Submitted by LoneWolfInCyberia t3_z49w2h in movies
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This was one of my favorites as a kid, just had everything adventure, action, visuals, sultry looking heroine, handsome looking hero, just what we went to movies for. The backdrop of Greek mythology makes it even better.
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Jason( Todd Armstrong) is carried away as a kid, after his father Aristo, the king of Thessaly is murdered by Pelias who usurps the throne. Jason is protected by Goddess Hera, after her temple is defiled by Pelias when he kills one of Aristo's daughters there. Twenty years later a grown up Jason, seeking to reclaim the throne, has to set out on a quest to find the legendary Golden Fleece.
Pelias sends him on the expedition, knowing that it's a task fraught with dangers and he is sure Jason would not make it back alive. Jason meanwhile builds a team of Argonauts, so named after his ship, that includes Hercules and Hylas. There is also Acastus, son of Pelias sent to sabotage the mission.
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And soon the crew encounters numerous hurdles including an iron man, harpies, colliding rocks, and there is the beautiful Medea( Nancy Kovak).
The real star of the movie though would be the legendary Ray Harryhausen, one of the finest animators and special effects creator ever, especially known for his stop motion animation. He had worked on movies like 7th Voyage of Sindbad, Clash of the Titans, and his work would be an influence for a whole lot of directors like Tim Burton, Spielberg, Guillermo Del Torro, James Cameron, Peter Jackson and George Lucas.
This movie would be one of his finest works ever, and you can see it in the scene where Thalos the Iron Man is disturbed, way he sets it up, the slow movement of the head, the robotic movement, the creaking sound. Thalos looks just so life like in his hands.
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Or that scene where Jason battles the Hydra to retrieve the Golden Fleece, way he uses stop motion to get all those heads moving in synch is just brilliant.
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Or the final scene where those skeletons spring up, from the soil, and fight with Jason and his friends. Again the way he makes them appear head popping up first then the torso, the way the skeletons charge in a line, this would have to be one of the greatest scenes ever in cinema.
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Another great scene is when Triton rises up to protect the ship from the clashing rocks, shot superbly.
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Todd Armstrong had a more successful career in TV, with the TV series Manhut playing Detective Carl Spencer, suits the role of Jason well enough.
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Nancy Kovack as Medea looks very much the sultry temptress.
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Honor Blackman who plays Hera, would later be more famous as Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger.
The movie is just the kind of popcorn entertainer to enjoy with on a weekend, though the acting is quite stiff, and dramatic scenes are pretty cheesy, just enjoy it for all those action scenes, not to mention a superb background score by Bernard Hermann.
MovieMike007 t1_ixq2wgq wrote
Ray Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts may not be a textbook rendition of the Greek myths but it’s a textbook example of the fantasy genre done right and Harryhausen’s creations continue to impress and inspire generations of fans. Basically, this is one fantastic movie.