Jason and the Argonauts

                                 Jason and the Argonauts

 

                                                     

                                                                         
                                                                    Overview

Jason and the Argonauts is widely regarded as one of the greatest of fantasy films, and certainly the best of the Ray Harryhousen movies. To give a little background, Harryhousen was not the director or even producer of most films he participated in, but he certainly left his mark on them through his special effects work. In the days before CGI, movie makers used a technique called stop motion, where a clay model of a creature or a person is moved slightly frame by frame, to create the illusion of movement. It proved to be painstaking, but the work really paid off in Harryhousen’s work, particularly this one.

 The plot follows a group of warriors sailing across the globe to find the Golden Fleece, a ram’s head with magical abilities. The men are led by Jason (Todd Armstrong), a man that is destined to kill the evil King Pelias, who murdered his father, King Aristo, years ago (as well as the rest of his family). His crew consists of some pretty tough men, including Hercules. Unfortunately for those wanting to see Hercules kick some tail, they will be disappointed to see the hero demoted to a relatively small role in this movie. His mission takes the crew through treacherous territory, such as the island of Bronze, where they are attacked by a skyscraper-sized statue called Talos. The first of Harryhousen’s monsters in this film, Talos basically looks like a Greek warrior, with a blank but chilling expression. Again, Hercules fans will be let down to know that it was the thoughtless Hercules who let this monster loose, by stealing gold from a temple. Nonetheless, the Goddess Hera intervenes, helping Jason’s crew defeat it. Later, they come across a blind man who’s cursed by Zeus. His curse consists of being harassed by harpies, which are humanoid demons that can fly. Again, the Argonauts win the day, helping to break the man free of his curse. In return, he gives them directions towards the land where the fleece is hidden. After narrowly escaping the deadly “Clashing Rocks”, they find a young woman whose ship was wrecked by the enclosing cliffs (Nancy Kovack). She identifies herself later as Medea, the priestess of Colchis (where the fleece is kept), and eventually becomes Jason’s love interest. Despite their being close to their destination, Acastus, whose plan is to steal the fleece for Pelias, argues with Jason on how to retrieve it. After a violent struggle, Acastus escapes into the ocean. When they arrive at Colchis, the men are initially welcomed warmly by the king. However, the thought to be dead Acastus had arrived earlier, and told the king of their supposed plan to steal the fleece. Shortly after their capture, the priestess helps them break free of their prison. In doing so, she betrays her people, leaving her with no country. As a result, she decides to leave with Jason. Once reaching the fleece, the heroes find Acastus dead, and a vicious seven-headed Hydra waiting for them in the lair. After a tough struggle, Jason prevails, and flees with the golden ram. On their trail are the vengeful king and his warriors, who confiscate the dragon teeth from the corpse. In the film’s spectacular climax, the king uses the teeth to grow an army of stop-motion skeletons to kill Jason. For several minutes, the Argonauts fight bravely against the undead, but ultimately are killed one by one. In the end, Jason jumps off the cliff into the ocean, and escapes. As Zeus looks on, he begrudgingly accepts Jason’s victory, and goes along with Hera’s push to let the heroes go.

This movie is the best of the classic fantasy films. It has everything one would expect to find: the brave underdog taking on monsters, evil kings, and traitors. It also has an epic film score composed by Bernard Herrmann, who also composed for The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad. The movie also has a little something for everyone to enjoy. It consists of elements of several genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and adventure films. Jason and the Argonauts is a classic retelling of an epic, where young but brave heroes are taking on the many dangers of the world. If you’re interested in classic adventure, or in old fantasy stories, check this out. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a justly deserved
95% rating!

                                   1963 Trailer of Jason And The Argonauts