Clash of the Titans

I learned that today is a very special anniversary: Clash of the Titans is 35 years old. Now people probably don't know all that much about the original, since there was a remake of it. That is a shame: the remake did not have the special effects and wonderful creatures done by the great Ray Harryhausen. I did not bother seeing the remake yet, although I caught glimpses of it on TV and I'm not planning to watch it any time soon. The original, however, is a childhood favourite of mine. I must have watched it first when I was five or six. It is the movie that started my long love story with Greek mythology. Yes, it is sometimes cheesy and the acting is hammy and/or wooden. But what a casting! What characters in their own right are the monsters of Harryhausen! And with all its flaws, it still understood very well the morally ambivalent nature of Greek gods and heroes. In the movie as in the source material, they are neither completely good nor completely evil. Zeus acts out of selfish reasons, Thetis (brilliant Maggie Smith!) is at worst an indulgent mother, Calibos himself is truly a tragic character. The Kraken does what he does on order, giving punishment according to the gods' desires and Medusa... Well, what else would you do if you were a monster like Medusa, stranded on an island and cursed by the gods? Medusa, by the way, still gives me the creeps to this day. So yes, great stuff. And to celebrate its anniversary, here is its trailer.

Hansel & Gretel

This week, at the school where my wife works, they did with the children a stage adaptation of Hansel and Gretel. Unfortunately I could not go and see it, but it made me want rediscover the old take. Like many old fairy tales, I find this one deliciously terrifying. I know the stage version the pupils played had been toned down with many comedic moments. I will know more about it, as we are going to see my wife's friend and her daughter and her friend (the ticklers), both pupils at her school, will tell me all about it. Until later, I will leave you with this old animated adaptation by Ray Harryhausen, who was very young at the time. The children look almost as creepy as the witch. Harryhausen takes a few liberties with the story, but still it is a great take on the tale, with an ugly, evil, sinister, nasty witch that could scare even the most adult adults.

Medusa and a birthday memory

This picture was taken at the Natural History Museum, it is from a section that was still uncompleted when I went, showing the statue of Medusa next to a earthly(volcanic?) phenomenon. I do not know exactly what the section will look like and what exactly it will be about, although I assume it will show how natural phenomenons may be at the origins of old myths such as this one. In any case, I found the statue of Medusa very impressive. I grew fond of Greek mythology in general and the myth of Medusa and Perseus in particular watching Clash of the Titans as a child. Then I knew very little about Greek mythology, but the movie gave me a crash course.

Soon after, on my eight birthday (I think it was my eight birthday, it may have been earlier), I received my first book about Greek mythology.  As it was my birthday today, I had a thought about it.

R.I.P. Ray Harryhausen

My brother PJ gave me the news via Facebook, the great Ray Harryhausen died today. It is a bit late, so I will be brief: I LOVE Ray Harryhausen movies, especially Clash of the Titans which made me discover him. Harryhausen was a true artist, as he was a creator, a craftsman. His creatures got me into Greek mythology. I once uploaded on Vraie Fiction a short movie of him, you can find it here. But there are so many movies he worked on to enjoy, some I have only discovered recently, some I will in the near future. I am uploading a video taken from a documentary when he explains how he made some of his creations. It gives an idea of his gift.

Little Red Riding Hood

Hey, I found on youtube an animated version of Little Red Riding Hood, with the animation and characters done by Ray Harryhausen at the early stage of his career. As you suspect I always loved the story, and I am a fan of Ray Harryhausen, so I am quite happy. His wolf sure is terrifying. Harryhausen makes the story appropriately atmospheric and scary. It's interesting to see that here the wolf did not eat the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood. Maybe it was due to the limitations of animation. Another detail i find very funny: when pursued by the wolf, Little Red Riding Hood acts like a girl from a slasher movie and takes the stairs (where she can only get trapped) instead of leaving the house.