h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: 'Clash of the Titans' - The 1981 Film - A87797759
Author: Bluebottle - U43530

An article about a classic fantasy film.

<BB<

Hi Bluebottle!

I enjoyed this, even though the film was a mangling of Greek Myths...

I spotted a few things:

"Filming took place in the amphitheatre in Ostia Antica was used as the theatre..." <-- this sentence doesn't read right

"Gulliver and Elizabeth are caged in a dolls' house in The Three Worlds of Gillivar" <-- should that be Gulliver in both cases?

"the Ymir attacks the Coliseum. Structures in Washington DC with a classical appearance, including the Cleopatra's Needle-like Washington Monument and the columned Capitol Building." <-- Does Ymir attack the Washington Monument etc as well as the Coliseum? This wasn't clear to me.

"When Prince Calibos is punished for hunting & killing everything in his kingdom, the Wells of the Moon, especially the sacred herd of flying horses, Zeus transforms him..." <-- I wasn't clear about this sentence, either. Oh - I think I see now, the Wells of the Moon is his kingdom, is that right?

I'm surprised we haven't got an Entry on CotT already. But I guess if we had you wouldn't have written one! Just started reading, but spotted this one:

The gods were played either by actors with extensive
classical acting experience, including Shakespeare.

Surely where there's an either we should find an or following?


Geggs

Hello Both – thanks for reading through and spotting some things that needed to be clarified. I've tidied those sections up, so it should read better now.

' The gods were played either by actors with extensive classical acting experience, including Shakespeare.' – Yep, Shakespeare played a god, honest....

<BB<

Hi BB

I have never seen this film, can't even remember having heard about it.

There are a few things I notice:

Forst of all compared to the rest of the Entry the section about the plot is far too short. You should get into more details. Not everyone knows the story of Perseus. It would also be worth mentioning in which ways this story is different from the original Greek mythology.

Also, your Entry is definitely not readable for people who don't know Greek mythology. For instance I know what you mean when saying 'Medusa', but does everyone know this? You should explain all the gods and creatures you mention. You can't even take for granted that everyone knows what a titan is.

You should mention right at the top of the Entry that this film features real actors as well as puppet creatures (whatever you want to call them).

'Danforth worked on the flying Pegasus and Dioskilos sequences.'
Nobody who has not seen the film knows what's that supposed to be.

' For instance the sequence on the Isle of the Dead where Perseus is attacked by Dioskilos was filmed at Paestum in Italy, and was where Jason met the harpies in the earlier film .Guadix, Spain was the Wells of the Moon, Joppa was a combination of Cospicua Harbour, Fort St Elmo and Fort Rocco along with miniature models. Gozo off Malta was the site of Andromeda's sacrifice. Pinewood Studio's 007 Stage was where the interiors and Calibos' swamp were filmed. '
This again doesn't mean anything to people who have not seen the film, and this is also why your plot summery has to be more detailed.

When talking about the different creatures you should first tell what the creature is before saying how it was animated. And could you describe a bit more about what they looked like? When reading this Entry I had constant images in my head of old Japanese monster films.

'Charon was not an animated model'
Does that mean he was a human actor or does that mean he was a not animated model?

'At the film's climax, Pegasus, who had been knocked out of the sky by the Kraken and believed to be drowned, flies out of the sea from the very spot where Medusa's head enters it when is thrown into the waves.'
I don't understand that. Why is Perseus in the sky when Medusa's head enters the water? Didn't he kill her? Shouldn't he stand next to her with a sword or something? In fact... wasn't the Medusa turned into stone because she saw her own reflection? And how was Perseus in the sky anyhow? Was he riding a Pegasus? And you explain earlier that the Kraken is in this case a half man half monster, so how can he knock Perseus out of the sky?

For me personally you mention too many movies that I've never heard about. It tells me not a lot.
And you mention a lot of parts of the plot here and there without explaining those who have not seen the film what it is about. At the moment I have the feeling that you have to first watch the film before understanding this Entry.

'The goddesses are similarly labelled, such as Athena the wise, however as the gods are also, that is balanced.'
I don't understand this sentence.

The soundtrack section is too short for a separate header. Either say more or put this sentence somewhere else.

For my own personal taste this Entry is too detailed in some places. For instance where you talk about the differences between the comic and the film. I don't know the film or the comic so it doesn't really mean anything to me.

So, you've not seen 'Labyrinth', 'The Dark Crystal' or 'Clash of the Titans' Tell you what, if you're ever in the neighbourhood feel free to pop round for a 1980s British Fantasy Film night.

I've reworded the Plot section to add brief explanations of who and what Medusa and Titans are, and added brief job descriptions in the cast section. As far as the film is concerned, all that needs to be known about a Titan is that it is an all-powerful, giant monster and that Perseus is the hero.

You should mention right at the top of the Entry that this film features real actors...
The second section has a cast list which names the actors involved. But I have emphasised that Harryhausen's films involved interactions with creatures and actors.

Various other sections have been rephrased, and more descriptions added to the creatures section. But it is hard to know how else to say that the vulture looks exactly like a vulture, the scorpions look like scorpions and that Dioskolos the two-headed dog looks just like a two-headed dog.

I've also reworded the section about the locations used. I must confess that I don't think a reader needs to know in the Plot section where in the film the sequence set in the Isle of the Dead comes in order to appreciate that it was filmed at a genuine Roman temple.

'When reading this Entry I had constant images in my head of old Japanese monster films.'
Suitmation is in no way similar to stop-motion animation as practiced by the great Ray Harryhausen (even if Godzilla was a remake of Harryhausen's 'Beast from 20,000 Fathoms')

<BB<

Thanks, I'm getting more and more curious about these films. What I wanted to say with my remark about Japanese films is that I really can't imagine what the films you write about look like.


I'm afraid I was in a mood where I was a bit over-critical yesterday.

Hi <BB<

"In order to pluck up the courage to get dates goes to the trouble of transforming himself into countless disguises, such as a bull, shower of gold or, in his failed attempt to seduce Thetis, a cuttlefish."

= dates *he* goes



Gorgan = Gorgon

GB

although: "Even Zeus, king of the gods and ruler of the heavens, seems to be intimidated by women. In order to pluck up the courage to get dates..." I can't say I agree with that. The only woman who intimidates Zeus is his wife Hera. All of the other conquests have been subdued by fair means or foul. I rather think of Zeus as a wily old goat using all his powers to seduce!

GB

I've added some more on Harryhausen's stop-motion animation process to hopefully give some idea of what the film looks like (but there is no substitute for actually seeing the film).

I've made the changes Galaxy Babe's suggested, and thought about her comment:
'The only woman who intimidates Zeus is his wife Hera. All of the other conquests have been subdued by fair means or foul. I rather think of Zeus as a wily old goat using all his powers to seduce!'
I cannot argue or dispute that in the traditional presentation of Zeus in the Greek Myths. This article, though, is not about the traditional presentation of Zeus but rather how he is portrayed in 'Clash of the Titans' only. There are differences, and he does seem to be intimidated by Thetis, an otherwise unimportant minor goddess.

<BB<

OK then can you make it clear that that's how Zeus is portrayed in this film? It's not his usual style.

GB

Yes, I've written 'in this film' to make it clear that it is this film that is being discussed.

<BB<

<BB<

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Geggs

Yay!

<BB<

Congratulations!