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Warner Bros., the current rights holder of this film (acquired from MGM as part of their pre-1986 film library), produced a remake that was released in 3-D on April 2, 2010.<ref name="2010 Poster"/><ref name="3D"/> Directed by [[Louis Leterrier]], it stars [[Sam Worthington]] as Perseus, [[Alexa Davalos]] as Andromeda, and [[Liam Neeson]] as Zeus.<ref name="BW 2009-04">{{cite web|title=''Clash of the Titans'' Commences Production for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures|publisher=[[Business Wire]]|date=April 25, 2009|url=http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090424005643&newsLang=en|accessdate=December 31, 2009}}</ref><ref name="BD 2009-10">{{cite web|url=http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17571|title=Medusa's Head Hiding Within Perseus' Sack? Three Blind Witches!|date=October 2, 2009|publisher=Bloody-disgusting.com|accessdate=December 31, 2009}}</ref><ref name="DC 2009-10">{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/33834/new-clash-titans-remake-stills|title=New ''Clash of the Titans'' Remake Stills|date=October 2, 2009|publisher=Dreadcentral.com|accessdate=December 31, 2009}}</ref>
Warner Bros., the current rights holder of this film (acquired from MGM as part of their pre-1986 film library), produced a remake that was released in 3-D on April 2, 2010.<ref name="2010 Poster"/><ref name="3D"/> Directed by [[Louis Leterrier]], it stars [[Sam Worthington]] as Perseus, [[Alexa Davalos]] as Andromeda, and [[Liam Neeson]] as Zeus.<ref name="BW 2009-04">{{cite web|title=''Clash of the Titans'' Commences Production for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures|publisher=[[Business Wire]]|date=April 25, 2009|url=http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090424005643&newsLang=en|accessdate=December 31, 2009}}</ref><ref name="BD 2009-10">{{cite web|url=http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17571|title=Medusa's Head Hiding Within Perseus' Sack? Three Blind Witches!|date=October 2, 2009|publisher=Bloody-disgusting.com|accessdate=December 31, 2009}}</ref><ref name="DC 2009-10">{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/33834/new-clash-titans-remake-stills|title=New ''Clash of the Titans'' Remake Stills|date=October 2, 2009|publisher=Dreadcentral.com|accessdate=December 31, 2009}}</ref>


Bubo, [[Athena]]'s mechanical owl in the original film, makes a cameo appearance in the remake.
Bubo, [[Athena]]'s mechanical owl in the original film, makes a cameo appearance in the remake and it's sequel.


Starting in 2007, comic publisher [[Bluewater Productions]] has released follow-up sequels to ''Clash of the Titans'', authorized by Ray Harryhausen, entitled ''Wrath of the Titans''.
Starting in 2007, comic publisher [[Bluewater Productions]] has released follow-up sequels to ''Clash of the Titans'', authorized by Ray Harryhausen, entitled ''Wrath of the Titans''.

Revision as of 20:02, 15 July 2012

For information on the franchise, see this article: Clash of the Titans (franchise)

Clash of the Titans
Movie poster by Brothers Hildebrandt
Directed byDesmond Davis
Written byBeverley Cross
Produced byRay Harryhausen
Charles H. Schneer
StarringHarry Hamlin
Laurence Olivier
Judi Bowker
Maggie Smith
Burgess Meredith
CinematographyTed Moore
Edited byTimothy Gee
Music byLaurence Rosenthal
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(Turner Entertainment)
Release date
June 12, 1981
Running time
118 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15,000,000
Box office$41,000,000

Clash of the Titans is an 1981 British-American fantasy adventure film involving the Greek hero Perseus, and features the final work of stop motion visual effects artist, Ray Harryhausen. It was released on June 12, 1981 and earned a gross profit of $41 million[1] domestically, on a $15 million budget,[2] by which it was the 11th highest grossing film of the year.[3] A novelization of the film by Alan Dean Foster was published in 1981.

Warner Bros. released a remake in 3D on April 2, 2010.[4][5]

Plot

The story of the film essentially mimics that of the original myth; but with multiple alterations in detail.

At the beginning of the film, King Acrisius of Argos (Donald Houston) imprisons his daughter Danaë (Vida Taylor) to avert a prophecy that he would die if his daughter had a son. When the god Zeus (Laurence Olivier) impregnates her, Acrisius sends his daughter and his newborn grandson Perseus to sea in a wooden coffin. In retribution, Zeus kills Acrisius and orders Poseidon (Jack Gwillim), to release 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 (Neil McCarthy), son of the sea goddess Thetis (Maggie Smith), is a young man engaged to marry Princess Andromeda (Judi Bowker), the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia (Siân Phillips) and heir to the rich city of Joppa; but has destroyed Zeus's sacred flying horses (excepting only Pegasus). To punish him, Zeus transforms Calibos into a deformed monster and he is exiled by his people. In revenge, Thetis transports Perseus (Harry Hamlin) from Seriphos to Joppa, where he learns that Andromeda cannot marry unless her suitor successfully answers a riddle, whose failures are burned at the stake. Perseus, wearing a helmet that renders its wearer invisible, captures Pegasus and follows Andromeda to learn a new riddle from Calibos. Perseus is nearly killed by Calibos but escapes, losing his helmet in the process.

Perseus presents himself as suitor and correctly answers the riddle, presenting the severed hand of Calibos - Calibos' ring is the answer to the riddle. Perseus wins Andromeda's hand in marriage. Calibos, finding that Thetis cannot act against Perseus, instead demands that she take 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.

File:Medusa-ClashofTitans.jpg
The gorgon Medusa

Perseus seeks a way to defeat the Kraken, while Pegasus is captured by Calibos and his men. Zeus commands Athena (Susan Fleetwood) to give Perseus her owl Bubo; but she orders Hephaestus (Pat Roach) to build a mechanical replica of Bubo instead, who leads Perseus to the Stygian Witches (Flora Robson, Anna Manahan, and Freda Jackson). 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 the Gorgon, who in this version lives at the edge of the Underworld and is also a Titan (hence the title of the film).

There, Perseus kills Medusa's canine guardian Dioskilos, who slays one of Perseus's companions; whereas two others die on encounter with Medusa herself. Perseus uses the reflective underside of his shield to deceive Medusa, decapitates her, and collects her head; but the shield is dissolved by her blood. As Perseus and his party set to return, Calibos enters their camp and punctures the cloak carrying Medusa's head, causing her blood to produce giant scorpions. Most of the men are killed; but Perseus slays the last scorpion and thereafter kills Calibos.

File:Titans Kraken.jpg
The Kraken comes to claim Andromeda

Weakened by his struggle, Perseus sends Bubo to bring Pegasus; this Bubo does, and later diverts the Kraken until Perseus appears on Pegasus. In the subsequent battle, Bubo and Perseus use Medusa's head to turn the Kraken into stone, and free Andromeda.

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 likenesses of Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus, and Cassiopeia appear as constellations.

Cast

Reception

The film maintains a 65% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and enjoys a reputation as a classic fantasy film.

It was nominated for AFI's Top 10 Fantasy Films list.[6]

Clash of the Titans was released June 12, 1981. By the time it finished its theatrical run, it had grossed $41,000,000 on a $15 million dollar budget, making it a financial success.

Behind the scenes

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".[7]

Ray Harryhausen used the special effects technique of stop motion animation to create the various creatures in Clash of the Titans. 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.[8][9] 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.[7]

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.

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.

A sequel, Force of the Trojans, detailing Aeneas' mythological journey after the fall of Troy, was proposed to MGM in 1984, but never produced.[10]

Remake

Main article: Clash of the Titans (2010 film)

Warner Bros., the current rights holder of this film (acquired from MGM as part of their pre-1986 film library), produced a remake that was released in 3-D on April 2, 2010.[4][5] Directed by Louis Leterrier, it stars Sam Worthington as Perseus, Alexa Davalos as Andromeda, and Liam Neeson as Zeus.[11][12][13]

Bubo, Athena's mechanical owl in the original film, makes a cameo appearance in the remake and it's sequel.

Starting in 2007, comic publisher Bluewater Productions has released follow-up sequels to Clash of the Titans, authorized by Ray Harryhausen, entitled Wrath of the Titans.

Wrath of the Titans, a sequel to Clash of the Titans was released in 2012.

See also

References

  1. ^ Clash of the Titans (1981) - BoxOfficeMojo.com.
  2. ^ http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1981/0CLTI.php
  3. ^ 1981 Yearly Box Office Results - BoxOfficeMojo.com
  4. ^ a b "Clash of the Titans Official site: Film poster". Clash-of-the-Titans.WarnerBros.com. February 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  5. ^ a b "3-Deathly Hallows: Titans and Potter go to third dimension". Heat Vision Blog. January 27, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  6. ^ AFI's 10 Top 10 Ballot
  7. ^ a b From the Archive….we look back at Clash of the Titans, BBFC, retrieved 2012-03-13
  8. ^ Bubo- Theseventhvoyage.com.
  9. ^ Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton, Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, page 270 (London: Aurum Press Ltd, 2003) ISBN 1-85410-940-5.
  10. ^ Ray Harryhausen official website, accessed 2010.8.05
  11. ^ "Clash of the Titans Commences Production for Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures". Business Wire. April 25, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  12. ^ "Medusa's Head Hiding Within Perseus' Sack? Three Blind Witches!". Bloody-disgusting.com. October 2, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  13. ^ "New Clash of the Titans Remake Stills". Dreadcentral.com. October 2, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
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