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Jason and the Argonauts Streaming.
Movie Title: Jason and the Argonauts Jason and the Argonauts is available for streaming or downloading. |
I popped in this DVD very wary of how I would feel about an veteran childhood common after years of not seeing it. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that the film is collected a lot of fun. Yes, a lot of the effects (blue cover, etc.) are unconvincing and present their age, but geeeez, the movie’s almost 40 years used so what can you inquire of. This was a precise stunner in it’s day and Harryhausen’s stop-motion sequences smooth outshine any unimaginative CGI enact in today’s cookie-cutter movies (unprejudiced examine at the abominable current TV remake with all those cheesy computer effects — there’s no contest!) The skeleton battle is most notorious, but I have a special fondness for Talos which was the first scene that caught my search for as a young kid on Saturday afternoon TV in the slow 60’s. Happy to peek that “Jason” calm has it’s magic (along with some acceptable campiness) and the DVD is a nice presentation (there are some puny flaws to the print materials and grain in some scenes) . The Harryhausen interview (with John Landis) is though-provoking and the recent trailer is also included on the DVD.
I’ve reviewed quite a few films featuring the work of special effects artist Ray Harryhausen and found reasons to like them all, but Jason and the Argonauts (1963) features some of his most astounding effects, and is considered to be one of the greatest fantasy pictures ever made. Would I say it’s the greatest? No, but in terms of influencing many, including a majority of special effects artists in the business today, this film is a cinematic landmark, and deserves to be treated as such. Produced by long time Harryhausen collaborator Charles Schneer (The Valley of Gwangi, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Clash of the Titans) and directed by Don Chaffey (One Million Years B.C., Pete’s Dragon), the film stars Todd Armstrong in his biggest role, but not his convey, as that was dubbed over by Tim Turner, a British actor who did a lot of mutter over work on film trailers, including the trailer for this film. Also appearing is Nancy Kovack (The Silencers), and a whole bunch of British actors including Gary Raymond (El Cid), Laurence Naismith (The Valley of Gwangi), Niall MacGinnis (Night of the Demon), Jack Gwillim (Patton), Nigel Green (Countess Dracula), and Honor Blackman (Goldfinger), to name a few.
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As this fantasy anecdote begins, we search for the spot of Jason as an infant, his father slain and kingdom usurped, as so the seemingly fickle Gods have decided. Jason grows up, returns to re-take the land and peoples that are rightfully his, only to be sent on a quest, by the Gods (geez, who died and made them Gods? Oh yeah…they ARE Gods), to recover a golden fleece, one that would bring peace and prosperity to the petrified land. Only jam is the fleece is across the world, to where no one has sailed before. To meet this goal, Jason has the finest ship built, and gathers the greatest athletes Greece has to offer, and sets out on a hazardous travel that involves unsafe waters, distinguished bronze titans, a deadly, multi-headed Hydra, an army of skeleton warriors (can seven really be considered an army? Maybe more like a task force…), and treachery within his enjoy ranks, among other things (as if that wasn’t enough) . The quest seems an impossible one, but with Jason’s determination, the loyalty of his men (the non-treasonous ones, of course), and even a puny back from the Gods themselves, he objective may be able to survive and return with the cherish to reclaim what is rightfully his, and bring and extinguish to the tyrant reign that has plagued his lands for the past twenty outlandish years.
Alright, I will say some of the acting isn’t all that vast (actress Kovack seems to be on some kind of depressant, as her performance is about as deadpan as I’ve seen), and some of the non-Harryhausen special effects are extremely noticeable (the matte usage in some scenes stands out a lot more than they probably would have liked), but despite these points, this is really a fun and arresting movie. There are elements of the fable missing (the 2000 television CGI-laden version starring Jason London was a bit more inclusive in this respect, but lacked the charm, for me at least, of this one), but the makers of this film did manage to cram a lot into its’ 104 shrimp running time, and the helpful direction kept the yarn attractive along at a rousing trek, rarely slowing down, and keeping my interest. I did luxuriate in the sets (especially those on Mount Olympus, and I have to say, Honor Blackman makes for one sexy Goddess, playing Hera, Zeus’ wife…hotchie momma!) and the spot shots where astounding, adding a lot to the chronicle. The Argo (the boat that carried Jason and his crew, hence the term `Argonauts’) was favorable, although that figurehead of Hera (she was one of the Gods assisting Jason) freaked me out, especially with the opening an closing of its’ eyelids. And I can’t review this film without mentioning the work of legendary Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Day the Earth Stood Serene, Psycho, Taxi Driver) …well, I mentioned him…but seriously, it’s fine rare to salvage a composer as `in tune’ with the material he’s working with as Herrmann (deem how different Psycho would be without its’ terrifying find) . The best parts of the film, by far, are the stop-motion effects by Harryhausen. What makes his work so agreeable, in my plan, is not only his search for for meticulous detail (it would often engage months to make a 3 or 4 limited on camouflage segment of stop-motion work), but also his ability to originate the appropriate movements for the characters he was presenting. An example within the context of the film is Talos, the bronze titan, compared to, say, the winged harpies. The character of Talos moved exactly how you would question a giant made of bronze to fade, rigid, lumbering, and generally tiring,, compared to the very fluid and bright movements of the winged harpies, or even the multi-headed Hydra creature. It’s the supposition of how the creatures would recede, infused with the created models that space Harryhausen apart from his peers, and made him a epic in his possess time, influencing so many others that came after him. It’s ravishing rare to eye stop-motion work in major films nowadays, as it’s been replaced with computer generated images (which is probably cheaper and less time interesting, but can often appear fair as unrealistic as lesser stop-motion work) .
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The represent looks heavenly kindly on this DVD, and is available in both widescreen (1.85:1) and beefy cover pan and scan formats. The audio, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, is relatively certain throughout. Special features include subtitles (English, French, and Spanish), the recent theatrical trailer, short production notes inside the case, and a lengthy interview with Ray Harryhausen conducted by John Landis, featuring clips, collected photos, and even a prop or two from the films.
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