The Silver Screen Oasis

It is beautiful. One of the most touching I've seen.

A true artist. A man whose very name is synonymous with his craft. When I was growing up, seeing these amazing masterpieces for the first time, special effects geeks spoke his name with reverence. If it wasn't Harryhausen, it wasn't serious! I adore the "monster on the loose" films, as he calls them. His mythology based projects are wondrous. And as Moira pointed out, these creatures have life. They're not just pictures. They're characters in the story.

I met Mr. H at the Chicago Film Festival. We had just watched a screening of "Jason" in an unfortunately small theatre. He said to me, "You're probably too young to have seen this on a big screen." I assured him that was not the case! My family was enthralled by this head spinning tale on its first release. I was honored to tell that story! Another thing amused me about our meeting. I'm a shade over six feet tall. Yet, I literally looked up to this gentle giant. I thought, "Lord! You look like Talos The Bronze Man!"

Sinbad and Jason had their vessels, taking them to worlds beyond imagination. If film fantasy is a ship, Ray Harryhausen was her captain.

"Perseus and Andromeda will be happy together. Have fine sons... rule wisely... And to perpetuate the story of his courage, I command that from henceforth, he will be set among the stars and constellations. He, Perseus, the lovely Andromeda, the noble Pegasus, and even the vain Cassiopeia. Let the stars be named after then forever. As long as man shall walk the Earth and search the night sky in wonder, they will remember the courage of Perseus forever. Even if we, the gods, are abandoned or forgotten, the stars will never fade. Never. They will burn till the end of the time."

Neither will the artistry of Ray Harryhausen ever fade.

moirafinnie wrote:Here is the TCM Remembers Ray Harryhausen spot, beautifully made by Scott McGee:

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Oh thank you for posting it...

My favorite of his films remains the first I ever saw, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. It was one of my younger brother's favorite movies of all time, and I can't count how many times we saw it ... I also can't begin to imagine a childhood spent without Mr. Harryhausen. God bless him.

Unlike "Jason," I have not had the pleasure of seeing Sinbad's adventure on a big screen. That must be awe inspiring! This seems to be considered the pinnacle of the man's work. Being partial to monsters wreaking havoc, my favorites are THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS and IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA. The stories are the same in both films, but with thrills like that, who needs story?

RedRiver wrote:The stories are the same in both films, but with thrills like that, who needs story?

Amen!

Scott did a beautiful job on that TCM Remembers..

I don't have TCM. But I hope they have monsters and Argonauts galore this weekend!

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/s ... ies-534934

So strange. Was watching Steve Forrest on TCM this afternoon in BEDEVILLED and wondered what ever happened to him.

Never a big star like brother Dana but a solid, reliable actor. Particularly remember him for his role as Robert Taylor's incorruptible cop brother in Roy Rowland's ROGUE COP.

Strange that the article didn't mention being Dana's brother.

I remember also that he was in the first "Gunsmoke" movie, "Return To Dodge" in 1987. He played a character that was the same as one he had done back in 1969. They used clips from the show to show the back story in the movie. After 20 years he still looked pretty good and was still pretty nasty.

Steve Forrest is always a favorite of mine ... a true Television Star ... I don't recall him in many movies - but I do enjoyed his work in Television. He's a real trooper and very easy actor for me to understand. That's why I like him so much!

Refreshing, too, to see that both brothers enjoyed long, enduring marriages. A rarity in Tinseltown.