I would argue that Jason and the Argonauts — despite being almost 60 years old — could still captivate a child’s imagination.
Today, if a movie needs a fantastic animal or locale visualized, filmmakers usually turn to computer-generated imagery (CGI) to get the job done. As fast as a computer graphics card can render something, it can appear on screen. Before CGI, though, filmmakers had to rely on skilled craftspeople, like the incredible Ray Harryhausen, to produce outlandish or otherworldly visions. Harryhausen was a master at what is known as stop-motion animation. Stop-motion requires an object to be photographed thousands of times, each with a slight change in the object’s range of motion. When displayed at high speed, the photographs give the illusion that the object is moving. Even more complicated is getting those animated objects to appear as if they’re interacting with things (especially actors) in the real world. 1963’s fantasy/adventure Jason and the Argonauts is considered to be one of the finest examples of Harryhausen’s work.
The film is an adaptation of the Greek myth about the quest for the Golden Fleece. The hero, Jason (Todd Armstrong,) embarks on a journey to the “end of the world” to find the magical fleece in order to claim his rightful place on the throne of Thessaly. Aided by the goddess Hera (Honor Blackman), Jason assembles a crew of soldiers — including Hercules (Nigel Green) — and sets off in the long boat Argo to recover the prized fleece. In all honesty, the plot is merely a device to shuffle the cast from one special effects showpiece to the next.
Along the way, Jason and his Argonauts encounter winged harpies; Talos, a large bronze statue come to life; a multi-headed hydra; Triton, a sea god; and an army of sword-fighting skeletons, among other dangers. Most of them beautifully animated by Harryhausen and his team. Although the effects technology might look a bit dated now, there’s still quite a bit of magic in these scenes. Harryhausen’s animated creatures have much more personality and heft than computer generated monsters. I can’t recall any digital creature having as much of a visual impact as Talos does when he creakily turns his head to peer down at Jason’s crew. During that moment, you forget that that Talos is made of resin and fiberglass.
I would be remiss in not mentioning the tremendous musical score by Bernard Herrmann. The score adds immeasurably to the film’s atmosphere and punctuates the action with a firm exclamation point.
Most of the performances are stiff and the dialogue is a confusing muddle of names and locations. (It doesn’t help that two of the main characters have had their voices dubbed by different people.) But none of that really sours the film’s ability to transport the viewer to a fantastic world of monsters and magic. Granted, the story isn’t exactly like you may remember it from Mythology class but that keeps things interesting as well.
I would argue that Jason and the Argonauts — despite being almost 60 years old — could still captivate a child’s imagination. That’s the biggest compliment I can give a fantasy film.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Buy on Amazon!
