Dear Cinemythologists,
On Thursday, September 3, we begin our unit on Perseus on screen. Please do the following.
VIEWING
- Clash of the Titans (Desmond Davis & Ray Harryhausen, 1981)
The film is streaming on Swank Digital Campus. Take notes as you see fit.
READING
- “What about Animation?” LAM Chapter 3 (“Types of Movies”), pp. 106–9.
This section will both gather up our thread about animation from our viewing of Mythopolis last Thursday and provide further context for Harryhausen’s special effects in Clash ’81. It’s up to you whether you want to read these pages before you watch the movie, or afterward.
- “In the Lap of the Gods,” aka Ray Harryhausen’s memoir, An Animated Life, Chapter 11 (Billboard Books, 2004).
Read this memoir after you watch the movie (not before). Clash ’81 was Harryhausen’s last film, so the chapter not only details the behind-the-scenes work on that project, but also caps his career. As you read, reflect on how you feel about the movie with this memoir in mind, as opposed to how you felt while watching it. I’ll be interested to hear what you have to say about that.
SEQUENCES
- Cullors, Rosenblum, Savage.
Use the comments feature on this post to recommend a sequence to be reviewed and discussed in class.
Recommendations should contain the following:
- A brief description of the sequence.
- Precise starting and ending times (hh:mm:ss — hh:mm:ss).
- A rationale as to why this sequence is worth our time.
DC
Hi! the section I would like to suggest 0:4:29-0:7:11 , which is the audience’s first introduction to Olympus and to the gods and goddesses in our plot as well as demonstrates Zeus’s quick rise to anger and decision, for our discussion on Thursday. I think this scene is worth discussing for the establishing shot of Olympus with the smokey overlay effect, for the initial portrayal of the Gods and our classes reaction to them and for the effect that was chosen to be behind Zeus’s thrown.
I recommend we take a look at Perseus’ fight against Medusa, from 1:25:45 – 1:32:48. This is a long segment, but I’m not sure how I would condense it to still get all the action. I think we should discuss this scene not only for contemplating the purpose of this departure from a common version of the myth where Perseus kills Medusa in her sleep, but also due to the unique setting, Medusa’s depiction, and Perseus’ characterization.
I would like to discuss section 0:43:22 -0:47:05. This is the scene where we first see Calibos and the extend of his curse. This scene is directly after the first shots within the palace at Joppa and the juxtaposition between the two settings and moods is incredibly stark. We see a lot of Calibos’ character in this scene as it is the only scene between himself and Andromeda. We also can begin to better understand the wrath of Thetis on behalf of her son in seeing the state he has been reduced to.