Clash of the Titans ( 1981 film ) - Wikipedia Clash of the Titans ( 1981 film ) 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 Country United Kingdom United States Language English Budget $9 million 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, which made it the 11th highest - grossing film of the year. A novelization of the film by Alan Dean Foster was published in 1981. Warner Bros. released a 3D remake on April 2, 2010. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 5 Locations 6 Legacy 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Plot This article 's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. ( August 2017 ) 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. Meanwhile, Danaë and Perseus safely float to the island of Seriphos where Perseus grows to adulthood. Calibos, evil son of the sea goddess Thetis, is a young man engaged to marry Princess Andromeda, the beautiful daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and heiress to the rich city of Joppa ; but for committing several atrocities against Zeus, including hunting and 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 is befriended by an elderly poet named Ammon and learns that Andromeda is under a curse and can not marry unless her suitor successfully answers a riddle whose failures are burned at the stake. In order to aid his son, 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 that is carrying Andromeda 's soul to learn the next riddle. Perseus is nearly killed by Calibos but manages to sever one of Calibos ' hands, losing his helmet in the process. Perseus befriends Thallo and presents himself as suitor and correctly answers the riddle, presenting the severed hand of Calibos. Perseus wins Andromeda 's hand in marriage. Finding that Thetis can not 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. The gorgon Medusa. Perseus seeks a way to defeat the Kraken, while 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 with three soldiers by his side, Perseus fights Medusa 's guardian, a two - headed dog named Dioskilos, who kills one of his companions but Perseus intervenes in the nick of time and kills the beast. Perseus leads his two remaining allies into the Gorgon 's lair. His two other companions die on encounter with Medusa herself ; she shoots one of the soldiers with an arrow and turns the other to stone. Perseus uses the reflective underside of his shield to deceive Medusa, decapitates her, and collects her head ; but the shield is dissolved by her caustic blood. As Perseus and his party set to return, Calibos enters their camp, forces Bubo into the water, scares the horses away, and punctures the cloak carrying Medusa 's head, causing her blood to spill and produce three giant scorpions. The scorpions attack and Thallo is able to kill one of them, but he and his fighting companion are both killed by Calibos himself. Perseus slays the other two scorpions and thereafter kills Calibos and grieves Thallo 's death. Weakened by his struggle, Perseus sends Bubo to rescue Pegasus, who is being held prisoner by Calibos ' henchmen. Bubo succeeds in his task and manages to destroy Calibos ' camp as well. Perseus reaches the amphitheater in Joppa, but collapses unconscious 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 re-restored by Zeus before the Kraken was released, 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 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 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 ''. Ray Harryhausen used the special effects technique of stop motion animation to create the various creatures in Clash of the Titans, 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 filmmaking shortly after the movie was released, making this his last main feature film. Despite the mechanical owl Bubo 's similarities to the droid R2 - D2 of the 1977 film Star Wars, Harryhausen claimed that Bubo was created before Star Wars was released. The BBFC, reviewing the film for certification in 1981, said that 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. 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 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. The film has a 66 % `` fresh '' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 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 the 1981 film Clash of the Titans. '' Locations 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 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. 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. See also List of stop motion films List of historical drama films Greek mythology in popular culture References 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 : From the Archive.... we look back at Clash of the Titans, 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 ''. Rotten Tomatoes. 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 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 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 ) Clash of the Titans Films Clash of the Titans ( 1981 ) Clash of the Titans ( 2010 ) Wrath of the Titans ( 2012 ) Soundtracks Clash of the Titans ( 2010 ) Video games Clash of the Titans ( 2010 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clash_of_the_Titans_(1981_film)&oldid=820019027 '' Categories : 1981 films English - language films 1980s fantasy films British films British fantasy adventure films British monster movies American films American fantasy adventure films American monster movies Epic fantasy films Giant monster films Films based on Greco - Roman mythology Films directed by Desmond Davis Films set in classical antiquity Films set in ancient Greece Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films using stop - motion animation Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer films United Artists films Witchcraft in film Greek gods in fiction Kraken in popular culture Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from December 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Use mdy dates from May 2017 Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention from August 2017 All Wikipedia articles with plot summary needing attention Articles to be expanded from April 2017 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Italiano Lëtzebuergesch Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 12 January 2018, at 16 : 40. 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Question: when was the original clash of the titans made
Answer: 1981