Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life
It's mostly film buffs who will recognize the primary author's name, and they will rush out to buy this first-rate, heavily illustrated guide to the life and, more importantly, the work of arguably the premier special-effects master in Hollywood history. Harryhausen (b. 1920) is the undisputed master of stop-motion photography, the genius behind such memorable fabrications as the T-rex ofThe Valley of Gwangi, the giant ape of (the original)Mighty Joe Young, the fighting skeletons ofJason and the Argonautsand the giant crab ofMysterious Island. Harryhausen attributes his lifelong devotion to stop-motion to his initial viewing, at age 13, ofKing Kong("I can remember every detail of that day quite clearly," he writes in the lengthy and deeply informative text that accompanies the book's hundreds of photos, b&w and color; "...I became obsessed with [the film's] magic"). This obsession led young Harryhausen to his first serious attempt at a movable model, of a cave bear, then to a teen friendship with Ray Bradbury and Forrest J. Ackerman ofFamous Monsters of Filmlandfame, some mentoring byKing Kongeffects wizard Willis O'Brien and his first special effects job, with George Pal. The book, co-written with film historian Dalton, goes on to cover each of Harryhausen's major films in tremendous detail, with great attention to the technical side of stop-motion work, making this volume a must for special effects fans, despite the recent computer revolution (which, Harryhausen argues, makes creatures appear "too realistic" and lacking in an essential "dream quality"). Through his work, Harryhausen has brought magic to millions; this terrific book is a fitting capstone to his brilliant career.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.