Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan

Not everyone is a fan of the work of Ray Harryhausen. While this documentary features lots of great directors and other movie insiders talking about what a genius he is, I am sure others would laugh at or quickly dismiss Harryhausen's stop-motion work. After all, compared to the incredible CGI being done today, stop-motion, with only a few exceptions (such as Nick Park), is obsolete--or at least it's perceived to be obsolete. Kids raised on CGI have come to expect life-like effects which, to be brutally honest, you won't find in Harryhausen't work. As for me, I like his films, I find the effects quaint and fun even if they are far from realistic. Depending on your perception, this film is either exactly for you or a waste of time.

While I enjoyed the film (mostly because I'd seen almost all the films they talked about and remember them fondly), one part annoyed me. One of the commentators said that stop-motion was BETTER than modern CGI! How?! This remark just seemed incredibly silly and fawning and not objective in the least.

Being a child of the 70s I grew up wit Ray Harryhausen films, which were a staple of Bank Holidays and Christmas telly. Everyone who has worked with the gentleman have said just that, that he was a gentleman. A sweet, passionate man who cared deeply about people and his craft. Ray Harryhausen was a true credit to film makers.

I found this documentary just merely catalogued his films, based around a series of interviews he gave in the 90s. It also included a whole bunch of film makers, talking heads all saying how marvellous that he had inspired them to work in the industry. Well, I wanted to know about Ray Harryhausen, not about why they felt inspired.

I came away learning next to nothing, I might as well have read his filmology on this website for all the use the documentary served. His Wikipedia bio was more insightful.

In this documentary, the great Ray Harryhausen looks back upon his career and talks about his stellar work in the stop-motion animation genre. While Harryhausen affectionately names the various artists whose work inspired him, other, younger artists call him their inspiration, with an equal amount of affection. Thus does creative inspiration wind its way through the generations...

Richly illustrated with clips, excerpts, diagrams and the like, the documentary provides a fine overview of Harryhausen's work. The viewer gets a chance to hear him talk about the thought processes and techniques behind some of his most iconic creations, such as the cruel-faced, slithering Medusa from "Clash of the Titans". On the other hand we learn relatively little about him as a person ; every now and then the documentary touches lightly upon aspects such as his army career or his supportive parents, but that's it. But then there is nothing wrong with guarding one's privacy...

Much recommended to animation, science fiction or fantasy fans ; also much recommended to lovers of special effects disciplines both traditional and modern.

What can be said other than what the plot says: This is the definitive documentary about Ray Harryhausen. Aside from interviews with the great man himself, shot over five years, there are also interviews and tributes from Vanessa Harryhausen, Tony Dalton, Randy Cook, Peter Jackson, Nick Park, Phil Tippet, Peter Lord, Terry Gilliam, Dennis Muren, Rick Baker, John Landis, Ken Ralston, Guillermo Del Toro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Robert Zemeckis, James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and many more.

What more can you say than that? If you know and love Harryhausen or dislike him (if this is possible) or have never heard of him, there is no end to the line of folks making movies that can tell you his influence and how many of the films today could not have existed without him in one way or another.

One of my all-time favorite movies that features the awesome, old-school visual effects that were created by Ray Harryhausen is "Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers" from 1956.

Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013) is widely considered to be the most influential special effects auteur in the entire history of movie-making. He is greatly admired and highly respected by such well-known filmmakers of today, as - James Cameron, Peter Jackson, and John Landis.

Through stills, archival footage, and interviews (including those with Harryhausen, himself) - This "Special Effects Titan" bio-documentary pays honorable tribute to the life and career of a man who was a true pioneer of innovation in the make-believe world of motion picture visual effects.