Tuesday, August 9, 2016

RAY HARRYHAUSEN-SPECIAL EFFECTS TITAN: THE CREATOR OF DREAMS



If you’re like me you grew up watching some amazing movies in the past. As a child we weren’t there to watch movies that were CGI fueled action films or the latest in limited animation series that run non-stop like today’s kids. Instead we had to wait for something spectacular to see, something we could beg our parents to take us to that they felt was safe enough for us and entertaining enough for them to sit through. Fortunately we found those types of movies being made and almost all of them by Ray Harryhausen.

But who was Harryhausen and how can we explain the effects his movies had on us as children to the children of today? The first step is easy enough by treating them to some of the many movies he made, all on DVD or blu-ray. But in doing so they don’t get both the importance of what he did nor the difficulty he had in bringing his films to the screen. This is remedied with the release of this DVD from Arrow Video. Not only will it give them an idea of the different movies he made it will bring back memories to you as well and start you searching for them.

This documentary features a thorough look into the life and career of Harryhausen in both interviews with the man himself as well as the vast number of directors and writers who he has influenced over the years. It takes a look at each movie that he made and discusses both the difficulty in animating the armatured models he used, the painstaking amount of time and the end results which thrilled so many of us long ago. This was long before computers were being used and each movement, each expression, was made by articulating these models a fraction of an inch at a time.

My guess would be that these won’t impress most kids of today but that’s where history comes into play. They need to be educated in the process that was used then and informed that without his films many of today’s film makers and special effects masters would not be able to do the things they can. His influence was so great that his name alone causes these directors and craftsmen to smile with memories.

To do into details of his life and the things he says here would be to ruin it for fans clamoring to hear the man himself. Watch it and let his own words tell you how he came to be interested in film making and special effects in particular. Learn how he was able to do the things he did. Hear how each movie creations came to be and how much influence he had on them both in design and in follow through.

For fans of Ray Harryhausen I can’t stress the importance of being able to hear the man speak about all of these things. He was a giant among film makers, a craftsman who had no equal and the master of a long forgotten art that is slowly making its way in films again with movies like CORALINE, THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. I highly recommend adding this one to your collection. It’s just that good.

Extras include interviews with Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Peter Lord and Rick Backer; 12 interview outtakes with Joe Dante, John Lasseter, Nick Park and more; a message from Ray Harryhausen himself; deleted scenes; on the set of Sinbad; Paris Cinematheque Q&A; London Gate Theater Q&A; audio commentary with the filmmakers; the original trailer; and a Ray Harryhausen trailer reel.

Click here to order.

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