Clash of the Titans

Tags

1980's, Adventure, Burgess Meredith, Claire Bloom, Clash of the Titans, Desmond Davis, Fantasy, Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Ray Harryhausen, Ursula Andress

Taking basis from Greek mythology and past fantasy/swords and sandals, Clash of the Titans is one entertaining film. Not without flaws, but glowing with a sense of adventure that can’t be denied or not enjoyed.

In Ancient Greece, King Acrisius is angered when he discovers that his daughter Danaë  had a child that was fathered by the all powerful God Zeus(Laurence Olivier). he imprisons his daughter and her son Perseus in a box and has them thrown into the sea to die . The powerful God Zeus is infuriated by this and orders the destruction of the King’s realm. Danaë and Perseus are spared and wash up on another island. Years later, Perseus( now played by Harry Hamlin) is an athletic young man who is good at horse riding and adventure. And it’s adventure that awaits him as the unpredictability of those on Mount Olympus transports him to the city of Joppa . This is done by Thetis(Maggie Smith) who is angered by the fact that Zeus has persecuted her rebellious som Calibos. Her offspring destroyed the group of legendary flying horses (leaving only the iconic Pegasus) and for his wickedness was transformed into a hideous beast. Calibos was betrothed to the beautiful Princess Andromeda(Judi Bowker) but now has fled to the swamp. Andromeda is under a curse that makes her unable to marry unless her suitor solves a magical riddle. Into this melee comes Perseus, who immediately falls in love with Andromeda. After figuring the riddle out and subduing, Perseus asks for Andromeda’s hand in marriage. In retaliation for the treatment of her now deformed son and also stinging with anger when Andromeda’s mother dares speak ill of her , Thetis decrees that Andromeda shall die at the hands of the beastly Kraken in thirty days. Realising the severity of what is happening, Perseus sets out to discover a way to save his beloved from an untimely death. Aided by some of the Gods, an elderly but comic sidekick Ammon(Burgess Meredith) , winged horse Pegasus and a golden replica of the Owl Bubo , it’s a whole new adventure for Perseus. This entails encounters with wicked, vicious two-headed dogs, the Gorgon Medusa and the legendary Kraken. It’s one hell of an adventure for Perseus as he does battle with this assortment of creatures to fulfil his destiny and save Andromeda.

Desmond Davis is on directors duties and does a commendable job of laying on the challenges for Perseus and letting it flow. Some missteps are there it has be said , but it’s definitely very watchable as a fantasy film . Events looks amazing as do the sets that transport you to Ancient Greece in all its glory. A shot of pace might have benefited the middle section that does honestly drag things out a bit. But Clash of the Titans recovers in the finale as a glorious throwback to the old school adventure movies that where popular in decades gone by. And I frankly love it for that. Clash of the Titans is an imperfect film, but the nostalgia and feeling of adventure truly sweeps me as well as the audience along. Clash of the Titans is all about the work from special effects and stop motion wizard Ray Harryhausen. This was to be his last hurrah before retirement and he doesn’t disappoint with the array of creatures he crafts for the big screen for Perseus to face . The best among these are Medusa and the Kraken . The scaly and slithering Medusa is a terrifying creation that is part of one of the finest sequences here. Suspense abounds as Perseus attempts to slay Medusa while avoiding being turned to stone by the beast. And the last part with the Kraken is high on adventure and tension as Perseus swoops into the rescue. Both creatures on display make the movie that something special. It’s Harryhausen who is running the show here and whenever his touch is felt, it’s something to behold .The pace may get leaden in areas and the story is not exactly what you’d call the most cohesive, but as sheer entertainment it scores very high points. And the rousing score is another excellent addition to this action packed movie. 

Clash of the Titans isn’t exactly what you’d call an actors movie, but the cast is pretty good. Harry Hamlin is hardly the most expressive star out there, but he is nonetheless suitable and physically impressive in the part of the heroic Perseus. Judi Bowker is also hardly winning any awards but her stunning beauty makes it convincing that a man would risk life and limb for her. Burgess Meredith clearly has fun as the loyal best friend of our main hero, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Laurence Olivier, with his Shakespearean training and sense of indomitable majesty is ideally cast as Zeus. Intimidating yet charismatic, it’s a blast seeing Olivier bring his theatrical talents to the screen in this fantasy yarn. The always excellent Maggie Smith has a ball as the vengeance seeking and silver tongued Thetis, whose meddling sets in motion a lot of events. Smith brings with her a sense of commanding power and playfulness, which she lends well to the film at hand. Sadly, Claire Bloom and Ursula Andress as goddesses are relegated to the sidelines as and don’t particularly register as a result. 

So while not quite up there in the echelon of fantasy films of yesteryear, Clash of the Titans is very close and boasts an immense amount of charm and nostalgia. Plus it’s a fine showcase for the Ray Harryhausen and a great final flourish for him. 

The Boys from Brazil

Tags

1970's, Franklin J. Schaffner, Gregory Peck, James Mason, Laurence Olivier, Lilli Palmer, Steve Guttenberg, The Boys from Brazil, Thriller, Uta Hagen

Film Title

The Boys from Brazil

Director

Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring

• Gregory Peck as Dr. Josef Mengele
• Laurence Olivier as Ezra Lieberman
• James Mason as Eduard Seibert
• Lilli Palmer as Esther Lieberman
• Uta Hagen as Frieda Maloney
• Steve Guttenberg as Barry Kohler

Taut, creepy and intriguing, Franklin J. Scahffner’s adaptation of Ira Levin’s novel The Boys from Brazil is filled with haunting suspense and excellent performances.

In Paraguay, a young and curious Jewish boy named Barry Kohler has stumbled upon secret meetings of former Nazi criminals. He is in contact with Ezra Lieberman, an aging Nazi Hunter who is all but retired and living in Vienna. Lieberman is skeptical of the young boy’s findings and warns him to flee. Still curious, Kohler observes none other than Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi doctor order his followers to kill over the next two years 94 65-year-old men in various countries around the world. Unfortunately for Kohler, he is discovered and promptly killed. Before his untimely demise, he at least manages to contact Lieberman who is now convinced something isn’t right. Although obviously failing physically and feeling the effects of advancing age, Lieberman is determined to stop the plan of Mengele and takes it upon himself to discover more. Visiting widows of some of the deceased men, he notes a startling resemblance with all of their adopted sons, who all have piercing blue eyes and jet black hair. Meanwhile, Mengele realizes that Lieberman is tailing him and sets out himself to finish the job. With time ticking away, Lieberman unearths the full nature of Mengele’s horrifying plan: he has taken tissue samples from Hitler prior to his death and managed to harvest them, creating human clones of the man and trying to replicate his upbringing down to the finest detail in order to begin the Third Reich again. Now locked in a battle of wills and intellect, Lieberman and Mengele face off as the aging Nazi Hunter tries to put a stop to the potentially devastating plan.

Franklin J. Schaffner crafts a tense and slickly paced atmosphere of mounting paranoia as Lieberman makes it his duty to put an end to the twisted plot posed to the world by Mengele. The pace may be electric, but it makes the characters more interesting and the various twists all the more thrilling. On occasion, the scientific jargon can become a little confusing and you may find yourself lost, but The Boys From Brazil is so well-constructed it can be forgiven for its lapses. The backdrop of history provides a terrific crux for the narrative and the theme of cloning has a certain ring of controversial topicality in this time of ever-growing scientific power and discovery. We also get a thrilling and disturbing game of cat and mouse that builds to a violent crescendo as Lieberman tracks Mengele and the two try to defeat one another. The Boys from Brazil certainly presents an intriguing albeit horrifying what if? theme that is hard to shake off once you’ve watched this film. It may bring in elements of science fiction but regardless of this, you’re left pondering what would happen if any of the events portrayed where to actually happen. Jerry Goldsmith is on hand to provide a grand but slickly menacing score, filled with marauding brass and pounding drums to increase and accentuate the thrilling and supremely tense atmosphere.

In a convincing departure from the usually respectable and upstanding characters he played, Gregory Peck exudes menace and madness as Mengele, who sets in motion a terrifying plan. Laurence Olivier excellently imbues the role of Lieberman with a tired quality but also the determination and wit to fight against the bizarre plot posed to him and the world. When Peck and Olivier finally lock horns late into the film, it is one electrifying encounter that can’t be underestimated in terms of its effectiveness as the battle between them becomes physical and well as mental. James Mason makes an impression as the loyal accomplice to Mengele, who increasingly begins to doubt his plan as the net closes in on his friend. Lilli Palmer is used well enough as Lieberman’s concerned sister Esther, while Uta Hagen makes the most of her one scene as a former Concentration Camp guard in on the scheme by giving her character a reticence and creepy demeanor. A young Steve Guttenberg portrays the curious Barry Kohler, whose stumbling onto the plot leads to his demise.

Thrilling, disturbing and at times quite frightening, the outlandish plot given gravity by Peck and Olivier make The Boys from Brazil a haunting film of bizarre suspense and strange paranoia.

 

 

 

 

Best last shots of a movie Part 1

Tags

Best, Cate Blanchett, Dangerous Liaisons, Danvers, Elizabeth, Glenn Close, Hitchcock, Joan Fontaine, Last Shots, Laurence Olivier, Rebecca, Shekhar Kapur

In my opinion, the last shot of a movie has to be memorable and stick in the mind. I have accumulated a list of my personal favourite shots before the credits begin to roll. This is part 1 of a number of posts I will write.

Be warned they may contain spoilers!!!!

Here they are:

Elizabeth- In Shekhar Kapur’s biopic of the rise of the Virgin Queen , Elizabeth( Cate Blanchett in a career making role) walks into court in the Virgin Queen persona, married to her country having sacrificed personal happiness for the people. This final scene occurs after surviving opposition and assassination attempts to her asceneding to the throne  throughout the film.Her intense and regal gaze as she walks towards the camera and takes a seat upon her throne signifies the metamorphosis from skittish girl to powerful queen, now fully aware of the duties that lie ahead of her.

Rebecca- In Hitchcock’s first venture into American movies, the last shot is both sly and ambiguous. Throughout the film, Joan Fontaine’s character has been tormented by the menacing Mrs Danvers who was obsessed with the first wife, the eponymous Rebecca and tried to drive the new wife away from her marriage to Laurence Olivier’s rich widower. The last shot happens after Danvers in a psychotic state burns down the country house and perishes in the process. The last shot is of Rebecca’s bed engulfed in flames. But the sly gesture is that the pillow features the initial R,  hinting at the lingering and remaining presence of her even though Danvers is gone.

Dangerous Liaisons- I know that I’ve already wrote a review on this, but I didn’t want to write about the last scene because i didn’t want to spoil the movie. Anyway, The last shot of the period drama occurs after the vicious Marquise(Glenn Close at her most bitchy) is ousted by society after her treacherous and sordid personal life is revealed in detail. Because she is so good at hiding her inner viciousness, the last scene is very significant. In it she slowly removes her make-up from her face, an obvious reference to the mask of deceit she has worn so well. Glenn Close makes the scene memorable with her subtle nuances of her character, the one tear that falls and the bitter resentment, sadness and anger that is revealed on her face as she realises she is no longer in control and the one pulling the strings. A geniunely chilling end to the film.