Jason and the Argonauts

Plot synopsis:
The film opens as soldiers invade the city of Iolcus. King Aeson's (Ciarán Hinds) brother Pelias (Dennis Hopper) is leading the charge. Inside the temple he goes to embrace his brother but produces a dagger and kills him during the embrace. This is witnessed by his wife Polymele (Diana Kent) and his son Jason (Jason London). He intends to do the same to Jason but one of the guards rescues him and takes him out of the palace through a secret tunnel.
It is then revealed that this is a memory, experienced as a nightmare by an older Jason, who awakes. He is then ordered by his uncle to retrieve the golden fleece.
He recruits a crew from the simple folk of Iolcus, including shepherds and farmers. He is joined by Hercules (Brian Thompson), Orpheus (Adrian Lester), Atalanta (Olga Sosnovska) and the brothers Castor and Pollux. Acastus stows away on the ship. The Argonauts run aground on a strange island in the middle of the ocean that is actually the sea god Poseidon. In the ensuing storm, they lose the map. The crew make their way to the Isle of Lemnos, an island of warrior women, to recover from the experience and repair the ship. The men pleasure themselves with the women while their ship is repaired (except Orpheus and Atalanta) and Jason sleeps with the queen Hypsipyle. Atalanta discovers that the women have killed all the men on the island and are planning to sacrifice the crew. She warns Jason, and the Argonauts flee the island.
The crew become rebellious and Jason has Zetes, a young man with brilliant vision, see the stars and find their route to Tabletop Island, where they find Phineus. They are attacked by the Harpies - the winged monsters that torment Phineus - and kill them. In return, Phineus tells them the Golden Fleece is in Colchis. Meanwhile, on Colchis, the princess Medea has visions of the crew and her brother Aspyrtes goes out to find them. Jason finds the ship wrecked and rescues Aspyrtes. They approach the "Dark Rocks" and send a dove through before sailing through themselves.
The ship docks at Colchis and Jason goes ashore with Aspyrtes, Castor and Pollux. Hera asks Eros to shoot Medea so she falls in love with Jason. King Aertes wants Jason killed but Medea convinces him to face the Minoan Bull. Medea gives Jason magic oil that protects Jason from the bull's fiery-breath. Jason yokes the bull and ploughs a field and sows it with dragon's teeth. Warriors sprout up from the earth, and Jason tricks them into attacking each other. Medea tells Jason she must go with the Fleece. Aspyrtes overhears this and sends soldiers out after them.
The other Argonauts debate whether to leave or not. Hercules, Orpheus and Argos sail the ship around the island to make it seem as if they have left while the others hide in the water and then join Jason and Medea. When the soldiers attack, Medea kills her brother and leads them to the Fleece which is guarded by a dragon. Some Argonauts are killed before Jason sets a noose around the dragon's neck and makes it fall off a precipice. They take the Fleece and sail away from Colchis.
Acastus has been wounded and Medea uses magic to heal him. Atalanta confesses she loves Jason but he says he will marry Medea. She has a vision of her father's death and the two kiss. Zeus attempts to seduce Medea but she says she loves Jason, even when he pulls out Eros's arrow. The ship arrives back in Iolcus and Jason learns his mother killed herself, believing him and Acastus to be dead. They rest in the bay and Acastus steals the Fleece and goes into town. Pelias kills him and takes the Fleece. Medea then goes and says he will marry her. Jason and the others sneak into the palace through the secret tunnel. Argos is killed by one of the guards. Pelias tries to kill Jason but is stabbed by his own knife.
To cremate the dead Argos, his corpse is burned with the Argo. Then Jason marries Medea and they live happily ever after as King and Queen of Iolcus.

Tags: cult, murder

Review:
And certainly Harryhausen's special effects are the highlight of this film, which is generally based on the ancient Greek myth of Jason's search for the golden fleece.The film as a whole is very much like a superior sword-and-sandal epic of the 1950s and 1960s, very colorful and over-run with manly men and beautiful dancing girls.
A bit slow to start, once the story line is established the pace leaps forward--and we are treated to some of Harryhausen's most enjoyable creations, including Talos, the bronze statue; two of the most evil looking harpies you can imagine; a really nasty hydra; and Harryhausen's most famous (and his own personal favorite) bit of work: an attack by skeleton warriors.In the wake of computer generated graphics, Harryhausen's work may strike some as dated, but this is actually part of its charm, for we will never see its like on screen again; it has a certain visual appeal not found in contemporary films, and Harryhausen's creations always have remarkable personality.
When I first saw this movie on Turner Classic Movies one night, I was only excited to see the Skeleton Fight at the end which took Ray Harryhausen and special effects crew three months to create that entire sequence.
Assembling a crew of the toughest men around, and aided by the Goddess Hera, Jason and his Argonauts set sail unbeknown that perils await at every port.Directed by Don Chaffrey and featuring some of stop motion genius Ray Harryhausen's best work, Jason And The Argonauts is still entertaining families over 50 years since its original release.
The gorgeous Meditteranean photography courtesy of Wilkie Cooper (Dynamation 90) goes hand in hand with the boisterously mythical score from Bernard Hermann, while Chaffrey's direction of the human aspects is solid and safe in preparation for Harryhausen's magic to move in and take over.The cast may not cover themselves in glory, and yes at times some of them are a touch wooden, with only Honor Blackman (Hera) and Nigel Green (Hercules) seemingly able to grasp the sense of fun that is meant to be had.
But really it's a minor itch, for when you have a big quest adventure containing harpies, a hydra, a giant bronze statue intent on destroying all, clashing rocks, angry gods and a brilliant Harryhausen skeleton army - well it's all good really isn't it!
This was one of those films I always remember seeing as a child and I never forgot those skeletons which I think is Ray Harryhausen's best work.Greek hero Jason takes a party by ship to search for the Golden Fleece, but have to encounter several dangers on the way.
These are joined by Bond girl Honor Blackman (Goldfinger), Laurence Naismith (The Valley Of Gwangi), Dr Who actor Patrick Troughton who plays the blind man, Niall MacGinnis (Night of the Demon) and Nigel Green as Hercules.This is probably my favourite of Ray Harryhausen's fantasy movies.Rating: 5 stars out of 5..
It is an exciting fantasy-adventure full of special effects created by means of stop-motion technique by the magician Ray Harryhausen , the Dynamation man .
This time the large list of monsters result to be the following : a huge moving sculpture of Talos , as they battle against harpies , a venomous creature as hydra, and an animated terrifying skeleton army, all brought to life by the special effects masterfully created by the maestro wizardry Ray Harryhausen who regards this as his best film.
Five years after his classic arabian fantasy 7th voyage of Sinbad, Ray Harryhausen tried his hand at greek mythology with similarly impressive results.The story is interesting enough.
It's really rather hard to believe that this picture received mediocre reviews when it first came out.It appears that most now regard it as a classic,and in certain circles,it has achieved cult status.True,Armstrong's Jason is a rather bland character,and could use some foibles and quirks to become more realistic and human,but this could be lodged against the writers.Kovacks as Medea certainly does look marvelous,but shows none of the inner torment of the character of classic mythology.(On the other hand,this movie was made for kids,and we don't need to introduce them to Eurypides' virago just yet.)An outstanding cast of well-trained British actors provides sterling support.Naismith personifies loyalty and good-natured common sense;Troughton is remarkable as a tortured sinner who is brave and hasn't lost his sense of humor;Green is probably the most realistic Hercules ever developed;And Gwilliam is the personification of outraged hospitality and necromantic malevolence.Wilmer has a good time doing a Rathbonesque villain.The special effects are first rate,given the state of the art at the time,and Blackman and MacGinnis develop wonderful portraits of the deities.They have a genuine relationship,and appear to be a man and wife.The plot has more depth than most films of this genre,and is lots of fun,besides..
Nigel Green excels as Hercules, Nancy Kovack and Douglas Wilmer are very good as Medea and the evil king; as the gods of Olympus, the co-director Ray Harryhausen cast Niall Nacginis as Zeus, athletic Honor Blackman as Hera, and effective Michael Gwynn as Hermes.
And there are Harryhausen's monsters"--a talking figurehead of Hera, the bronze god Talos, Poseidon who parting the clashing rocks, the harpies, a seven-headed hydra that guards the Fleece, and especially the army of skeletons sown from the dragon's teeth of Cadmus by King Aeetes of Colchis, with whom Jason and his men wage a fascinating battle of swords.
The choreography of that fight is impeccable, with the actors actually acting like they're fighting, instead of just swinging their swords at where special effects would appear in post-production (some of the other stop-motion sequences in the film contain wild weapons flailing, most notably the Harpies sequence; no big criticism, though; it still looks amazing).
Along the way they do battle with a giant metal man, "crashing rocks", two harpies, a many-headed animal and fight SEVEN skeletons.Ray Harryhausen's special effects are the only reason to see the movie.
Jason and his crew must now reach the fleece and survive the likes of a 100 foot bronze giant, a huge venomous creature with head full of seven snakes, and a terrifying army of skeletons.Being over 40 years old, 'Jason and the Argonauts' is clearly an old film, but this does not take away the wonderful viewing experience you gain from watching this.
One thing is for sure: this is not one of those all-muscle-hero-sword-and-sandals products the Italians invaded us with in the late 50's and early 60's, most of them real bad and cheap; this one is much better.No doubt the film has its flaws (Todd Armstrong and Nancy Kovack's acting is really poor, for instance), but it has good moments too; I particularly liked the attack of the huge stone titan in the island and, of course, the famous sequence of the sword fight of the Argonauts against the skeletons.
With the help of the Goddess Hera and the hindrance of the deadly perils of this gigantic voyage.They are all here, the bronze giant talos, the wonderfully nasty winged tormentors the Harpies, the seven snaked headed Hydra, the clashing rocks, with its shall we say walk on part of King Poseidon, God of the Sea. Of course, saving the best until last, the most memorable and famous mythical battle of all fantasy movies: the fight of the seven skeletons, the children of the night, raised from the ground from the dead Hydra's teeth.
This artwork has been done by the great Ray Harryhausen, here as special visual effects creator, born 1920, and who also produced Jason, along with The 7th Voyage, the skeleton battle scene alone would take three months to accomplish, long hours for just three minutes screen time, but movie history that would remain forever.
He spent four months alone working, frame-by-frame on the five-minute fight scene with seven skeletons that is the high-light of `Jason and the Argonauts'.When asked what he thought of modern special effects, Harryhausen gave a layered response: it is an excellent tool, but he prefers his old animation techniques.
Every animated frame of film was painstakingly done by hand  via stop motion technique.The creme of the crop for me is the colorful epic adventure "Jason and the Argonauts," which retells the mythic tale of Jason and his crew who must survive by their own wit, strength and the willingness of the gods in sailing unchartered waters to the other side of the world as they search for the golden fleece that will reclaim Jason's birthright and kingdom.
My masterpiece number 76 is a remarkable and a special meaning to me,this picture made on location in Italy which is very similar with Greek made part of old school of cinema,this Hellenic tale is a mix of fantasy and adventure using those old process of Ray Harryhausen who became a legend,this tale is unique taking the audiences to another world,ancient times, Greek's Gods and mystical powers and discovering the unknown lands,magnificent movie that deserve a Blu-ray edition with a lot of bonus material,truly gem of the old cinema!!
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS is a fantasy adventure which, in a clumsy way, brings a mythological story about heroes, beautiful women, gods, monsters and prophecies.On Olympus Zeus and Hera witness Pelias' murder of his half-brother, King Aeson of Thessaly.
film tells Jason's adventure riding an army with the best, with even Hercules , and go in search of the Golden Fleece , the cast is very competent , everyone is well , Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack , Gary Raymond , Laurence Naismith , Nial MacGinnis , Michael Gwynn , Jack Gwillim , John Cairney , Honor Blackman , Nigel Green , etc., the production of the film to the time it was launched in the 60s, is spectacular, the skeleton scene is considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of the effects special , the Talos scene is very well done , Hydra, Harpy , for many will seem ridiculous and poorly made ​​, the more the person watching the movie , you have to remember the limitations of the time, and that was rather an amazing feat , the trail is good, the script has problems, some characters are quite boring, the costume is very , photography is well done, Jason and the Argonauts is a highly recommended film , especially if you like Greek mythology , an essential film.
The main reason for watching this movie of course is the outstanding work of master animator Ray Harryhausen which includes some of his most memorable creations pitted against Greek hero Jason as he strives to capture the famous Golden Fleece from the other end of the world.
Todd Armstrong as Jason and Nancy Kovack as Medea are as wooden as the Hera figurehead on the front of the Argo with the only half-decent acting coming from British stalwarts, speaking in their own accents too, Laurence Naismith and future Dr Who, Patrick Troughton.The story's not quite as I remember it either (was Hercules an Argonaut?), but the episodic tale sails along nicely enough from one dangerous situation to another.
Jason uses the greatest and best Greeks to crew his ship including the great Hercules.It is one of the best special effects movie of its time relying on stop-motion photography, miniature models, and old fashion photographic tricks.
It is basically B-movie acting shot in Italy with a lot of dubbed voices elevated by Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion special effects magic.
As far as performances go, well nobody really stood out and so honourable mentions go to; Todd Armstrong as Jason, Nancy Kovack as Medea, Gary Raymond as Acastus, Laurence Naismith as Argos, Niall MacGinnis as Zeus, Michael Gwynn as Hermes, Honor Blackman as Hera and Patrick Troughton as Phineas.I'll cut to the chase here, the effects were brilliant in their day, brilliant when I was a kid and they have stood the test of time well I still think they're great!
Some of the shots of the giant bronze guardian Talos are very effective, the fight with the skeletons is justly famous, the harpies are creepy, and the Hydra is dazzling.As for the acting - well, Nigel Green is great as Hercules, the Olympians and Argos and various others are competent, and Jason and Medea and Aeetes are as stiff as Talos.
Ray Harryhausen's effects are unsurprisingly the best thing about the movie, but they're rarer than in many of the other films he worked on, and the script is strong enough to make the story itself as enchanting as the action/adventure scenes.
Bernard Herrmann's score is excellent as well, and has just the right dreamy sort of feel for a movie like this.In "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" Harryhausen created a great-looking skeleton and a wonderful action scene followed.
Needless to say, the storyline is steeped in mythological fantasy.Unquestionably, the main attraction of the film is the special effects work of Ray Harryhausen.
The heroic Mr. Armstrong also catches the eyes of mortals Gary Raymond (as Acastus) and Nancy Kovack (as Medea), but for different reasons.Ray Harryhausen's special effects are outstanding; especially noteworthy are the dueling skeletons near the film's end - and, the "stop motion animation" is excellent throughout.
The plot is engaging, Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion effects are wonderful, the acting is good, the storyline, while I felt it was a little bit flawed, was easy to understand and very driving from beginning to end.The story tells of the classic myth of Jason, an adventurer who gathers a team of men to set sail on a ship called the Argos, in search to the other end of the world to find the Golden Fleece: a magical object capable of bringing peace, power, and supernatural abilities to whomever possesses it.
And in the meantime, they're being watched and their fates shaped by the gods of Mt. Olympus, who are treating their quest as a game of chess.Ray Harryhausen, master of stop-motion animation, has cited this movie as what he believes to be his best film in his legendary career.
And of course, the rest of the cast was very well-chosen and they look convincing with their makeup and costumes.In short, "Jason and the Argonauts" is a very well-done and highly entertaining film from the 1960s and is highly recommended for fans of mythology, action films, and the work of Ray Harryhausen.
This exciting film contains some of the best special effects that the great Ray Harryhausen has ever created.
Once they set off they face numerous challenges including fighting a giant statue, passing through the clashing rocks and battling a troop of skeletal soldiers.While this film is best known for Ray Harryhausen's excellent stop-go special effects it is easy to forget it is a cracking adventure story.
This and Clash of the Titans (the original) are the best Ray Harryhausen films, and the best movies on Greek mythology.
The real star of the movie is Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion special effects.
Jason and the ArgonautsThe problem with sailing in mythological times is the Greek Gods liked to spit on boats from Mount Olympus.Auspiciously, the sailors in this action movie have Hera's help in avoiding those loogies.The last living heir to the throne of Thessaly, Jason (Todd Armstrong) vows to seek out the famed Golden Fleece of legend.With the backing of Zeus (Niall MacGinnis) and Hera (Honor Blackman), Jason holds Olympic trials to choose his crew.On his quest for the fleece, Jason and his Argonauts encounter strange entities like the living statue, vicious harpies and a skeletal army made from the tooth of a Hydra.One of the best sword and sandal movies ever, this 1963 adaptation of the rousing nautical saga is made so much more marvelous by Ray Harryhausen's creature designs.Incidentally, if the fleece were real, Greece could have used its regenerative powers on the Euro long ago.
Jason and his Argonauts, as they come to be known, have many adventures along the way: fighting an enormous bronze statue come to life, working to trap two "harpies" who make life miserable for an old blind man (Patrick Troughton), making their way through a channel where rocks "clash", and doing battle not only with the many headed Hydra, but a small army of skeletons, which becomes this movies' most memorable set piece, and would inspire Sam Raimi 30 years later for his film "Army of Darkness".
"Jason and the Argonauts", filmed 30 years later, was probably the pinnacle of stop-motion animation thanks to the bona-fide master of post-production effects, Ray Harryhausen.
Jason also defeats the hydra stealing the golden fleece, but the most memorable special effect monsters are the skeletons toward the end of the film.
And seeing the female leads in your thirties is a lot better than at seven.If you want an action-adventure movie with a solid plot, interesting characters, and special effects that still amaze despite their 1963 vintage, I highly recommend "Jason and the Argonauts"..
Director Don Chaffey successfully 'papers over the cracks' in Jason and the Argonauts largely thanks to Ray Harryhausen's spectacular animated sequences which feature a whole array of fantastical creatures, including a giant walking statue, winged harpies, a hydra, and an army of skeletons.Without these wonderful moments, the film might be something of a chore to sit through.
The tragic ending of the Jason/Medea romance,probably not suited for a children audience ,was not filmed ,although the last words of the movie might hint at a sequel.This is one of the best sword and sandals films of an era which produced many of them,mostly thanks to the visual effects ,which remain impressive ,even today:the celebrate fight against the skeletons,the harpies,the seven-head Hydra...One remarkable scene shows the gods on mount Olympus ,playing chess with the characters ;Hera is played by Honor Blackman,who was Goldfinger's Pussy Galore the following year.The story was reworked by Pier Paolo Pasolini in 1970 as "Medea" ,but not aimed at the children's market this time;it included the tragic conclusion.
Todd Armstrong does a excellent role as Jason and Ray Harryhausens Special effects and Bernard Herrmann´s score make this film something special.