Harryhausen: The Lost Films

Chronological look at the films Ray Harryhausen might have possibly been part of but time and tide prevented him from happening. It also reveals cut sequences from some of his classic films.

Take it as a given this is a great book. A mixture of text and pictures LOST FILMS gets the mind going and makes us fall in love with film all over again. Mostly it makes us wonder what might have happened had HArryhausen said yes or been able to get access to Tarzan or John Carter of Mars? What would he have done on the Empire Strikes Back? Would The Elementals of King Kong VS Frankenstein been a classic? We will never know- but we can imagine.

I don't know what to say other than if you love Ray Harryhausen's work this is a must

First Men in the Moon

First Men in The Moon is kind of an underappreciated Ray Harryhausen film. While it most definitely has its fans, of which I am one, it is like the Three Worlds of Gulliver as being the least talked about of the films. Everyone talks about Jason or the Sinbad films. Even Clash of the Titans gets more love thanks to it not only being the last film but also because of the comparisons to the huge budgeted remakes.

I love the film and I think it’s one Harryhausen’s best films, probably second to Golden Voyage in my personal pantheon of Harryhausen wonders. It has cool monsters, great characters and a super script. Where many of the other films fudge bits of plot First Men plays it straight and as such is very satisfying.

Nominally based upon the HG Wells novel the film begins with man’s first trip to the moon…or so everyone thought. The reality is that thanks to the finding of a small British flag the astronauts realize some one was there before. Officials scramble to discover what happen and they interview Arnold Bedford who is living in a nursing home who claims to once upon a time traveled to the moon with Professor Caver and Kate Callender. Once there the trio found that the moon was not the dead world we thought but one buzzing with life.

One of the numerous Victorian/ Edwardian themed films that popped up in the 1960’s this was one of the best. Driven by a killer script which holds our attention from first frame to the last the film is a rip roaring adventure. It’s less science fiction than pure fantasy this is a film you climb aboard and travel to another time and other places. It’s a blast and then some.

The cast is perfect. I can’t say enough about Edward Judd, Lionel Jeffries and Martha Hyer other than they are all wonderful. Not just wonderful but note perfect. This is the film that I instantly think of when I see their names.

And of course there are the creatures. Ray Harryhausen is at the top of game with all the little beasties. His work makes the various real. We genuinely feel menaced by the moon men- and more importantly we kind of feel a twinge of sadness when their fate is revealed. It’s easy to feel fear with monsters but to get us to have our hearts break is something special and requires the work of a master.

As I said above I love this film a great deal. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting a grand adventure.

7th Voyage of Sinbad

First of the Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films The Seventh Voyage is a great deal of fun.

Blown off course, Sinbad and his crew end up on Colossa, an island full of monsters. They run into the magician Sokurah who is being chased by a cyclops. Fleeing back to their ship they leave Sokurah‘s magic lamp behind. Desperate to get it back he attempts to entice Sinbad to return. When that fails he ends up shrinking a princess thus forcing Sinbad to return him to the island so that she can be restored to full size. After a mutiny filled voyage they return to Colossa where they must fight for their lives.

A grand adventure of the sort they don’t make any more this is a monster lovers delight, Cyclops, snake monsters, dragons, rocs and a living skeleton all figure into the insanity. Its Harryhausen working near the top of his game and it’s a blast and a half.

Does it make pefect sense? Oh hell no, but it moves so fast you won’t care.

Pure unadulterated joy of the movie monster kind and highly recommended.

Earth vs The Flying Saucers

Alien invasion movie ala Ray Harryhausen is incredibly straight forward as the aliens come and the earthlings fight back.

Clearly made in a different time with a different outlook the film moves along at a good clip, teasing the full on invasion that ends the film. This film gives us a world where Washington can be (partially) emptied orderly in a couple of days. It is only after everyone is out of the way that the saucers come.

As a kid I was always mixed on the film, I wanted aliens from start to finish, but that isn’t the way the film works. After initial contact we really have to wait for the final half hour before the battle between human and aliens takes place. Once that kicks in the film is gangbusters as men are vaporized and saucers crash.

If you want to see aliens lay waste to Washington in glorious black and white this is highly recommended.

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

Patrick Trouton as Phenias

What was the cool factor of Jason and the Argonauts? Back when I was a kid growing up in the 1970’s the only film we wanted to remake ourselves was Jason. Yes we wanted to riff on other films, say Star Wars or Jaws or some other big film, But Jason was the only one where we wanted to recreate it as closely as a bunch of ten year olds with no budget could. We were so intent that we actually worked out how and where we going to do it…

…unfortunately we never went beyond the planning stage, but we gave it a game try. So game in fact that periodically I still run across notes from the attempt.

Retelling a version of Jason’s trip to steal the Golden Fleece the film is a rip roaring adventure of the highest order. There are heroics, monsters and romance. There is weight to what happens as heroes make mistakes (Hercules) and people die. The characters are well drawn and we care about what happens even after almost six decades, not because of the monsters but the people.

And of course the monsters are great, from the Telos to the skeletons it’s all good stuff that sparks the imagination and makes us dream.

I love this movie.

Interestingly, in the days before home video, when movies were run on regular TV stations with commercials sometimes things would get cut to fit a slot. For years I never knew about the sequence with the Harpies because some times during the 430 movie (where a 2 hour movie could take three or four days to be shown) they would remove the whole sequences with Phineas. (Kids today really don’t understand what seeing a cut film means)

If you have never seen this film you should. Why? Because it holds up in its own right- and more importantly it is a film that influenced everything after it. All of the effects guys love the film and once you watch the film you’ll be able to begi to spot all of the steals from it.

Highly recomended

Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad ruined me. It is a nigh perfect film that some 44 years since first seeing it I’m still discovering things in.

The plot has Sinbad battling the evil Koura to discover the hidden mystery behind some golden amulets that fit together. Taveling to a far off land Sinbad and his crew have to face great dangers

The cast is great with Tom Baker perfect as the Koura. If Doctor Who hadn’t come along I would always think of him in this role. Its perfect evil- he is a man who is so sure of his win that he is willing to give bits of his soul away piece by piece.

John Philip Law has never been better. Disappearing into the role he takes one of the best written fantasy scripts and gives it depth. He is a hero who will do the right thing- who is out for adventure (he gets nothing in the end except the girl) and stand tall doing it. He never gives up. His character has become a guiding force in my life.

And surprisingly Kurt Christian as Haroun shines. Initally a drunk lazy sone of a merchant he is forcibly put on the ship and tries to escape but when danger comes he is always the first one to act, killing Kali or shooting the arrow that rescues them when buried. He claims being fearful but always steps up. It’s a wonderfully shaded character and Christian is unfairly left out of discussions.

And of course there are the monsters, from homunculus, to figure head, to Kali to the gods of the end the film is a visual delight.

This is just great filmmaking from top to bottom. I can’t recommend it enough.