still scares the bejesus out of me after 40+ years. Beats the hell out of the CGI remake.
I saw Jason and the Argonauts on TV when I was a teen, I'm glad this is an experience shared by many. That movie always inspires me.
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.
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.
How glorious that he & his lifelong best friend, Ray Bradbury, were both Titans in their respective fields. True peers, & pals to the end. 🤝
@@h.calvert3165 Always remember R. Bradbury for "It Came From Outer Space"(1953)
@@Charlesputnam-bn9zy
And Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. A nice round number. The Fog Horn is my favourite Bradbury story! 🌫️
I watched most of these when they were still being syndicated in the 90s
You are so damn correct !!!!!
Ray Harryhausen in the title, instant LIKE.....
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.
Thanks for the kind words, it means a great deal to us.
He was a genious; as well as a great influencer of RPG, dungeons & dragons, these phantasy games.
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.
OMG!!!!! Now you have to answer all our ridiculous questions about it
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.
3:06 Stop-Motion animation is incredibly time&perspiration-consuming work !
Thank you Ray Harryhausen !
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.
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.
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. 🎞️
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cool info. Thanks.
The second doctor, Patrick Troughton, is the blind chap getting attacked by the harpies in Argonauts, btw.
@@Lumibear. he was also in eye of the tiger
"Clash Of The Titans" is much better than its cgi-surfeited remake.
You want an argument? Ray Harryhausen did a lot more with a lot less in his original. Not to mention it's writing was better.
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.
You're right, i'm getting sick of seeing Hades as the evil vilian. He should be the hero.
@@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.
@@foreignroninl1555 your right
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.
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."
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.
Harryhausen created the special effect for the golden voyage of Sinbad, but God created Caroline Munro
Oh my God.
Caroline Munro.
Even Harryhausen's art could not surpass her glorious voluptuousness!
👍👍👍👍
❤❤❤❤
Exactly ♥️
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.
Her parents created her, lol. That's how she turned out physically as she did. 😋
There are people who like Bubo, and people who are wrong.
In the world of STAR WARS droids knock-offs, I'd take Bubo over Tweeky (BUCK ROGERS) any day of the week.
So was Bubo that generations Jar Jar Binks?
@@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.
@@donwhiteley3293 i'm kinda of opposite, as kid i dislike it but now i really enjoy bubo
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.
Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls was his pet project but sadly the only thing you can find about this doomed project is a poster.
I haven't watched a Harryhausen film in a long time. This special convinced me to get back in the saddle. Well done, guys!
Here's the best one.
czcams.com/video/14rK5zBr1lU/video.html
Wonderful retrospective! I think Ray Harryhausen has had a larger impact on the fantasy genre than people give him credit for especially within film.
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.
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.
@@KRhetor The difference between art and work.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 don't think anyone has a bad story about Ray. Everyone's interactions with are all so memorable.
Terrific video! I vote for the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms - he may be a dinosaur, but he had a soul...
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.
A loving tribute to a brilliant person! Thank you for this!
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.
My top 10 favorite is Pegasus. But honestly it was hard to pick a favorite because I like so many of Ray's creatures the Dragon of Sinbad, the skeletons of Jason, Dinosaur of Gwange. And so on just to many to really pick a favorite.
No one could make this tribute as well as you. Well done. Thank you very much.
Jason and the Argonauts hands down is the best of SFX Master Sir Ray Harryhausen’s achievements! RIP Great One. You will never die.
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!
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
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. 🐉🐉🐉🇬🇧🇬🇧🇺🇸
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.
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.
A genuinely respectful tribute to a true legend, by someone who actually understands what it was all about. Thank you. Those were the days...
Ray HarryHausen was & is an Artist,His Films were part of my Childhood & I will never forget that x
Jason and the Argonauts was the movie of my childhood, especially talos and the skeletons
You shall watch the beast from 20,000 fathoms
Brilliant! Our favourite Harryhausen creation? It was a tough choice but we are going for Talos.
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 ☺️
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.
👍😎
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.
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.
The dragon vs cyclops fight is amazingly well-executed, and a lot of that comes from how well the feeling of their relative weights comes through.
My favorite was the Ymir. He was the one creature that grew as time passed.
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!
As a very young kid in the 70s (maybe 7 years old) I'd seen Kong (still my favourite film of all time) and most of the black and white animated monster films before I saw 7th Voyage. Because the others had been in black and white my mind always associated that kind of monster as being that way. When the Cyclops appeared and it was all in colour my mind could not process what it was seeing at first, I remember calling my mum into the room saying "Look look it's a monster walking around with people like it's real, how do they do that? Is it real?" She said "Like King Kong" and I will never forget the moment of enlightenment I had right then. I'm stunned to hear it was on $650,000, it looks like a studio A title.
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.
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!
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.
Loved these Movies when they were Shown on Sunday's afternoon's on TCM Without Commercials sometimes two or three one after the other
Unmentioned was one of Harryhausen's "trademarks", in films up to Jason/Argonauts; the falling of very LARGE objects on people! Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Earth vs Flying Saucers, It Came From Beneath the Sea, 20 Million Miles to Earth, Valley of Gwangi
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 ..
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.
THAT'S DEDICATION! I would not have that sort of patience to animate something frame by frame
This has to be one of the best documentary shorts I've ever seen on CZcams 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 I loved about his creations is that they all had a personality of their own. The flick of a tail or a tentacle or the shielding of a beats eyes from a bright light just like a real creature or animal would do. Ray was one of a kind and a true master of his craft.
This is a fantastic video about Ray I always love your stuff and I’m working on a Ray Harryhausen at the moment so this will help me out!
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.
As a kid, I never missed an opportunity to watch these films. And you're right - there is an earnestness and energy about them that for me makes them far more exciting than most modern cg-driven films.
I actually think the best modern comparison would be someone like Andy Sirkis, who breathes performance and life into characters generated artificially, as opposed to f/x animators, who are more like traditional animators imo.
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 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'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.
Yep....l actually felt SORRY for the Ymir
The Giant Ymir,The Medusa,The Cyclops The giant bee in Mysterious Island is very close to perfection.
Took me twenty years+before I was able to see Twenty Million Miles to Earth as they never showed it on tv in my day.
You're so right! I loved the creatures from 'Mysterious Island'! The giant crab (that was made of the exoskeleton of an actual crab) and the Terror Bird especially.
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.)
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.
That's very interesting that someone speaks about his "need to see this kind of stuff" . That's just how wanting to read or see fantasy or sci fi materials feels - a need. It's an odd thing and those that don't have this "need" are at a total loss to understand those who do.
I remember going to the theater and seeing the 7th Voyage. I had seen the trailers on TV and was hyped to see it. Loved it, but the print I saw had the entire skeleton scene cut out. Deemed too terrifying for kids. Wasn't to years later got to see the whole movie.
Single handedly brought me back to my childhood👍🏿💯👍🏿💯👍🏿💯👍🏿💯👍🏿💯
Very much enjoyed this look back at films that meant so much to me growing up. When a Ray Harryhausen film was on telly on a weekend it was an exiting event in the late 60’s and early seventies and when ‘Golden Voyage’ came out I couldn’t wait to get to the cinema. I felt quite sad when technology moved on and left these films behind but they will always be very special to me.
I appreciate these long-form documentaries you do that end up being love letters to film makers or studios. I have to say, even knowing how important that sword fight with the skeletons was in Jason and the Argonauts, I always had a condescending view of Harryhausen movies. They were synonymous with dated and cheap effects: "This looks like something out of an old Harryhausen movie!" It's good to have someone like you come along and explain what makes them special, like how expressive the animations are, how much passion went into them, because it gives you a new appreciation. Thank you and well done!
I would enjoy seeing a movie that takes the best elements of live actions, claymation, and CGI and using them to make a visually spectacular film that has a great story.
Also, animatronic and puppetry.
It's called the LEGO Movie
The best documentary on Harryhausen. Great written narration, dramatically voiced, without going over the top.
I will always remember vividly when I was about six years old and my aunt, who loved my growing fascination with Greek mythology, brought over a VHS copy of Jason and the Argonauts. It really did change my view from then on of fantasy and film making, and I have Harryhausen to thank for that.
Favorite Harryhausen creatures? My top five are - 5. Gwangi, 4. Talos, 3. Medusa, 2, The Rhedosaurus, and 1. The Cyclops.
Although not my favourite film , the "contact" work he did in Clash of the Titans on Kalibos was pretty amazing.
Looking forward to it!