Harryhausen FX - How were they regarded by audiences of the day? - Jason and the Argonauts (1963) Discussion

[–] NeoPhoenixX 18 years ago

I know this was 30 years prior to Jason And The Argonauts, but I saw a documentary on King Kong and apparently audiences originally bought the stop motion effects. In fact the first film ever made and exhibited, a short clip of a train coming into a station, caused panic in theatres because the audience thought the train was literally going to smash through the screen.

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[–] rwsmith29456 17 years ago

Just as today, Ray Harryhausen was then considered to be amazing.

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[–] obit1 17 years ago

I remember seeing Jason and the Argonauts about three times during the first week it played (when you're eleven you have great monster movie stamina) but everytime the skeletons came on and screamed bloody murder as they charged Jason, the audiences (mostly adults, I would think) broke out in gut busting laughter.

I never figured that out. I always LOVED the skelton warriors and when I found out how it was done, process projections and all, I loved it even more. But I guess it looked pretty silly to people who have little imagination and an obvious inability to suspend their disbelief...

I wonder why they were there in the first place?

And this wasn't only one time...this was everytime the skeletons attacked.

http://www.woodywelch.com

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[–] geode 14 years ago

I think it was because the skeletons have no lungs so how could they scream?

Oh Lord, you gave them eyes but they cannot see...

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[–] gribfritz2 13 years ago

But I guess they were okay with bloodless, muscleless creatures rising out of the earth and walking. Or with the random skeletal bones somehow sticking together. Or with their ability to see without eyes. I think the scream is cool and freaky. And if they can walk without blood and muscles and can keep their bones together and can see without eyes, why not scream?

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[–] joe_538 11 years ago

I wondered how you could kill a skeleton by piercing it with a sword when they have no organs. The sword is just passing through vacant space.

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[–] nickm2 11 years ago

Well I have heard it said that iron/steel has great effect on 'black magic', demons & even satanic powers;

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[–] NorrinRad (5470) 3 years ago

I remember seeing Jason and the Argonauts about three times during the first week it played (when you're eleven you have great monster movie stamina) but everytime the skeletons came on and screamed bloody murder as they charged Jason, the audiences (mostly adults, I would think) broke out in gut busting laughter.

I did see this when it came out in theaters as a first run...

The audience I saw this with? There was NO laughter. It was thrilling and scary and the special effects sold it.

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[–] ozymandias312 17 years ago

When I first saw it at age six or seven it just rocked my world. But, hey, I liked the original _King Kong_ a lot too. I never thought there were any laughs to be got out of the big sword fight with the skeleton army myself. I never found it anything but intense and even brutal. The first thing I saw to even come close to it was the final running fight in the tomb in _The Mummy_(1999), after all the ammunition had run out, and the hero had to fall back on cold steel, or lukewarm bronze, or orichalcum, or whatever.

Ozy

And I stood where I did be; for there was no more use to run; And again I lookt with my hope gone.

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[–] jayne_67 16 years ago

Just watched again, and must say, even in these days of CGI, Haryhausen's FX were something else! When 1 of the Harpies grabs Phineas's clothing and unwraps him is awesome! OK, I know you can see strings, and that if you watch carefully you can see that the effects are on a different plane to the sets and actors, to make an effect interact like that, to roll him then fly off with his clothing was genius.

Ah, hell diddly-ding-dong crap!

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[–] geode 14 years ago

The effects were awsome in 1963 and they remain awesome today. The people I knew found the effects work more magical than audiences find contemporary work since this was state of the art when the art was less used. I think the final sequence in this film remains the best "special effects" sequence ever to be released in a film.

Oh Lord, you gave them eyes but they cannot see...

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[–] Bane2016 14 years ago

i think the effects are amazing considering how old this movie is... they look pretty good today

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[–] deeveed 14 years ago

And the other item to remember i think is that Harryhausen filmed at some ancient sites which grounded the whole story in a bit of actual reality. That temple (not sure was it Paestum???) sure gave the Harpy scene great atmosphere.
If you go there just visulaize the harpies floating around! Just great!!!.......;-)...

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[–] richwicz 14 years ago

I never saw "Jason" on first release but I did see it on the big screen at a Saturday morning picture show at my local Odeon cinema around the late 70's and the memory of watching Talos come to life remains with me to this day.I can imagine that if the original audiences could suspend their disbelief and totally immerse themselves in the fantasy, it was a great experience!

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[–] ozymandias312 13 years ago

Yeah, I was either six or seven years old the first time I saw it on a big screen, and it made an impression that still has not faded. I'm almost 55 now.

Ozy

And I stood where I did be; for there was no more use to run; And again I lookt with my hope gone.

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[–] winles 13 years ago

I first saw Jason when it was on 1st release (I was then 16!)
It blew my friends(fussy teenagers) and I away.
Yes compared with CGI and other special effects now it might seem old and dated(and creaky) but I still think it holds up quite well, mainly because there is some good acting in it;unlike nowadays when as long as the CGI is good the acting can go hang.
Yes the temples in the harpies scene ARE at Paestum (South of Salerno,Italy),Some years ago I was down that way and went to see the temples,only to realise they were the ones in Jason.They are very isolated so onviously great for filming.
Silent films may seem very old and dated but in their day they were the CGI films of their day.

"There is no road that has not a star above it"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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[–] MystMoonstruck 13 years ago

I was about 11 years old when I saw this at the drive-in then later in the downtown theater. NO ONE laughed at any serious moments. NO ONE laughed at the shriek of the skeletons! That I'm certain of! I'm not sure why they laughed in that one theater, as reported, but I don't know of anyone who saw this~child, teen or adult~who didn't find it astonishing. At that time, we didn't know about stop-motion work since that information wasn't readily available. Even my father, a film buff who taught me so much about movies, wasn't certain how these creatures were brought to life, not even "King Kong" (1933). (We even speculated that there was a man in a "Talos suit".) It would be later in the Sixties, when we were living in a city instead of a very small town, that we came across issues of "Famous Monsters of Filmland", which taught us more about the makings of these films. Then, I joined a movie book club and became an even more serious student of moviedom.

I still remember seeing "J&TA" on that enormous drive-in screen and being totally captivated by it. I already loved mythology, so this was especially fascinating to me~though I realized they didn't have Medea quite right (no murdered kid brother, for example). But, I could forgive that. And the music... *sigh* At that time, I thought I'd never see it again.

Throughout the next several decades, I ended up watching this movie every chance I had, and I am absolutely certain that I am past the 200-times mark. I still watch my videotaped copy; I have the CED (remember those machines?)(Mine isn't hooked up now.); I watch it every time it's on TCM (if it's at a time my mother isn't around, as she doesn't hold quite the enthusiasm as I do for it); and I even found it on YouTube.

I just wish that TCM had reversed showings tonight: first "J&TA" then "Clash". I hope I won't be too tired to watch it though I suppose I can forgive myself for missing a 2:45 a.m. showing.

~~MystMoonstruck~~
~~MystMoonstruck~~

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[–] Boromir007 13 years ago

I just saw this for the first time. As a cinema enthusiast one must admire the work and craftmanship put into these effects. Compare that to the rather flat and impersonal CGI we sometimes get shoved down our throats these days and I have made my choice.

"What If" is a game for scholars.
Timothy Dalton, The Lion in Winter (1968)

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] beautifulbrugmansia 12 years ago

I was very young when I saw it, but no one laughed, in fact it was considered quite frightening.I found it interesting to see men running around in short skirts at the time because I knew nothing of Greek culture, it inspired me to learn more about such things.
The Medusa was very frightening to me as well.So too the Harpies.

I still watch it whenever I can.

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