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Clash Of The Titans | Year: 1981 Classification: Adventure Country: England Directed: - Desmond Davis Actors/Actresses: - Harry Hamlin - Laurence Olivier One of Ray Harryhausen's best! A greek mythology classic. CLASH OF THE TITANS will always have a special place in my heart as one of those films that completely enthralled me as a kid. I must have seen this movie a good 5 times in the movie theater and couldn't wait to get my hands (finally!) on the DVD many years later. I've always been fascinated with Greek mythology and this film - along with the classic JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS - fed that fascination. I enjoyed it then as much as I enjoy it now, even with it's few faults. The story of Prince Perseus (Harry Hamlin) - as he embarks to fulfill his destiny and marry the Princess Adromeda - is filled with wonderful characters, great special effects (courtesy of genius Ray Harryhausen), great actors and an enjoyable plot. Perseus' path is strewn with danger (thanks to Thetis and her vengeful son Kalibos) as he faces the Stygian witches, Medusa (one of the most memorable and suspenseful scenes in movie history), Kalibos and the Kraken. Acting legends Laurence Olivier (Zeus), Maggie Smith (Thetis), Sian Philips (Cassiopeia)and Burgess Meredith (Ammon) provide ample star power to balance that of newcomer Hamlin and the lovely Judi Bowker (Andromeda). Also featured are Pegasus and Bo-bo (an owl the kids would enjoy). I've enjoyed watching this film over and over again and would highly recommend this Greekfeast to fans of action/adventure or Greek mythology. The cast is strong eventhough Burgess Meredith is often saddled with redundant comments like "a gift from the Gods!" Harry Hamlin and Judi Bowker shine as the hero and heroine. The special effects may appear a bit dated (this was made in 1981, when stop-motion animation still ruled the day) but Mr. Harryhausen never disappoints. I highly recommend this film and also suggest you check out the original JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS and 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (starring Kerwin Matthews and Kathryn Grant) - 2 more rousing fantasy adventure tales from Ray Harryhausen. And if you haven't yet seen any Ray Harryhausen films, now is your chance to see one. This man, after all, inspired two young men named Peter Jackson and George Lucas into film directing and special effects. The Mythology Lover's Dream: An Epic Film It was 1981 when "Clash Of The Titans" premiered. Its claymation and special effects were the making of veteran "cinema-illusion" engineer Ray Harryhausen (Jason And The Argonauts, Earth Versus The Flying Saucer, and several 50's monster invasion films). It starred Harry Hamlin (from the 80's series L.A. law), Judi Boker, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Sian Phillips, Burgess Meredith, Claire Bloom, Ursula Andress and Flora Robson. The subject of Greek myth had been projected into the film decades before - the Steve Reeves Hercules films and the forementioned Jason and the Argonauts come to mind. A generation of people grew up watching these myth-based fantasy films. On DVD, we have commentary by special effects master Ray Harryhausen recalling his long career and claiming that such directors as Steven Spieldberg, James Cameron and George Lucas were greatly influenced and inspired by these types of films. Harry Hamlin stars as Perseus, the son of Zeus by the married queen Danae. Zeus, furious that Danae and his son were punished by being cast into the sea in a coffin on order of the king of Argos, unleashes the Kraken to destroy the city. This scene is very impressive, particularily the flooding of the city and the fall of a large statue of the king. Laurence Olivier's Zeus is the best on record. He was quite older by this time but delivers a truly imperious, tyrannical and vainglorious king of the gods. Opposing him is Maggie Smith's Thetis, goddess of the sea who resented that her own son, Calabos, was cursed by being made into a gargoyle-like demon. Soon enough, Zeus sends Perseus on a quest to save Andromeda. The magic moments in this film, enhanced by a fine score and the art of Harryhausen, include: the destruction of Argos, the meeting of the gods, the taming of Pegasus the flying horse, the defeat of Medusa, the encounter with the Stygian Witches and the descent into the Underworld conducted by Death himself and the final defeat of the Kraken. The score is composed by Laurence Rosenthal. This is a must have for fans of fantasy and mythology. Surely, Joseph Campbell would have loved this type of film. It's the most modern (at least for its time) rendition of myth- surpassin even the 50's and 60's Greek myth films. The cast is superb, particularily because it has Laurence Olivier as a strong backbone as well as other British actors- Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith and a very old Flora Robson as one of the Stygian witches. Flora Robson had performed Queen Elizabeth in "The Sea Hawk" opposite Errol Flynn and was a renowned British actress. The epic tale is brought to life through vivid color and special effects which is the real strength of this film as well as characters who must behave "like gods". not for the new school kids its hard to say what a child born in the last ten years will think of this film. they'll probably laugh. and realistically unless you're a film student studying stop motion techniques im not sure any adult would enjoy it either. its target audience is children of the seventies who originally saw this film in the theaters as a youth. i am within this group and i love this film. for most 80's kids Clash of the Titans was the first film to convince us that greek mythology was as cool as Indiana Jones. granted, the film took some liberties with the history and added some characters that didnt exist but it was all done with good purpose. even in the 80's the film was really aimed at kids and only Ray Harryhausen's stop motion animation drew in the adults. the story was weak and the acting was passable but visually it was breathtaking even by today's standards. 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