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Clash of the Titans (1981 film)
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Clash of the Titans
Film poster by Brothers Hildebrandt
Directed by
Desmond Davis
Produced by
Ray Harryhausen
Charles H. Schneer
Written by
Beverley Cross
Starring
Harry Hamlin
Laurence Olivier
Judi Bowker
Maggie Smith
Burgess Meredith
Music by
Laurence Rosenthal
Cinematography
Ted Moore
Edited by
Timothy Gee
Production
company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by
United Artists
Release date
June 12, 1981 (1981-06-12) (US)
July 2, 1981 (1981-07-02) (UK)
Running time
118 minutes[1]
Country
United Kingdom
United States
Language
English
Budget
$9 million[2]
Box office
$41 million (North America)
Clash of the Titans is a 1981 British-American heroic fantasy adventure film directed by Desmond Davis and written by Beverley Cross which retells the Greek mythological story of Perseus. It stars Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Maggie Smith and Laurence Olivier. The film features the final work of stop motion visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen. It was released on June 12, 1981 and grossed $41 million at the North American box office,[3] which made it the 11th highest-grossing film of the year.[4] A novelization of the film by Alan Dean Foster was published in 1981.
Warner Bros. released a 3D remake on April 2, 2010.[5][6]
Contents
[hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Reception
5 Locations
6 Legacy
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Plot[edit]
King Acrisius of Argos imprisons his daughter Danaë, jealous of her beauty. When the god Zeus impregnates her, Acrisius banishes his daughter and his newborn grandson Perseus to sea in a wooden chest. In retribution, Zeus kills Acrisius and orders Poseidon to release the last of the Titans, a gigantic sea monster called the Kraken, to destroy Argos. Danaë and Perseus safely float to the island of Seriphos, where Perseus grows to adulthood.
Calibos, evil son of the sea goddess Thetis, is engaged to marry Princess Andromeda, daughter of Queen Cassiopeia of Joppa; but for committing several atrocities against Zeus, including destroying Zeus's sacred flying horses (excepting only Pegasus), Zeus transforms Calibos into a deformed monstrous creature. In revenge, Thetis transports an adult Perseus from Seriphos to an abandoned amphitheater in Joppa, where he befriends an elderly poet named Ammon and learns that Andromeda is under a curse and cannot marry unless her suitor, upon the threat of execution if he fails, successfully answers a riddle concocted by Calibos. Zeus sends Perseus a god-crafted helmet from Athena which makes its wearer invisible, a magical sword from Aphrodite, and a shield from Hera. Perseus, wearing the helmet, captures Pegasus and follows Calibos' giant vulture carrying off Andromeda's spirit during her sleep to learn the next riddle. Perseus is discovered and nearly killed by Calibos, but manages to sever one of Calibos' hands, losing his helmet in the process.
The gorgon Medusa.
The next morning, Perseus presents himself as suitor and correctly answers the riddle, winning Andromeda's hand in marriage. Finding that Thetis cannot act against Perseus, Calibos instead demands that she takes vengeance on Joppa. At the wedding, Queen Cassiopeia compares Andromeda's beauty to that of Thetis herself, whereupon Thetis demands Andromeda be sacrificed to the Kraken on pain of Joppa's destruction. Perseus seeks a way to defeat the Kraken, but Pegasus is captured by Calibos and his men. Zeus commands Athena to give Perseus her owl Bubo; but she orders Hephaestus to build a golden replica of Bubo instead, who leads Perseus to the Stygian Witches. By taking their magic eye, Perseus forces them to reveal that the only way to defeat the Kraken is by using the head of Medusa, who lives on an island in the River Styx at the edge of the Underworld. The next day, the group continues on their journey without Andromeda and Ammon, who return to Joppa.
The Kraken comes to claim Andromeda.
On the Gorgon's island, Perseus fights and kills Medusa's guardian, a two-headed dog named Dioskilos. Perseus then enters the Gorgon's lair, where he uses the reflective underside of his shield to deceive Medusa, decapitate her, and collect her head; but the shield is dissolved by her caustic blood. As Perseus and his party set to return, Calibos enters their camp and punctures the cloak carrying Medusa's head, causing her blood to spill and produce three giant scorpions. Calibos and the scorpions attack and kill Perseus' remaining escorts, but Perseus overcomes the scorpions and thereafter kills Calibos.
Weakened by his struggle, Perseus sends Bubo to rescue Pegasus from Calibos' henchmen and reaches the amphitheater in Joppa, where he collapses from exhaustion. Andromeda is shackled to the sea cliffs outside Joppa, and the Kraken itself is summoned. Bubo diverts the Kraken's attention until Perseus, whose strength was secretly restored by Zeus, appears on Pegasus. In the subsequent battle, Perseus petrifies the Kraken with Medusa's head, causing it to crumble to pieces. He then tosses the head into the sea, frees Andromeda, and marries her.
The gods predict that Perseus and Andromeda will live happily, rule wisely, and produce children, and Zeus forbids the other gods to pursue vengeance against them. The constellations of Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus, and Cassiopeia are created in their honor.
Cast[edit]
Harry Hamlin as Perseus
Judi Bowker as Andromeda
Burgess Meredith as Ammon
Maggie Smith as Thetis
Siân Phillips as Cassiopeia
Claire Bloom as Hera
Ursula Andress as Aphrodite
Laurence Olivier as Zeus
Pat Roach as Hephaestus
Susan Fleetwood as Athena
Tim Pigott-Smith as Thallo
Jack Gwillim as Poseidon
Neil McCarthy as Calibos
Vida Taylor as Danaë
Donald Houston as Acrisius
Flora Robson, Anna Manahan and Freda Jackson as the Stygian Witches
Production[edit]
In 1978, Andor Films submitted a copy of the script to the British Board of Film Classification, seeking advice on how to secure either a "U" or an "A" certificate. The draft script included scenes which the BBFC considered would not be acceptable under those certificates, including the Kraken tearing Pegasus to pieces and Andromeda being naked during the climax of the film. Changes to the script and, on submission, some cuts to Perseus' final battle with Calibos were made and the film secured the "A" certificate: "Those aged 5 and older admitted, but not recommended for children under 14 years of age".[7]
Ray Harryhausen used stop motion animation to create the various creatures in the film, including Calibos, his vulture, Pegasus, Bubo the mechanical owl, Dioskilos, Medusa, the scorpions, and the Kraken. Harryhausen was also co-producer of the film, and retired from film-making shortly after it was released. Despite Bubo's similarities to the droid R2-D2 of the 1977 film Star Wars, Harryhausen claimed Bubo was created before Star Wars was released.[8] The BBFC, reviewing the film for certification in 1981, said Harryhausen's effects were well done and would give entertainment to audiences of all ages, but might appear a little "old hat" to those familiar with Star Wars and Superman.[7]
Columbia Pictures were initially set to distribute the film having made most of Harryhausen and producer Charles H. Schneer's films, but after a change of guard at the studio, they dropped the project during pre-production, leading to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to pick it up instead.
Stars Harry Hamlin and Ursula Andress were romantically involved at the time of production. Their son, Dimitri, was born in 1980 after filming was completed, and their relationship ended in 1982.
Jack Gwillim, who appeared as Poseidon, had earlier played the role of King Aeëtes in the original Jason and the Argonauts in 1963.
The film's screenwriter, Beverley Cross, was married to Maggie Smith, who played Thetis, until his death in 1998. Cross worked with producer Charles H. Schneer before, writing the screenplay for Schneer's production of Jason and the Argonauts.
Reception[edit]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2017)
Clash of the Titans was released on June 12, 1981. By the time it finished its theatrical run, it had grossed $41,000,000 in North America.[9]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 40 reviews, and an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A goofy, old-school sword-and-sandal epic, Clash of the Titans mines Greek mythology for its story and fleshes it out with Ray Harryhausen's charmingly archaic stop-motion animation techniques."[10]
In a book published in 2000, Stephen R. Wilk suggested that "most people today who are aware of the story of Perseus and Medusa owe their knowledge to...Clash of the Titans."[11]
Locations[edit]
The karst area in El Torcal de Antequera, Spain appears in the visit to the Stygian witches.
The Azure Window in Gozo, Malta, appears in the battle against the Kraken.
Other locations include:
Cornwall, United Kingdom.
The Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, at Pinewood Studios, United Kingdom.
Paestum, Italy
Legacy[edit]
The four-issue comic book mini-series Wrath of the Titans (2007), released by TidalWave Productions as part of their Ray Harryhausen Signature Series, picked up the story 5 years after the events of the film.[12]
The 3D remake Clash of the Titans (2010) and its sequel Wrath of the Titans (2012) were released by the property's current rights holder Warner Bros.[13][14][15]
See also[edit]
List of stop motion films
List of historical drama films
Greek mythology in popular culture
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "Clash of the Titans (A) (CUT)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
Jump up ^ Harmetz, Aljean (9 September 1981). "HOLLYWOOD IS JOYOUS OVER ITS RECORD GROSSING SUMMER". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
Jump up ^ Clash of the Titans (1981) - BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Jump up ^ 1981 Yearly Box Office Results - BoxOfficeMojo.com
Jump up ^ "Clash of the Titans Official site: Film poster". Clash-of-the-Titans.WarnerBros.com. February 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
Jump up ^ "3-Deathly Hallows: Titans and Potter go to third dimension". Heat Vision Blog. January 27, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b From the Archive….we look back at Clash of the Titans[permanent dead link], BBFC, retrieved 2012-03-13
Jump up ^ Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, page 270 (London: Aurum Press Ltd, 2003) ISBN 1-85410-940-5.
Jump up ^ "Clash of the Titans". Box Office Mojo.
Jump up ^ "Clash of the Titans (1981)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
Jump up ^ Wilk, Stephen R. (June 26, 2000). Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon. p. 209. ISBN 0-195-12431-6.
Jump up ^ "Ray Harryhausen Presents: 20 Million Miles More #1 (Preview)". CBR.com. 2013-09-01. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
Jump up ^ "Clash of the Titans Commences Production for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures". Business Wire. April 25, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
Jump up ^ "Medusa's Head Hiding Within Perseus' Sack? Three Blind Witches!". Bloody-disgusting.com. October 2, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
Jump up ^ "New Clash of the Titans Remake Stills". Dreadcentral.com. October 2, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Clash of the Titans (1981 film)
Official website
Clash of the Titans at AllMovie
Clash of the Titans on IMDb
Clash of the Titans at Box Office Mojo
Clash of the Titans at Rotten Tomatoes
[show]
v
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Films directed by Desmond Davis
Girl with Green Eyes (1964)
The Uncle (1965)
I Was Happy Here (1966)
Smashing Time (1967)
A Nice Girl Like Me (1969)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
The Sign of Four (1983)
Camille (1984)
Ordeal by Innocence (1985)
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Clash of the Titans
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