A triumph of Harryhausen's technique, the sequence must have required more animation work than the rest of the movie put together, as the seven skeletons fight in so many individual camera setups. People like historian Bob Burns, directors John Landis, Frank Darabont and Joe Dante (who looks more and more like Tony Slattery every time I see him!

This film is regarded as a classic, and when considering when the film was made and the technical accomplishments it achieved it doesn't take long to know why, the story is of myth and legend and has all the elements of high fantasy, yes there are moments of cringe but they come with a smile which makes them more enjoyable. Starring Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith, Niall MacGinnis, Honor Blackman, Nigel Green, Michael Gwynn, Douglas Wilmer, Jack Gwillim, John Cairney, Patrick Troughton, Andrew Faulds. Plus we get two commentaries which, when combined with the solo Ray Harryhausen commentary I have kept from the Criterion laser disc, offer an incredible amount of technical information. When we toss Jason into the player, we can't wait to hear those crashing chords behind the Columbia logo. It's clear the disc restoration supervisor wanted to create a presentation that was consistent, as best possible, with the original theatrical exhibition (i.The dailies are Ray's uncut animation takes as he first saw them back from the lab; Jackson reports that 95% of the shots were animated in one take only. The added color detail of Blu-ray brings out hidden character in the main title artwork, and gives the green highlights on Talos' bronze skin more definition. And to complicate things a little further, this is the type of film that probably appears to have a whole lot more than it really does.

Likewise, optical shots are always softer than original photography, although many of the sodium-vapor traveling mattes created in England are nearly perfect. Real "severe" applies to dozens of shots in the Marshal Thompson adventure movie Flight of the Lost Balloon, which seems to have been lost for good, as it hasn't played anywhere in ages. After tangling with various fantastic obstacles put in his path by Zeus, Jason reaches the far-off land of Colchis. Definitely crying out for a 21st C remake, but only in the hands of sympathetic director with good cinematography.This is the geek track as Jackson and Cook explore the film's visual motifs, outline fascinating trivia and genuinely pour out their love for the film. With a crack crew of athletes and warriors, including the popular Hercules (Nigel Green), Jason sets sail in a proud ship built by Argos (Laurence Naismith). From Los Angeles and New Zealand, director Peter Jackson and effects supervisor and director Randall William Cook dig deeper into the movie from the point of view of childhood fans that made Harryhausen's work a cornerstone of their own film careers. Original Skeleton Fight Storyboards – Included here is a gallery of the original storyboard drawings for the skeleton army fight sequence.

The sound in Jason and the Argonauts is less of an issue, and the Blu-ray offers both the original mono soundtrack as well as a quite full and impressive 5. If you know anything about these old Harryhausen films, you know that they don't, no matter what you do to the print, or how you transfer it, look anywhere near the standards by which many designate hi-definition. Dalton prompts interesting responses from the 90 year-old Harryhausen without pushing or prodding, and Ray seems to be having a very good time. As pointed out by the original notice in The Monthly Film Bulletin, King Aeëtes' head retainer raises an eyebrow and answers his liege lord in pure Cockney: "Yew mean the high princess of Heh-caw-tee? We even get to see Ray Bradbury issuing heartfelt praise for his friend on stage during the 1992 Academy Awards, when Harryhausen was awarded a special Oscar for his achievements.Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set July 6 as the Blu-ray release date for the 1963 mythological action/adventure movie Jason and the Argonauts, featuring visual effects by Ray Harryhausen, including a famous fight sequence between live-action warriors and .