Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013)

"No art is lost, or ever will be lost." -Ray Harryhausen (SciFiNow #80, p.115)-

 

"Among the fantastical monsters and creatures of Clash Of The Titans is the robot bird Bubo. What's it doing there?  It doesn't matter; it's great." -SciFiNow #80 (it actually matters but that's hysterical)-

"It was the inspiration for the Japanese to make Godzilla." -Friend and biographer Tony Dalton referring to The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) as an influence on the great Japanese classic, not to discount the innovation of Toho, Eiji Tsuburaya, the man in the suit or director Ishiro Honda's legacy (SciFiNow #80)-



"Trog in Eye Of The Tiger is one of his most extraordinary creations.  It is very human, and the actions and personality that Ray seemed to put into that model is just phenomenal.  And the whole face moves - it was wired so he could change the brow and mouth." -Tony Dalton accurately reflecting on the incredible creation that was Trog (SciFiNow #80, p115)-



"Ray designed it, built the models, shot, animated and edited it as well, so that sequence is almost pure Harryhausen.  Ray Bradbury said it's the best sequence that Ray ever did." -Tony Dalton referring to Ray Bradbury's take on the creation of Medusa in Clash Of The Titans (the remake's take on the classic Medusa character positively paled in comparison) (SciFiNow #80 p.115)-





"Heroes were not heroes anymore; they'd become antiheroes." -Tony Dalton on Ray Harryhausen's take on the changing culture noting Ray's films were "black and white" (SciFiNow #80 p.115)-



The loss of another key figure in the shaping of my childhood and my many fond memories of it always gives me pause.  There isn't enough that can be said about special effects genius Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013).  Plenty has been written about the man's achievements and there are more than a few places to go and research the wonders of this special effects titan.  I would point you to the increasingly scarce book Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life (2003) by Tony Dalton and Ray Harryhausen with a foreword by Ray Bradbury and The Art Of Ray Harryhausen (2006). A terrific Blu-Ray documentary exists in the United Kingdom called Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan.  It's a 97 minute gem and is unavailable stateside.  What a shame considering the man was American born, but became something of a hero in the UK where he passed away.



In fact, I made a rare trip to Barnes And Noble this week to pick up the latest issue of SciFiNow #80.  There was a splendid spread featuring a wonderful tribute to the man in the form of The Complete Guide To Ray Harryhausen. As brief retrospectives go the UK publication generally does a nice job paying attention to the details.

I'll take this late opportunity to reflect on the influence of such a talent on shaping those beautiful, simple moments of my own childhood.



The American visual effects wizard (Dynamation!), writer and producer had a hand in the creation of an abundance of iconic creatures in fantasy and science fiction that graced the covers of magazines while stunning us in awe on the big and small screens for many years.



Harryhausen's stop-motion animation was magical because of its almost other-worldly qualities.  Often imitated but never outdone, his many fantastical creations became part of this Sci-Fi Fanatic's childhood.  Harryhausen holds a special place alongside so many that influenced what made being a child so terrific in the 1970s and 1980s.  Along with the late Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds) and creators like Tatsunoko (Gatchaman), John Byrne (Fantastic Four and The Uncanny X-Men comics), Toho's Godzilla and actors like Bill Bixby (The Incredible Hulk), Harryhausen's awe-inspiring creatures riveted the imagination during the creatively fertile 1970s.





Whether it was the countless times of watching Jason And The Argonauts (1963) or The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958), The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1974) or the much-maligned Sinbad And The Eye of The Tiger (1977), these mythical adventures never failed to impress me.  Perhaps seeing Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger today would reveal its shortcomings, but as a child, sitting in the cinema with a bucket of butter-covered and heavily salted popcorn, I sat riveted and hung on every emotion of Harryhausen's troglodyte creation - Trog.  He made stop-motion incredibly sympathetic infusing his creations with real emotion.  The skeletons of Jason And The Argonauts were fierce, unrelenting, evil monsters.  The Cyclops was somehow ferocious yet somehow misunderstood.  The sensitive troglodyte of Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger could move us to tears.



After seeing these many films in the cinemas featuring the likes of Doctor Who's Tom Baker or Patrick Troughton and the likes of genre favorites in Jane Seymour (Battlestar Galactica) as well as Honor Blackman and Ursula Andress (007), Harryhausen's vision culminated in the wonderful Clash Of The Titans (1981).  Talk about going out on top. It is hands down a far superior film over the cold CGI creation of the 2010 remake.  That film could never reimagine the warmth, heart and spirit of the Harryhausen original.  This is why Clash Of The Titans, the original, worked so well.  It captured all that was special about Jason And The Argonauts, a film Tom Hanks once called "the greatest film ever made," and simply built upon all that was special about those heroic adventure films.









I remember seeing the remake with my then young son. I walked away completely stunned by its complete and utter lack of charm.  It was simply mindless, soulless entertainment.  In fact, like me, he doesn't have any special memories from that film, because it was cold and lacking of heart.  I also recall thinking what a pointless waste of a tribute it was to Ray Harryhausen when the overrated Sam Worthington actually uncovered the non-CGI creation that was Athena's beautiful, mechanical owl Bubo only to demonstrate the creator's general disregard for all that was imaginative and special about the original film.  Bubo was simply a prop thrown in for a good laugh and then discarded.  Back to the CGI scorpions and the post-edited 3D efforts. Terrible.  I could watch the original anytime, but would have no interest in seeing the 2010 remake ever again.



Harryhausen's films still hold up today and are splendid for all ages, but nothing holds a candle to seeing these films through the eyes of a child.  Harryhausen transported us as children and while his work was bountiful these were the films that filled my world and made being a kid an absolute blast giving us a fertile playground in our imaginations.  Harryhausen will never be missed because his films and his creations will live on with people like myself who love them.  Ray Harryhausen was 92.



SciFiNow #80 list 12 of his Titanic Creations (in no particular order).

1. Fighting Skeletons.
2. Medusa.
3. Talos.
4. Crab.
5. Cyclops.
6. Octopus.
7. Bubo.
8. Gwangi.
9. Kali.
10. Flying Saucers.
11. Snake Dancer.
12 Mighty Joe Young.










Of course the aforementioned list is solid, because anything by Harryhausen was precisely so, but like all writers and critics, once again, Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger is entirely overlooked with its creations not registering on the SciFiNow list.  The film gave us some of the best of Harryhausen.



To rectify this, here are my favorite Harryhausen creations in ranking order.

12. Kali (The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad).
11. The Sabre-Toothed Tiger (Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger).
10. Harpies (Jason And The Argonauts).
9. The Minotaun (Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger).
8. Kraken (Clash Of The Titans).
7. Baboon (Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger).
6. Cyclops (The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad).
5. Bubo (Clash Of The Titans).
4. Talos (Jason And The Argonauts).
3. Trog (Troglodyte) (Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger).
2. Medusa (Clash Of The Titans).
1. Fighting Skeletons (Jason And The Argonauts).















This rousing and impressively crafted sequence is just a sample of what Ray Harryhausen left fans.  It was the precursor to the truly extraordinary fighting skeletons sequence that positively wowed audiences in Jason And The Argonauts five years later.

Selected Filmography: Mighty Joe Young (1949)/ The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)/ It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955)/ Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)/ 20 Million Miles To Earth (1957)/ The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958)/ The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960)/ Mysterious Island (1961)/ Jason And The Argonauts (1963)/ First Men In The Moon (1964)/ One Million Years B.C. (1966)/ The Valley Of Gwangi (1969)/ The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1974)/ Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger (1977)/ Clash of The Titans (1981).

A Case Against CGI IV

"Why did I retire? I felt that computer animation was taking over. Everybody seemed to think that computer animation was the thing. Computer animation, I think, is a wonderful tool, but only a tool."

 

-Ray Harryhausen (SciFiNow #80, p.115)-

He's Not Dead Jim!

Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy always knows.  He's a medical doctor.

Falling Skies S1 Ep4: Grace

"You know you're optimism is starting to get a little annoying." -Captain Dan Weaver in the face of Tom Mason's seemingly unfailing, unflagging optimism-

 

My enthusiasm for the return of Falling Skies with Season Three grows. Falling Skies, Season One, Episode 4, Grace continues its steady concentration upon an epic story.







As the episode winds its way on the latest mission to retrieve motorcycles near Somerville, MA, thanks to John Pope, characters are given some time to spread their wings.  Anthony was once a Boston police officer.  Rick had cystic fibrosis until he was harnessed.  Maggie considered taking her own life before resolving to end it with Pope's group.  Lourdes was formerly from Mexico City and is clearly one of the survivors with a deep faith.  Even Pope is given a chance to join the mission unarmed to prove his worth.





A well-constructed scene reveals some Skitter behavior as a group of skitters sleep hanging upside down from the bottom of a bridge like bats.  Tom Mason, Hal Mason, Pope, Anthony and Dai consider shooting them while they sleep like sitting ducks, but defer to caution continuing on with their mission.  They know that they may have success taking out the Skitters but will only bring the Mechs raining down on them.  The image of the Skitter resting quietly conjures an image of the creature behavior from the  terrific South Korean film The Host (2006), which also loomed in the distance resting upside down underneath a bridge.







Meanwhile back at John F. Kennedy High School Anne Glass and Dr. Steven Weber watch over their imprisoned Skitter.  While Anne seems almost sympathetic in her attempts to make some connection with the creature, gain some knowledge or perhaps identify a mutual respect of some kind, Weber almost seems to treat the creature as nothing more than an animal there for his seemingly torturous amusement.  Weber incites the creature into a rage by wheeling in a dead Skitter.  It seems almost cruel and unnecessary.  Furthermore, Weber's history seems murky regarding events surrounding the death of Tom's wife whom Weber witnessed die in person.  What does he know?  Earlier, Anne attempts to express empathy toward Tom by noting that at least his wife died with a friend.  But is Dr. Weber a friend?  The question remains open.

During the beast's tirade, static seems to emit throughout the building as Matt Mason and Uncle Scott notice a spike in static in their neighboring room.  Later, it is revealed that the spike in radio static directly correlates with the creature's anxiety or excitability.











Elsewhere, Lourdes prays, the fitting spiritual compass for the divinity associated with Grace.

And Mike Thompson remains by his son, Rick.  Mike plays a pretty sympathetic father.  When Rick awakens for just seconds he indicates he does not recognize his father.  He also suggests a connection with the creature held in the adjacent room is the kink that jarred Rick from his sleep.

Mike visits the Skitter desperate for answers, for some evidence that the creature can communicate, much the same way Anne had been probing.  Only Mike Thompson clearly appears to be a man very much on the brink.  The Skitter's life is in danger.  Mike goes so far as to stick his gun into the creature's mouth.  As a  result, the creature passes out.  Fortunately, Anne Glass puts the connections together.





Back on the motorcycle mission Pope knocks Dai unconscious and escapes.  Pope is a rather amusing character one you love and hate all at once.  Instead of escape, the first thing Pope does is return to the site of the Skitter nest and those Cooties who were sleeping and destroys their nest with a grenade.

While alone, Rick awakens again, but this time re-attaches his harness in a nifty bit of science fiction.  The harness literally reaches out to re-make the connections to his back.  It's all fairly disgusting but truly effective.  In the next room, static comes across the radio, Anne, Mike, Uncle Scott, and Weber all realize something is happening.





Returning to the cage they find the Skitter communicating with and through Rick.  The Skitter is capable of utilizing the human vessel to communicate.  Mike grabs Rick and removes the harness once again as Rick falls into his arms.

At the motorcycle shop the band of four are attacked by kids with harnesses and fully weaponized with machine guns.  They know they don't want to shoot the kids but rather the Skitter controlling them would be the preferred target.  Despite being attacked, all escape with bikes.  A Skitter is killed and the harnessed children stand motionless with their guns awaiting their orders.





Weaver and Mason have a nice moment later in the entry where Weaver shows his humanity to Tom once again demonstrating real empathy for Tom's position as a father of a missing boy.  Weaver has his own demons, but must wear the brave face of a leader.

Later Hal cautions his father about the potential realities surrounding Ben.  He may not be the same suggests Hal.  His father, perhaps to a fault, refuses to believe anything but the best possible outcome.  Tom Mason survives on hope.  He lives and breathes it more than any character on Falling Skies.  There isn't a pessimistic bone in his body at this point. He's incredibly strong-willed in this way.  Hal is certainly younger and a little more dubious about the future much like many heralding from the younger generations regarding their future prospects for America today.





The final scene sees the principals sharing fresh baked bread made by the now deserting Pope led by a prayer to God from Lourdes.  "Dear God, we thank you for this meal and for this safe place we live in.  We know not everyone is as lucky as we are today," prays Lourdes.  "You really think we're lucky?," wonders Weaver.  Lourdes, assures, "Yeah, I think we can still appreciate what we have in our life - even now."  The scene is ever so sweet as these people are thrown together by fate and break bread together literally.  Jesus Christ broke loaves of bread and shared them. Will Pope betray them like Judas?  Tom Mason takes bread and shares his with Captain Weaver in a real sense of brotherhood.  The community of man is alive and well as they take one another's hands.  "Heavenly father for everything you've given us and especially for our connection with each other may we be truly thankful.  In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit. Amen."  Even the tough-as-nails Captain Weaver speaks those words suggesting that even he has not lost faith and wants to believe in victory through the guidance of a higher power.



This final, powerful scene of genuine grace toward one another as they hold hands in prayer is incredibly moving.  The bird's eye or Lord's eye shot is particularly fitting for the closing of Grace.  Those final minutes are so unlike most anything out of Hollywood that it comes off as the antithesis of much of what Hollywood supports and represents.  It's refreshing to see in film.  Perhaps to some degree this foot toward the Christian faith is what gives these normal Americans hope and faith.  It may also be what is partially what works against this show today.  In a day and age filled by divisive politics and a pop culture that often rejects any connection to Christ it cannot sit well with the certain segments of the Hollywood establishment.







It is moving and heartfelt in those final minutes.  With aliens falling from the skies and off bridges, the characters under assault in Falling Skies are bound by a sense of faith and look to the heavens above and the man upstairs for their blessings.  God's gift to humanity of salvation, saints and sinners alike, is that of grace or mercy. God gave this to humanity when he sent Jesus Christ, his son, to die on a cross to give us eternal salvation.  This is the meaning behind Grace.  Falling Skies is grateful for the precious little things it lives for, while The Walking Dead has shown little to no interest in a greater faith beyond the almost nihilistic day's events for survival.  Falling Skies is indeed taking big risks with such a spiritual connection and a deeper philosophical connection within its science fiction tale.  In some respects its square by comparison, but not as much as you might think.



Writer Melinda Hsu Taylor brings an emotive touch to the storyline.  Taylor delivers the first of two entries on Falling Skies.  She also had a sizable impact on Season Five and Six of Lost as well as shows like Touch (2012) and Medium (2005-2011).  If Falling Skies is lacking anything, it's a little more in the way of an emotional, dramatic punch that some of the best series develop.  Lost did a good job with that aspect of the series.  You need those gut-wrenching character-driven moments that are filled with emotion and revelation every now and again.  We need to feel for them.  Falling Skies benefits with a little more care in this area.  Grace gives us a glimpse of that strength in its final moments.  The potential continues to shine.

Grace offers us a terrific character entry in the series with some interesting developments from the Skitter universe as well as a healthy perspective on grace divine.  Amen.









Grace: B/ B+.
Writer: Melinda Hsu Taylor.
Director: Fred Toye.

Holding out hope for a Falling Skies Season Four despite the lack of momentum this series is capable of generating with ten episode seasons.  As a viewing experience on Blu-Ray, all at once, it's a story worth watching.