JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Don Chaffey

Written by - Jan Read, Beverley Cross (based on the poem by Apollonios Rhodios)

Starring - Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond

 

"There was a time when sword and sandal epics, that drew inspiration from Greek legends, felt riveting and entertaining but most of all alive with creativity. Despite offering more on an entertainment scale than on some type of ethical and emotional level, the cratsmanship and the quality of these films was immediate, direct and a form of filmmaking that resembled influential art.

 
There is somewhat of a nostalgic appeal in seeing a film like Jason and the Argonaut, a film about the tale of the titular Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece. Naturally sexually charged with machismo and body builder portraying the player of the legend, this film was an ultimate representation of adventure and matinee idols of the time.
 
This film in particular is also celebrated for its famed use of mixture of stop motion animation and live action, for which one named Ray Harryhousen was most responsible for. Harryhousen himself was a deeply influential cinematic figure, particularly in his own trade of special effects, and claimed with a clear point that he never made monsters but creatures - a clear distinction that rings true when seeing the famous fight between three live action actors and the seven animated skeletons.
 
The overall style of film, its colour palette and its graphic content shot in Diorama it set a real standard in the works that were to follow it, and a standard that seems to fulfil the representation of this particular brand of matinees. However, when taken as a piece of big screen entertainment, Jason and the Argonauts achieves more than the vast majority of its contemporaries, also through a good solid rhythm and an adventurous aura - which almost totally makes you forget the cardboard acting, also in itself a familiar elements in this type of films."
 

 

Adventure, UK/USA