The Ray Harryhuasen Thread

[lhb412]

Going over the thread about Harryhausen documentary made the think: "Hey! We need a thread just for discussing Ray's wonderful films!"

I've been rewatching the films over the past year and still have a few to go (Gwangi, One Million Years BC, First Men in the Moon and Gulliver). I haven't seen many of these since childhood, hadn't upgraded my VHS copies - basically, the only time I had watched Ray's movies in the past decade was when one came on TV (so I've seen Jason a lot). It's been a very rewarding experience. For me, Jason, 7th Voyage, and Mysterious Island really stand out as the best of his films, for being both good movies in their own right and having some of Ray's best animation.

Jason and the Argonauts is, on a technical level (acting, writing, direction), the strongest film, and has Ray's two greatest special effect sequences: the skeletons and TALOS! Talos is my favorite Harryhausen creation, a truly amazing giant monster. One of the best kaiju sequences in all of cinema,

7th Voyage of Sinbad isn't quite as strong in the writing and acting category, but it has that wonderful, free-whelming adventure feel. I wasn't surprised that a key influence of Ray's was one of my favorite films; 1940's The Thief of Bagdad.

Mysterious Island is really interesting one, because it goes against the nature of a Harryhausen film. It's a highly enjoyable adventure film where the stop motion creatures supplement the story instead of the story revolving around them. Also cool is that Harryhausen's creatures are usually very stylized, highly designed (the influence of Dore is evident), but in Mysterious Island Ray makes the creatures as realistic as possible. They're subtler creatures from Ray. Perhaps Bernard Herrmann's best score, too.

[Henry88]

So could not forget the beast from 20,000 Fathoms and it came from beneath the sea, and also the earth versus the flying saucer.

[eabaker]

[lhb412]

^Law and Tom Baker easily beat the cast of 7th Voyage, but I just don't think that movie is as fun.

[Gwangi]

I still think "7th Voyage" is the best only because it much better paced than the other Sinbad films, and it has the more memorable creatures, namely the Cyclops and the Dragon.
In "Golden Voyage" you had the battle between the Griffin and the Centaur. While technically good, there was just no real build up to it. Still, I love "Golden Voyage", and I am beginning to appreciate "Sinbad and The Eye of the Tiger", a little more in these last couple of years (though it is still a distant third from the other two). I've met both Kathryn Grant and Caroline Munro (both of them very nice), so if somehow I end up meeting Jane Seymour, I will complete the trifecta of Sinbad leading ladies!

Of course, I always think the two most underrated Harryhausen films are "First Men in the Moon" and my namesake! "First Men" is not as flashy as Ray's mythical films, but like "Mysterious Island" this also another one where the stop-motion complements the story rather than the other way around. As for "Gwangi", it just thought it was a good old fashion story, a good old fashion Western, that was a take on "King Kong" (and one hell of a score by Jerome Moross - my favorite opening theme of any Harryhausen picture). And could not help feeling sorry for Gwangi. He does get burned alive in that cathedral!

[Xenorama]

my favorite of Ray's movies is ONE MILLION YEARS, BC (1966). Shame it's never been properly released on R1 DVD. Anyway, it's got a great cast, music, effects and director, which makes it one of the rare remakes that are better than the original. I like 7th Voyage, Gwangi, Beast and Jason a lot too.

[Gwangi]

There is only one reason I became interested in dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric life in general and that was because of “One Million Years B.C.” As a little, little kid, I actually thought that was perhaps the way the dinosaurs did move! For me, it gave them an even more unique flavor that I had to know more. Eventually, I found out that they did not move that way, or even dragged their tails. “Jurassic Park” may have been more scientifically accurate, but I still will always prefer Ray’s interpretation of them.

[Mysterio]

I love Ray Harryhausen and I love Jason and the Argonauts, but man that had to have been the weakest looking Hercules I've ever seen. I really think I could have taken that dude....

[lhb412]

[eabaker]

[lhb412]

^I also love how Herc and his buddy get sidelined (and, in the case of the other guy, killed) halfway through. They were really likeable and seemed set-up to be main characters for the duration of the film. Losing them throws you off balance and sells the difficulty of the quest.

[eabaker]

[klen7]

^ Yep. When I was young I was disappointed Hercules wasn't in it more but now its one of my favorite elements of the film (story)

[Mac]

For whatever reason, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger is my favorite of his Sinbad pictures. It maybe the roughest, but it isn't a major slog like Golden Age, which takes 45+ mins before the first major special effects sequence. I wish I hadn't missed out on its Blu-Ray print run.

[Pkmatrix]

[Ultra T-Rex]

[lhb412]

Twilight Time has a relationship with a few studios: they're offered titles the studios are not interested in releasing. Their first Harryhausen release was Mysterious Island, and it sold out before I figured out this whole situation, so I spent a whole lot of money on getting it from a third party dealer! Moon and Gulliver will probably be released by them sooner rather than later, completing all the Harryhausen films owned by that studio.

BTW, only doing a 3k run is a part of Twilight Time's contract with the studios. It keeps the licensing fee down. I also think their licenses last only three years.

[Pkmatrix]

WHAT?!!!



Why was there no thread talking about this months ago? I would've bought them had I known! Ah well. I bit the bullet and paid $99 for Golden Voyage on Amazon.

[mr.negativity]

[lhb412]

[tbeasley]

[lhb412]

Ha! It's missing the second cyclops from 7th Voyage!

Seriously though, that's a wonderful collage.

[Gwangi]

[lhb412]

[lhb412]

I had some music stuck in my head all day. Couldn't place it. Finally figured out it was the theme to Golden Voyage of Sinbad!

Anyway, now that I've seen all of Ray's films fairly recently, a few I haven't seen since childhood and a couple I'd never seen before (Moon and Gulliver), I can make an actual, informed statement on my favorite Harryhausen films. The top five for me are:

1. Jason and the Argonauts
2. Mysterious Island
3. 7th Voyage of Sinbad
4. Mighty Joe Young (it counts! shut up!)
5. First Men in the Moon

Golden Voyage and Clash of the Titans are just under those, but the only Harryhausen films I don't love are It Came From Beneath the Sea and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.