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Ray Harryhausen was famous for his monster films. Some of the models he made for the films have been restored by a Dagenham man by the name of Alan Friswell.

 

There's a small exhibition of these models at the Valence House Museum in Dagenham, London. The exhibition is continuing to the end of June.

 

My brother recently went to the exhibition and took some photos of the models and I'm uploading them on to this topic. There are 9 photos, 2 from Jason and the Argonauts, 3 from Clash of the Titans (the original version) and 4 from The Valley of Gwangi.

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EC, I think that I've seen all of the feature films that Ray Harryhausen worked on from the original version of Mighty Joe Young to the original version of Clash of the Titans. Mighty Joe Young was directed by Ernest B Schoedsack and written and co-produced by Merian C Cooper who were the key people behind the best monster film ever made, the original King Kong.

El Loro
El Loro posted:

EC, I think that I've seen all of the feature films that Ray Harryhausen worked on from the original version of Mighty Joe Young to the original version of Clash of the Titans. Mighty Joe Young was directed by Ernest B Schoedsack and written and co-produced by Merian C Cooper who were the key people behind the best monster film ever made, the original King Kong.

Sounds like you are a bit of a fan El. I'm looking forward to finding a time to go through all my box sets. I think it will be during a holiday.  My box sets all come with a book and that should make for an interesting read too.

Enthusiastic Contrafibularities

EC, my father was a bit of a fan and I saw the films with him over the years. The only one of his films that I can't be sure having seen was Mysterious Island. Though his and my favourite was the film that made Ray Harryhausen go into films and that's the original King Kong (1933). Despite its age it's never been equalled. Audiences who went to that film in 1933 must have had quite an experience. At the time it was the biggest opening weekend in the States and the success rescued RKO from bankruptcy.

El Loro
El Loro posted:

EC, my father was a bit of a fan and I saw the films with him over the years. The only one of his films that I can't be sure having seen was Mysterious Island. Though his and my favourite was the film that made Ray Harryhausen go into films and that's the original King Kong (1933). Despite its age it's never been equalled. Audiences who went to that film in 1933 must have had quite an experience. At the time it was the biggest opening weekend in the States and the success rescued RKO from bankruptcy.

It's interesting to me that your father seems to have had an influence on your taste in film, like many of us I guess we develop our tastes in many different ways. Thinking back, there are certain films and specific genre types that I have always enjoyed, mainly due to my fathers liking for those films.

 

To name just one, I would say Laurel and Hardy. He watched them whenever they were on TV. I have not seen any L&H for a number of years now, but think it's high time I did revisit.

 

Enthusiastic Contrafibularities
Eugene's Lair posted:

Have you seen the recent Aardman film, "Early Man", El?

 

It wouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Nick Park was heavily influenced/inspired by Harryhausen, but he included a tribute to him at the start of the film (and references it again quite sweetly during the credits).

 

I want to as I always enjoy the Aardman output. Although now it's left the cinemas and I note that it about to be released on 4K UHD, I will pick it up on that format. 

Enthusiastic Contrafibularities
Last edited by Enthusiastic Contrafibularities

EC, if you hadn't already noticed this the Talking Pictures TV channel has been having a season of Laurel and Hardy films for some weeks though they do repeat them. They've had feature films and shorts.
http://talkingpicturestv.co.uk/schedule/
Sadly, the season seems to be nearly over but they are showing Way Out West in the morning tomorrow and Pardon Us on Tuesday morning. It's quite possible that they'll show quite a few of their films again at some time so it's worth monitoring their schedule.

 

Although I had seen lots of films with my father on television the key event in my life for watching films was watching 2001 at a re-release at the cinema. (unless you've seen that film on the big screen you can't experience the sheer impact of it as watching it on a television weakens it), I was fascinated by the technical challenges of the making of that film. One of the other influences was the films of the directot Michael Powell who was quite brilliant in some of the technical wizardy in his films (for instance Black Narcissus set in the mountains but actually shot wholly in the studios, A Matter of Life and Death with for instance the time frozen scene with just David Niven moving around - that technique is often used now but that was in 1945). And my favourite A Canterbury Tale (1944). The film starts with a prologue set in Chaucer's time, the prologue ends with a man releaasing a hawk which flies up and away through the sky then a split second later the hawk is replaced with a plane and we are in the present. If you've ever seen 2001, Stanley Kubrick does exactly the same technique with the caveman throwing a bone in the air then we move to 2001 and the bone is replaced with a spacecraft.

El Loro

 

I've never really dropped onto that channel El.

 

However, my dad did have some L&H videos. I will ask my mum if she still has them when I next visit. 

 

I believe I was taken as a child to see 2001, but can't remember it really. It's a beautifully shot film. I find it amazing that films which came later looked a lot worse in terms of the spaceship. I would love the opportunity to see it at a cinema, my local multiplex have each year a season where they show old films. I went to see a number of Bond films on the big screen which were released before I was born.

Enthusiastic Contrafibularities

@Enthusiastic Contrafibularities you might be interested in looking at some of films of the Czech film director Karel Zeman as you are interested in the films of Ray Harryhausen. Some of his films have been released over the last couple of years on Blu-ray and DVD. They have English subtitles.

 

There's the 1962 film "The Fabulous Baron Munchausen":
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fabul...u-ray/dp/B0716PXY7Y/
There's the 1958 film "Invention for Destruction" (AKA "The Deadly Invention") (based on various works by Jules Verne):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inven...Zeman/dp/B07HSKMNMH/
and there's the 1955 film "Journey to the Beginning of Time":
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Journ...Zeman/dp/B07WPX3SM6/

 

 

 

El Loro

I quite often pick up Second Run blu-rays and peruse them in my local HMV store. They never seem to go in any of the offers unlike Arrow, Eureka (Master of Cinema) or Criterion to name three. 

 

You have certainly got me thinking about them again. I will have to keep my eyes open for some offers, they do seem an interesting label and one worth exploring. Ordinarily I would dip in and sample them, but I have a huge number of purchases planned right up to Christmas this year. 

 

I will have a good read of the links included and see if there is the odd film I can pick up - I do have a tendency to start buying most of a label once I get hooked. 

 

Edit:

 

Well, it did not take me long to go browsing!

 

This looks quite interesting El.

 

Dawson City: Frozen Time

 

https://secondrundvd.ecwid.com...129579233/category=0

 

I have already picked up one release from second run, mainly because it was billed as a limited edition and comes with a book.

 

https://secondrundvd.ecwid.com...114868207/category=0

Enthusiastic Contrafibularities
Last edited by Enthusiastic Contrafibularities
Saint posted:

Odd that this should resurface

I'm currently looking at wartime movie ideas whilst watching 'Let me in'

https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-op...-about-women-wartime

https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-op...out-children-wartime

 

Also did anyone see "Greasy Strangler" the other day - quite bizarre

Saint - I saw Greasy Strangler a while back. I really loved it. It's one of those American movies that feels independant and not pampering to the mainstream, but takes its own path. I liked it so much, it made its way into my collection.

 

I'm thinking about picking up Odette as it is on offer in HMV.

 

I recently picked up this, which contains Rome, Open City.

 

 

 

‘An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn’ is by the same director as The Greasy Strangler.

 

Enthusiastic Contrafibularities
Last edited by Enthusiastic Contrafibularities
Saint posted:
Enthusiastic Contrafibularities posted:
Saint posted:

You're a real film buff

I am just very inquisitive when it comes to film and documentary making

Then you must watch 7UP

I recently watched 63UP, but you are right, I should watch from 7UP. Fortunately for me, Network on Air are releasing 7-63UP on blu-ray in October. I shall wait for one of their regular sales and grab it then. 

 

 To be honest, at ÂĢ15 for 4 blu-ray discs, it's quite well priced to start with.

 

https://networkonair.com/comin...067-7-63-up-blu-ray-

 

Enthusiastic Contrafibularities

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