I'm not ashamed to admit that when my media teacher blurted out that Ray Harryhausen had just died back in 2013, I was the only one in the class to shed a few tears for his passing, he brought a wonderful spectrum of monster beauty to my childhood and gave me a respect for stop-motion that I still hold dear to this day. Clash of the titans was my first and will always be my favourite. However I love all the other films on this list as well.
+Angus Lamont (AnimateAngus) That's one of the reasons why I like the new Star Wars...The only time thy use CGI is for the space scenes, the rest is practical!
+Will Cooke (BaronFilms) That's not actually true. However, the fact that so many people didn't realise (and I include myself in this) shows both the quality of much of the CGI and the skill with which it was used.
I saw Mr Harryhausen at a convention in Dallas several years ago. He was very approachable and would talk to his fans in the lobby of the hotel hosting the convention for hours and then go to the convention and talk to thousands more. He was a very sweet man and a genius as well.
I had the opportunity to meet Ray twice at the Monsters In Motion store in LA. He was very approachable and would explain how he did his effects. I own all his movies and I have a large collection of his monsters in statue and figure foam. Thanks for posting this tribute.
@@joaomotta9652 Sorry it took so long to answer. I am cleaning out my mail and I just saw your question. No I meant Statues, resin model kits and figures. Like from X-Plus, FYI if you live in Northern California near San Francisco at he Balboa Theater. It is called the Dynamation Celebration on March 1-3 2019. There will be vendors selling collectible items.
When I was a child I was terrified of skeletons, and one day the movie came on TV. Dad had me watch it, and when the skeletons came up, he said, "Look, they can be defeated!" He then gave me a pink plastic She-Ra sword I kept on the dresser near my bed in case we were attacked at night. I haven't thought of that in years!
+Papallion Sunspell Your comment is too good to get answers on youtube. I, myself, remember when me and my little five years old sister saw the same movie on TV. I was already a horror fan, and because of this movie my sister at last began to love skeletons and monsters. After that we had the interest for the horror genre together!
Over the years, as we get old, we get more cynical, start gravitating towards certain groups and sympathies. I've looked down on people for certain habits, despised others over politics, etc. But, an appreciation of Ray Harryhausen films takes us back to a more innocent time in our development. A Harryhausen fan is a brother/sister no matter what.
Absolutely bang on the nail with "Jason and the Argonauts". The film must've looked amazing when it first came out in cinemas, and even today the skeletons look good. Harryhausen understood that it's not simply about creating an effect, but how it's used within the film.
These movies made me want to grow up to be the evil sorcerer. Abducting hot princesses, raising armies of skeletons, taming giant monsters and kicking it in a fortress of darkness, generally living the dream.
Hmmm, I always wanted to be Ernst Stavro Blofeld, not James Bond. I thought, having lethal femme fatales at my side, hijacking nuclear rockets, plotting to conquer the world, kicking it in a secret island lair, generally living the dream.
My first Ray Harryhaussen movie was The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad ; and boy did this movie blew my mind ! I discovered stop-motion animation years before with King Kong, so i was used to such kind of special-effects ; but i wasn't prepared for what i was about to see ! Long story short, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad still sits among my favorites movies, even though i only saw it once, more than a decade ago. He left a long-lasting impression on me ; and still to this day, i'm amazed by the quality of the special effects.
Brandon, you done a fine tribute to one of the greatest film makers in film history. I can't argue with any of the pics on the list since I would have made the same choices. R.I.P. RH. 😞
Thanks for rationalizing my acceptance of Bubo in Clash Of The Titans. I had thought it was just that I was the perfect age to be blown away by that movie and accept it at face value. Still one of my faves. :)
Yes, there was Talos, and Hephaestus' robot servants. So yeah, robots totally belong in Greek mythology. Before they were science, before they were science fiction, mechanical humans and beasts were mythology!
@@LB030377 The Antikithera Mechanism certainly makes it plausible that the ancient Greeks were familiar with the concept of complex mechanics; things like our idea of androids such as Talos were probably not a huge leap away.
I never once thought of R2D2 when I saw Bubo. Thats some critics ways of writing him off, but I loved the little guy and he fit in the film cause it was a fricken fantasy film for God's sake!
This is a great tribute to one of the best special effects guys of his day. Thanks for providing information that answered a question I had pondered for over a decade. I saw the rampage and cathedral scene from the Valley of Gwangi while at a friend's house. I laughed so hard at the panicked townspeople who refused to go indoors that I forgot to ask the name of the movie. I have personally done two homages to Harryhausen's Medusa from Clash of the Titans, who is my favorite gorgon and Harryhausen character. Bravo, Brandon. Thanks again. I also REALLY love that artwork for this. Kudos to Enshohma.
Brandon, Ray thought the iguana was a good idea. He believed that if you showed an audience something familiar, something real, they would believe the rest of the film.
@@toyohimeyeswatatsuki6917 He probably thought "Yeah elephant are the biggest land-dwelling animals nowadays ; but that b*tch ain't no match for my *inserts Ray Harryhaussen's monster of your choice*
Awesome tribute, Brandon!! Golden Voyage contains my favourite line in all of cinema: (Spoken in a fake Arab accent): "Why do you pace the deck like a caged beast? For one who enjoys the hashish, you should be more at peace!" My friends at uni used to throw that one out regularly at appropriate moments of our formative years.
Brandon, excellent salute to Ray and his impressive body of work. I grew up watching his films and love to see scenes I have not viewed for years. My favorites, like yours, are Jason, Seventh Voyage, and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms which I have shown in my Survey of Cinema class I teach for ASU. It is remarkable to see such craftsmanship in The Beast when the budget was so limited: excellent work by Ray, a good solid score, good acting, and well directed. The beast wrecking New York and especially the death of the poor policeman is one of the great set pieces of monster films.
To me Ray is a legend in the world of monster effects. The work he did on many of the films shown here is top of the line even today when compared to some of the crap that's cgi. A great loss when he passed. If I remember correctly he did a movie that had a giant octopus in it. That has to be my favorite simply because it held one small mistake that no one caught ( or at least i didn't ) and that it only had 7 arms from the start but was filmed and portrayed in a way that you never new. Thanks for the tribute to a well deserved legend!
Having recently re-watched Jason and the Argonauts I agree with the choice of 'Best Monster'. Talos is a bit like a terminator, metallic and remorseless.
True story: Harryhausen's skeletons are the reason why I automatically favor any undead faction in any fantasy video game I come across. (Unless it's an undead faction which - for some reason - does not have enough skeletons.)
Awesome, man! Ray Harryhausen is one of my childhood heroes as well! It was sad that he passed away in 2013, but you did him justice with your tribute!
Of course is it arguably is his best work madussa was a masterpiece how this guy has it so far up the list baffels me. My personal favorite is 7th voyage
While I love the usual snark of your videos, its really nice to see one that is 100% genuine. I've been a huge Harryhausen fan since I saw Clash of the Titans as a kid.
I have an odd array of favorite Harryhausen films: 1)First Men in the Moon 2)Mysterious Island 3)Valley of Gwangi 4)20 Million Miles to Earth 5)Mighty Joe Young 6)Jason and the Argonauts 7)7th Voyage of Sinbad 8)Earth vs. The Flying Saucers 9)Beast From 20,000 Fathoms 10)One Million Years BC I'm more of a sci-fi fan, which is why most of my favorites are his entries in that genre, plus Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are my favorite authors, so I had to put them in the top 2 slots :)
I LOVE his films soooo much! they where my faves when i was a kid, and i still love them. Honestly, his stop motion "monsters" like Talos, Medusa or the Cyclops are scary as s***. I don't know..that slow motion characteristic moovement makes them look so eery and otherwordly... My faves are jason and the argonauts and The golden Voyage of Simbad.
They deliberately make the bigger monsters move more slowly to account for size. Apparently these days in movies like Pacific Rim they have mathematical formula to do that accurately with the big GCI mechs and monsters but, I dunno, they look _too_ fast to me. Maybe it's because I grew up on Harryhausen monsters. Definitely agree that the somewhat odd stop-motion movements only make them stranger and that's part of the appeal. :)
I think it's because---consciously or unconsciously, his humanoid work skirts the Uncanny Valley. The deliberate movements and facial expressions set off some sort of "danger" signal.
When I was little I was such a fan of his work (still am today) that I sent him a letter telling him how much of an inspiration he was to me. I never had him write back which was very saddening to me since I assume that he never got to see my letter telling him how much his movies were meaningful to my childhood and so many other peoples childhood's. The impact he left on the movie industry was tremendous and nothing like it could be replicated ever again.
I agree with just about everything on your list, but there's one big omission: First Men in the Moon (1964). The film has a good cast, with Edward Judd, Martha Hyer and a scene-stealing Lionel Jeffries as Dr. Cavor. Harryhausen creates a unique world on the moon, and his effects work is superb--the scene with the Grand Lunar is memorable indeed (though the Selenite workers are children in suits). The film has great pacing, good acting and an excellent score. I'm shocked it didn't make your list. You do great work, and I particularly enjoy your sarcastic commentary.
_The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms_ was definitely a major influence for _Godzilla_ , the main creative minds behind it were big fans of American monster films.
1: 50 i love that brandon can get real for a minute and talk about someone who he and many others including me had a ton of respect and admiration for, someone who is a film legend and inspired many modern day filmmakers and wannabe filmmakers like me, who still continue the craft of stop motion in its most basic form due mainly to budget, but also to keep it alive. I am glad brandon did something special to honor the entertainment legend that pretty much pioneered the first truly great special effects in movies.
the sindbad films draw me right back into my childhood.....good times....i remember how often i saw them, i loved the cylops the absolute most of them all.
My favourite Harryhausen flicks are The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and The Valley of Gwangi. I've seen quite a few of Ray's puppets in real life and they are starting to look a bit worse for wear with the latex deteriorating. The bronzes he made, before he passed away, of his famous monsters are absolutely superb though.
This is a great tribute to a film legend, I haven't seen all these movies, but the ones I have have been immensely fun. And I completely agree with the top 3 choices, of the half dozen or so Harryhausen movies I've seen, those are easily my favorites, especially Jason and the Argonauts.
Valley Of Gwangi was actually supposed to be a sequel to Kong! They originally made some test footage, but that wound up evolving into Mighty Joe Young...Small world, eh?
I notice similar themes pop up in Harryhausen's movies: the Golden Voyage homunculus is similar to the Jason harpies, the 7th Voyage cyclopes is kind of a cross between the Ymir and the Golden Voyage Centaur, the Kraken is like a cross between the Ymir and It Came From Beneath the Sea, sword-fighting skeletons appear in more than one of his movies, the Troglodyte from Eye of the Tiger is similar to the main villain in Clash as well as Golden Voyage Centaur, Ceratosaur vs Triceratops is like Gwangi vs Styracosaur, same pteranodon, etc.
You totally rock. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was honored to be able to hang with him and the rest of the Horrowood Brat Pack since the King Kong 50th anniversary celebration at Grauman's Chinese Theater. I have to stop myself here or this could go on for a very long stretch. FYI... Gwangi was an unrealized project from his mentor Willis O'Brian who helped Harryhausen snag a special effects Oscar for Mighty Joe Young. I won't get started on composer Bernard Herrmann... who I also love.
In a very short time (the last few hours) I have become a fan of your regular reviews of some of my favorite cult classics, and those I am now inspired to see. Those reviews feature your comedic snark and sarcasm, and added sound drops, cut scenes, and references are also well appreciated. I must say, however, that this is by far my favorite video. It's wonderful tribute to his work, and brought back a lot of happy memories. I may not agree with the order, but art, and what we consider favorites, are both subjective and instead of arguing, I appreciate the grounds you based your opinions on and your defense thereof. Thank you for making this.
Ray was a friend of mine for exactely 25 years - and I KNOW that he would have loved your wonderful tribute very, very much. Thanks a lot and warmest regards from Germany!
I read that it was Harryhausen himself who decided on the Iguana as the first monster in "One Million Years B.C.". It was a tribute to the original Victor Mature/Carol Landis film that featured lizards dressed up as dinosaurs. Also, you notice the 2nd monster is a giant turtle, though stop-motion this time, and, finally, the 3rd monster seen is a dinosaur that only stop-motion could depict. Ray was trying to blur the line between real animal and stop-motion monster.
hey, I don't know if you've ever seen Gremlins 2 or not, but there is a shirt scene where two Gremlins (George & Lenny) are watching The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms & they both start laughing at the scene where the cop gets eaten by the Rhedosaurus, thought I should mention that
Glad to see your love of Harryhausen. You asked for shares of memories of Ray and I have an amazing one. Ray came to Seattle in 1998 and gave some speeches and showed some of his movies. The first was a showing of Jason Of the Argonauts. He gave a few remarks and the lights dimmed to show the film and his wife sat next to me and he sat next to her. I got to overhear every time he made a comment to her about some part of the film.
I'm 59 and grew up on Harryhausen's films, not on cable like Brandon but on American local broadcast tv in the 60's and 70's. The one that sticks with me the most is "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963) which features the battle with the gang of skeletons.
Thank you for this respective retrospective. RH formed many of my childhood fantasy images and pulled me into his very idiosyncratic inventions. I doubt that anyone, before or since, marked special effects like he did.
The skeletons were so iconic, they were brought back in an episode of "Hercules - The Legendary Journeys" in the 90s! Herc and Jason and Iolus were forced to fight them once again. I thought it was a nice nod.
I have the honor of seeing All Ten Movies on your list,R.I.P to The Best There Is......The Best There Was.....And The BEST There Ever Will Be,Mr. Ray Harryhausen.You may be gone.............but your monsters will live on............. FOREVER.
Well done Brandon Tenold. I agree with your list I just have Gwangi up higher in the list otherwise good job. I like you more this one time as being complementary. Just for this one time good job as a fair critic to Rays work
Thank you for this episode, very informative and entertaining. I'm a old guy in my 50s and Jason and the Argonauts was my first favorite movie. It remained my favorite for many years, still ranking in my top 10. Love that movie.
Wonderful tribute, Brandon. The first Ray Harryhausen film I can remember seeing was Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, on my Grandma's old 16-inch B & W TV. As I recall it scared the willies out of my 8-yr-old self. I was hooked on Harryhausen from the moment the Rhedosaurus climbed out of the Hudson onto that pier. ) That scene where the Beast snaps up one of New York's finest (though probably not brightest) like a Doberman scarfing down a liver treat is truly one for the ages. I agree that Jason and the Argonauts is hands down his greatest film, though. I was lucky enough to catch it on the big screen, multiple times (long story) in the late Seventies, and believe me, it was impressive. Too bad he didn't get a chance to do the effects for War of the Worlds -- that would have been awesome!
Brilliant, this is one of my favourites of your review shows...odd really as what I usually enjoy is your piss taking style but you pitched this right by showcasing your own love and respect for Ray Harryhausen as I am sure most people who have seen his work feel the same way and for those who haven't it leads the way to getting to know his work. I may have changed the order of these movies in the ranking slightly but that is a seriously minor quibble and really just a matter of preference. You have bought back a lot of good memories with this and I shall be watching my Harryhausen DVD's again very soon, thank you
THAT COULD BE!! Not many years before, Irwin Allen had done his remake of Willis O'Brien's "THE LOST WORLD", all with lizards. And "JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH" with James Mason also had lizards. It always cracked me up that my Mom took me to see "THE BIBLE: IN THE BEGINNING" and then about 6 months later, "ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.", 2 very-different views about ancient history.
I went to a sci-fi convention ages ago and Ray Harryhausen was a guest. His Q and A was great and I found myself walking down the stairs with him and we had a brief conversation. He was kind and generous with his knowledge. A great man who inspired great movies. Did I ever become the next stop-motion sensation? Nope. However as I age, I find myself recalling his words "Persevere and enjoy the journey. Do your best."
I knew I liked the channel but when I stumbled across this I was sold. Ray was a fav of mine and saw a lot of he later movies in the cinema so he made me love monster movies. I had the honour to meet him once at an animators convention and I unfortunately went full on fan girl
Hey Brandon...best one-man tribute to Ray I've seen. I'm also a huge Harryhausen fan. "Jason & the Argonauts" being my first big screen Harryhausen experience. Consider me subscribed, dude.
Well done, sir! As a teenager in the late fifties and early sixties I saw many of these great RH movies! You are correct about the skeleton fight in Jason and the Argonauts! My friends and I were treated way beyond the 25 cents to enter the cinema! So glad I got to see these films on the big screen!!!
I'm so glad I stumbled across your channel! The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad was my first introduction to Harryhausen as a child and I became a fan immediately. It was particularly cool that a bit later I was an Amiga computer fanboy and absolutely loved this Harryhausen game homage: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinbad_and_the_Throne_of_the_Falcon
I haven't seen too many of Harryhausen's flicks, but I am aware of quite a few and I must say I may have to seek out some more of them. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms was amazing, and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers is amazingly classic. May have to check out more of these.
as a fellow cable tv and VHS kid, Ray Harryhausen was huge. As an Adult, and an art teacher, its crazy to think just how hard he worked. he really loved what he did.He is the reason stop motion animation still exists.
Great tribute. I was gutted when Ray passed away. I don't know if Hollywood could ever repay him for all he did to inspire wonderment. Just a question: Just about every RH fan I've talked to like Eye of the Tiger least out of all the Sinbad films. It's also my least favorite but I still like it well enough. Why do you think that is?
Good question. I actually prefer it over Golden Voyage, but, it is a little slower, and the variety of monsters isn't there. I actually saw it at the theater when it first came out and I remember thinking that, as a 3rd Sinbad movie, it should have gone into new territory, but, it didn't, giving it kind of a tired feeling. The woman who played the witch is one of the best villains in any Sinbad film, however, love the nature of the quest and I see now that this movie, as well as Golden Voyage, is what inspired so many fantasy wizards, especially in the Conan pastiche novels. BTW, I also had a thing for Taryn Power, who played the old Greek philosopher Patrick Troughton's (the 2nd Doctor Who!) daughter.
I always got excited when I saw one of his movies as a kid. I had no idea who he was, but when I got older and found out that he was behind so many of the movies I loved, I was amazed. He's one person I wish I could have worked with.
Great countdown. Classic movies growing up when there was only 3 channels and Saturdays as a kid meant great stop motion movies. The last 3 on the list take me back. Good work my man. 👍
I grew up watching quite a bit of Monstervision so I got to enjoy most of Ray's work as well. The effects work he did was always something I enjoyed and probably led to my fascination on stop motion work in general. Years later when I checked IMDB I found out Ray Harryhausen and I share the same birthday. Awesome!
My sister and I once caught the end of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. The Kali sword fight and the Griffin versus the Centaur was one of the coolest things I remember watching on TV.
FYI, that music Brandon keeps using is the Main Theme to the 7th Voyage of Sinbad. I had to look it up. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is my favorite Harryhausen movie. The ship's figurehead coming to life was the first of his effects that I saw and both it and the Hindu idol left a huge impression.
My oh my the man that possess them all made history in the making I love Ray Harryhuasen movies of course I have them all,I grow up watching black scorpion, sinbad, mighty Joe young,etc when did he passed away...oh my God! My he rest in peace...his movies will always be an inspiration to me.thanks for sharing brandon.
I'm not ashamed to admit that when my media teacher blurted out that Ray Harryhausen had just died back in 2013, I was the only one in the class to shed a few tears for his passing, he brought a wonderful spectrum of monster beauty to my childhood and gave me a respect for stop-motion that I still hold dear to this day. Clash of the titans was my first and will always be my favourite. However I love all the other films on this list as well.
When Harryhausen died, a great art form went with him lost to time in a sea of computer generated effects
I wish there were more Stop Motion films and more practical effects. It's a dying art form.
Dont worry it will make a comeback.
+Angus Lamont (AnimateAngus) That's one of the reasons why I like the new Star Wars...The only time thy use CGI is for the space scenes, the rest is practical!
+Will Cooke (BaronFilms) That's not actually true. However, the fact that so many people didn't realise (and I include myself in this) shows both the quality of much of the CGI and the skill with which it was used.
Stop motion animation with real life models are awesome, but some people argue it better to use special effects or CGI.
Ray Harryhausen may have been gone, but he will always be one of the greatest visual effects artist in the world.
Dylan Wong also akara ifakuba and houro nackinjima
@@maiteperez2437 And Douglas Trumbull and John Dykstra...
He was one of the GREATEST men in all of cinema history
For his work is what makes him immortal
I saw Mr Harryhausen at a convention in Dallas several years ago. He was very approachable and would talk to his fans in the lobby of the hotel hosting the convention for hours and then go to the convention and talk to thousands more. He was a very sweet man and a genius as well.
I had the opportunity to meet Ray twice at the Monsters In Motion store in LA. He was very approachable and would explain how he did his effects. I own all his movies and I have a large collection of his monsters in statue and figure foam. Thanks for posting this tribute.
ricardo avelino I have to ask, with "figure form" you mean stop motion puppet? if yes, where did you get that?
Ômega Nerd maybe he's saying that he has all the figure toy models,like Superman models or spiderman models etc.
On a 1 to 10 scale I envy you about 80.
@@joaomotta9652 Sorry it took so long to answer. I am cleaning out my mail and I just saw your question. No I meant Statues, resin model kits and figures. Like from X-Plus, FYI if you live in Northern California near San Francisco at he Balboa Theater. It is called the Dynamation Celebration on March 1-3 2019. There will be vendors selling collectible items.
@@apastoys5153 Tanks!
When I was a child I was terrified of skeletons, and one day the movie came on TV. Dad had me watch it, and when the skeletons came up, he said, "Look, they can be defeated!" He then gave me a pink plastic She-Ra sword I kept on the dresser near my bed in case we were attacked at night.
I haven't thought of that in years!
+Papallion Sunspell Your comment is too good to get answers on youtube. I, myself, remember when me and my little five years old sister saw the same movie on TV. I was already a horror fan, and because of this movie my sister at last began to love skeletons and monsters. After that we had the interest for the horror genre together!
Over the years, as we get old, we get more cynical, start gravitating towards certain groups and sympathies. I've looked down on people for certain habits, despised others over politics, etc. But, an appreciation of Ray Harryhausen films takes us back to a more innocent time in our development. A Harryhausen fan is a brother/sister no matter what.
I too was scared of skeletons. Now they are really funny to me for some reason, even real ones.
Great story man! 😃
That gives me the most adorable mental image of a little girl in her room fighting off unarmed skeletons using a pink sword!
Absolutely bang on the nail with "Jason and the Argonauts". The film must've looked amazing when it first came out in cinemas, and even today the skeletons look good. Harryhausen understood that it's not simply about creating an effect, but how it's used within the film.
Giant monsters make everything better.
Spartaculus Jones Yep
That's a big crab.
Agreed.
2 movies have proven this wrong pacific rim Uprising and 1998 Godzilla
there are several movies that prove that wrong sadly
Thanks Brandon for a great tribute to a great man
These movies made me want to grow up to be the evil sorcerer. Abducting hot princesses, raising armies of skeletons, taming giant monsters and kicking it in a fortress of darkness, generally living the dream.
Hmmm, I always wanted to be Ernst Stavro Blofeld, not James Bond. I thought, having lethal femme fatales at my side, hijacking nuclear rockets, plotting to conquer the world, kicking it in a secret island lair, generally living the dream.
My first Ray Harryhaussen movie was The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad ; and boy did this movie blew my mind !
I discovered stop-motion animation years before with King Kong, so i was used to such kind of special-effects ; but i wasn't prepared for what i was about to see !
Long story short, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad still sits among my favorites movies, even though i only saw it once, more than a decade ago. He left a long-lasting impression on me ; and still to this day, i'm amazed by the quality of the special effects.
Brandon, you done a fine tribute to one of the greatest film makers in film history.
I can't argue with any of the pics on the list since I would have made the same choices. R.I.P. RH. 😞
The beast from 20,000 fathoms was definitely my fave and one of the reasons is that it inspired Gojira
Hey don't discount the robot owl. The greeks invented the concept of the Automaton. Literally the Greeks were coming up with robots!
Thanks for rationalizing my acceptance of Bubo in Clash Of The Titans. I had thought it was just that I was the perfect age to be blown away by that movie and accept it at face value. Still one of my faves. :)
@@originaluddite Some say it's inspired by R2-D2, but then the Antikithera Mechanism might just have a chuckle over that.
Yes, there was Talos, and Hephaestus' robot servants. So yeah, robots totally belong in Greek mythology. Before they were science, before they were science fiction, mechanical humans and beasts were mythology!
@@LB030377 The Antikithera Mechanism certainly makes it plausible that the ancient Greeks were familiar with the concept of complex mechanics; things like our idea of androids such as Talos were probably not a huge leap away.
I never once thought of R2D2 when I saw Bubo. Thats some critics ways of writing him off, but I loved the little guy and he fit in the film cause it was a fricken fantasy film for God's sake!
This is a great tribute to one of the best special effects guys of his day. Thanks for providing information that answered a question I had pondered for over a decade. I saw the rampage and cathedral scene from the Valley of Gwangi while at a friend's house. I laughed so hard at the panicked townspeople who refused to go indoors that I forgot to ask the name of the movie. I have personally done two homages to Harryhausen's Medusa from Clash of the Titans, who is my favorite gorgon and Harryhausen character. Bravo, Brandon. Thanks again. I also REALLY love that artwork for this. Kudos to Enshohma.
I just remember panicked townspeople, I don't recall anyone refusing to go indoors.
Brandon, Ray thought the iguana was a good idea. He believed that if you showed an audience something familiar, something real, they would believe the rest of the film.
It was also a tribute to the original One Million BC, which used lizards made up and enlarged to look like dinosaurs.
R.I.P Ray Haerryhausen, you were a great guy :)
Never thought I'd use this video for a shcool project and yet here I am.
@@martinezboys4992 the legend.
You watch Brandon?! Love your videos
@@nethercroc1494 Hell yes, I do!
Holy shit you responded
Loved Ray Harryhausen.
ironically jason and the argonauts was my first harryhausen film and still my favourite!
That poor elephant gets mauled in so many of the movies.
Yeah I know. I'd like to see him come out on top for once.
LOL
Like Did Harryhausen hate Elephant or something?
DarthBobCat let’s boycott the Harryhausen Estate for cruelty to animals.
@@toyohimeyeswatatsuki6917 He probably thought "Yeah elephant are the biggest land-dwelling animals nowadays ; but that b*tch ain't no match for my *inserts Ray Harryhaussen's monster of your choice*
R.I.P Ray
Awesome tribute, Brandon!! Golden Voyage contains my favourite line in all of cinema: (Spoken in a fake Arab accent): "Why do you pace the deck like a caged beast? For one who enjoys the hashish, you should be more at peace!" My friends at uni used to throw that one out regularly at appropriate moments of our formative years.
Thank God the censors made them replace the line, "Chill the f*** out!"
@@nge400 Hahaha, now that's funny!!!😂
That scene at 23:03 scared the hell outta me when I was a kid. Luckily my grandpa was there and made me appreciate a great movie. :D
The cyclops and hydra gave me nightmares when I was little. 😅
Brandon, excellent salute to Ray and his impressive body of work. I grew up watching his films and love to see scenes I have not viewed for years. My favorites, like yours, are Jason, Seventh Voyage, and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms which I have shown in my Survey of Cinema class I teach for ASU. It is remarkable to see such craftsmanship in The Beast when the budget was so limited: excellent work by Ray, a good solid score, good acting, and well directed. The beast wrecking New York and especially the death of the poor policeman is one of the great set pieces of monster films.
To me Ray is a legend in the world of monster effects. The work he did on many of the films shown here is top of the line even today when compared to some of the crap that's cgi. A great loss when he passed. If I remember correctly he did a movie that had a giant octopus in it. That has to be my favorite simply because it held one small mistake that no one caught ( or at least i didn't ) and that it only had 7 arms from the start but was filmed and portrayed in a way that you never new.
Thanks for the tribute to a well deserved legend!
Actually, I think it only had 6 arms. "It Came From Beneath the Sea" was the name of the film.
Having recently re-watched Jason and the Argonauts I agree with the choice of 'Best Monster'. Talos is a bit like a terminator, metallic and remorseless.
True story: Harryhausen's skeletons are the reason why I automatically favor any undead faction in any fantasy video game I come across.
(Unless it's an undead faction which - for some reason - does not have enough skeletons.)
My Mom grew up with movies like this and I was born in 2007 and she shows me movies like this and I really enjoy watching it.
Awesome, man! Ray Harryhausen is one of my childhood heroes as well! It was sad that he passed away in 2013, but you did him justice with your tribute!
I'm partial to Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. The cat animation at the end is outstanding.
is okay that my favourite Ray Harryhausen movie is clash of the titans ?
Yes
Weellllll, I suppose so.
Is no okay! Is Jeeasson enn dee Argonaz is yo favorite!
Of course is it arguably is his best work madussa was a masterpiece how this guy has it so far up the list baffels me. My personal favorite is 7th voyage
Of course it's okay.
While I love the usual snark of your videos, its really nice to see one that is 100% genuine. I've been a huge Harryhausen fan since I saw Clash of the Titans as a kid.
Saw Jason at the drive-in with my folks. Both gone now. Memories. I was also a big fan of his giant octopus movie.
I have an odd array of favorite Harryhausen films: 1)First Men in the Moon 2)Mysterious Island 3)Valley of Gwangi 4)20 Million Miles to Earth 5)Mighty Joe Young 6)Jason and the Argonauts 7)7th Voyage of Sinbad 8)Earth vs. The Flying Saucers 9)Beast From 20,000 Fathoms 10)One Million Years BC I'm more of a sci-fi fan, which is why most of my favorites are his entries in that genre, plus Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are my favorite authors, so I had to put them in the top 2 slots :)
SGP Productions Yeah, I love Mysterious Island myself.
I LOVE his films soooo much! they where my faves when i was a kid, and i still love them. Honestly, his stop motion "monsters" like Talos, Medusa or the Cyclops are scary as s***. I don't know..that slow motion characteristic moovement makes them look so eery and otherwordly... My faves are jason and the argonauts and The golden Voyage of Simbad.
They deliberately make the bigger monsters move more slowly to account for size. Apparently these days in movies like Pacific Rim they have mathematical formula to do that accurately with the big GCI mechs and monsters but, I dunno, they look _too_ fast to me. Maybe it's because I grew up on Harryhausen monsters.
Definitely agree that the somewhat odd stop-motion movements only make them stranger and that's part of the appeal. :)
I think it's because---consciously or unconsciously, his humanoid work skirts the Uncanny Valley. The deliberate movements and facial expressions set off some sort of "danger" signal.
When I was little I was such a fan of his work (still am today) that I sent him a letter telling him how much of an inspiration he was to me. I never had him write back which was very saddening to me since I assume that he never got to see my letter telling him how much his movies were meaningful to my childhood and so many other peoples childhood's. The impact he left on the movie industry was tremendous and nothing like it could be replicated ever again.
I agree with just about everything on your list, but there's one big omission: First Men in the Moon (1964). The film has a good cast, with Edward Judd, Martha Hyer and a scene-stealing Lionel Jeffries as Dr. Cavor.
Harryhausen creates a unique world on the moon, and his effects work is superb--the scene with the Grand Lunar is memorable indeed (though the Selenite workers are children in suits).
The film has great pacing, good acting and an excellent score. I'm shocked it didn't make your list.
You do great work, and I particularly enjoy your sarcastic commentary.
I loved this film
_The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms_ was definitely a major influence for _Godzilla_ , the main creative minds behind it were big fans of American monster films.
1: 50 i love that brandon can get real for a minute and talk about someone who he and many others including me had a ton of respect and admiration for, someone who is a film legend and inspired many modern day filmmakers and wannabe filmmakers like me, who still continue the craft of stop motion in its most basic form due mainly to budget, but also to keep it alive. I am glad brandon did something special to honor the entertainment legend that pretty much pioneered the first truly great special effects in movies.
the sindbad films draw me right back into my childhood.....good times....i remember how often i saw them, i loved the cylops the absolute most of them all.
Jason and the Argonauts is my favorite movie of all time!
My favourite Harryhausen flicks are The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and The Valley of Gwangi. I've seen quite a few of Ray's puppets in real life and they are starting to look a bit worse for wear with the latex deteriorating. The bronzes he made, before he passed away, of his famous monsters are absolutely superb though.
Wow, where are they? I'd love to see them.
19:31 Sinbad: Hello There... Kali: Captain Sinbad, You are a bold one... *draws swords like Grievous*
This is a great tribute to a film legend, I haven't seen all these movies, but the ones I have have been immensely fun. And I completely agree with the top 3 choices, of the half dozen or so Harryhausen movies I've seen, those are easily my favorites, especially Jason and the Argonauts.
Valley Of Gwangi was actually supposed to be a sequel to Kong! They originally made some test footage, but that wound up evolving into Mighty Joe Young...Small world, eh?
The scene where they lasso Joe and the one in Gwangi are very similar. It would seem like a rip off if the same artist wasn't involved.
I notice similar themes pop up in Harryhausen's movies: the Golden Voyage homunculus is similar to the Jason harpies, the 7th Voyage cyclopes is kind of a cross between the Ymir and the Golden Voyage Centaur, the Kraken is like a cross between the Ymir and It Came From Beneath the Sea, sword-fighting skeletons appear in more than one of his movies, the Troglodyte from Eye of the Tiger is similar to the main villain in Clash as well as Golden Voyage Centaur, Ceratosaur vs Triceratops is like Gwangi vs Styracosaur, same pteranodon, etc.
You totally rock. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was honored to be able to hang with him and the rest of the Horrowood Brat Pack since the King Kong 50th anniversary celebration at Grauman's Chinese Theater. I have to stop myself here or this could go on for a very long stretch. FYI... Gwangi was an unrealized project from his mentor Willis O'Brian who helped Harryhausen snag a special effects Oscar for Mighty Joe Young. I won't get started on composer Bernard Herrmann... who I also love.
In a very short time (the last few hours) I have become a fan of your regular reviews of some of my favorite cult classics, and those I am now inspired to see. Those reviews feature your comedic snark and sarcasm, and added sound drops, cut scenes, and references are also well appreciated.
I must say, however, that this is by far my favorite video. It's wonderful tribute to his work, and brought back a lot of happy memories. I may not agree with the order, but art, and what we consider favorites, are both subjective and instead of arguing, I appreciate the grounds you based your opinions on and your defense thereof.
Thank you for making this.
Ray was a friend of mine for exactely 25 years - and I KNOW that he would have loved your wonderful tribute very, very much. Thanks a lot and warmest regards from Germany!
🎵” A world without monsters, is like a world without sun, it’s like a world without life, without monsters”🎵
Excellent work Brandon. I enjoyed very much your video. I must to say that Raquel Welch and Caroline Munro were two spectacular beauties.
Imagine if Ray brought Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos to life.
He should have done Kronos and The Giant Claw too!
Great tribute, Brandon!
I read that it was Harryhausen himself who decided on the Iguana as the first monster in "One Million Years B.C.". It was a tribute to the original Victor Mature/Carol Landis film that featured lizards dressed up as dinosaurs. Also, you notice the 2nd monster is a giant turtle, though stop-motion this time, and, finally, the 3rd monster seen is a dinosaur that only stop-motion could depict. Ray was trying to blur the line between real animal and stop-motion monster.
hey, I don't know if you've ever seen Gremlins 2 or not, but there is a shirt scene where two Gremlins (George & Lenny) are watching The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms & they both start laughing at the scene where the cop gets eaten by the Rhedosaurus, thought I should mention that
Glad to see your love of Harryhausen. You asked for shares of memories of Ray and I have an amazing one. Ray came to Seattle in 1998 and gave some speeches and showed some of his movies. The first was a showing of Jason Of the Argonauts. He gave a few remarks and the lights dimmed to show the film and his wife sat next to me and he sat next to her. I got to overhear every time he made a comment to her about some part of the film.
the beast from 20,000 fathoms has to be my all time favorite. I remember watching it on an old vhs and being in aw at it.
With CGI invading the film industry, I'm glad stop motion is still used on at least in animated films.
I first saw the beast from 20,000 fathom when I was a kid. I'm 68 now and it's still sends chill down my spine! 👍👍👍!
I'm 59 and grew up on Harryhausen's films, not on cable like Brandon but on American local broadcast tv in the 60's and 70's. The one that sticks with me the most is "Jason and the Argonauts" (1963) which features the battle with the gang of skeletons.
Watched all of em when I was a kid. Great stuff, even today.
I can't believe it took Me this long to see this vid. I Fricken Love Harryhausen's Work! Thanks for Making This Top 10!
Brandon, thank you for the tribute to a great man who brought a little magic to my own childhood.
Thank you for this respective retrospective. RH formed many of my childhood fantasy images and pulled me into his very idiosyncratic inventions. I doubt that anyone, before or since, marked special effects like he did.
You got me introduced on the expert himself( Ray harryhausen)
RAY THE BEST EVER IN HOLLYWOOD!!!
The skeletons were so iconic, they were brought back in an episode of "Hercules - The Legendary Journeys" in the 90s! Herc and Jason and Iolus were forced to fight them once again. I thought it was a nice nod.
I have the honor of seeing All Ten Movies on your list,R.I.P to The Best There Is......The Best There Was.....And The BEST There Ever Will Be,Mr. Ray Harryhausen.You may be gone.............but your monsters will live on............. FOREVER.
Your channel is awesome and this is your best video. I discovered so many Harryhausen movies because of this clip.
Well done Brandon Tenold. I agree with your list I just have Gwangi up higher in the list otherwise good job. I like you more this one time as being complementary. Just for this one time good job as a fair critic to Rays work
Thank you for this episode, very informative and entertaining. I'm a old guy in my 50s and Jason and the Argonauts was my first favorite movie. It remained my favorite for many years, still ranking in my top 10. Love that movie.
Wonderful tribute, Brandon. The first Ray Harryhausen film I can remember seeing was Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, on my Grandma's old 16-inch B & W TV. As I recall it scared the willies out of my 8-yr-old self. I was hooked on Harryhausen from the moment the Rhedosaurus climbed out of the Hudson onto that pier. ) That scene where the Beast snaps up one of New York's finest (though probably not brightest) like a Doberman scarfing down a liver treat is truly one for the ages. I agree that Jason and the Argonauts is hands down his greatest film, though. I was lucky enough to catch it on the big screen, multiple times (long story) in the late Seventies, and believe me, it was impressive. Too bad he didn't get a chance to do the effects for War of the Worlds -- that would have been awesome!
Brilliant, this is one of my favourites of your review shows...odd really as what I usually enjoy is your piss taking style but you pitched this right by showcasing your own love and respect for Ray Harryhausen as I am sure most people who have seen his work feel the same way and for those who haven't it leads the way to getting to know his work. I may have changed the order of these movies in the ranking slightly but that is a seriously minor quibble and really just a matter of preference. You have bought back a lot of good memories with this and I shall be watching my Harryhausen DVD's again very soon, thank you
I always kind of thought the iguana was sort of saying, "Here's how everyone else does it. Stay tuned to see how Ray Harryhausen does it."
THAT COULD BE!! Not many years before, Irwin Allen had done his remake of Willis O'Brien's "THE LOST WORLD", all with lizards. And "JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH" with James Mason also had lizards.
It always cracked me up that my Mom took me to see "THE BIBLE: IN THE BEGINNING" and then about 6 months later, "ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.", 2 very-different views about ancient history.
I went to a sci-fi convention ages ago and Ray Harryhausen was a guest. His Q and A was great and I found myself walking down the stairs with him and we had a brief conversation. He was kind and generous with his knowledge. A great man who inspired great movies. Did I ever become the next stop-motion sensation? Nope. However as I age, I find myself recalling his words "Persevere and enjoy the journey. Do your best."
I knew I liked the channel but when I stumbled across this I was sold. Ray was a fav of mine and saw a lot of he later movies in the cinema so he made me love monster movies. I had the honour to meet him once at an animators convention and I unfortunately went full on fan girl
btw fav (before seeing all of these) is still Jason and second is Sinbad and Eye of the tiger (not on your list)
Hey Brandon...best one-man tribute to Ray I've seen. I'm also a huge Harryhausen fan. "Jason & the Argonauts" being my first big screen Harryhausen experience. Consider me subscribed, dude.
Well done, sir! As a teenager in the late fifties and early sixties I saw many of these great RH movies! You are correct about the skeleton fight in Jason and the Argonauts! My friends and I were treated way beyond the 25 cents to enter the cinema! So glad I got to see these films on the big screen!!!
sweet channel just subbed, i loved all these classics when i was a kid and still do i think ill love all your vids haha
Thank you for a fascinating top ten video.
I'm so glad I stumbled across your channel! The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad was my first introduction to Harryhausen as a child and I became a fan immediately. It was particularly cool that a bit later I was an Amiga computer fanboy and absolutely loved this Harryhausen game homage: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinbad_and_the_Throne_of_the_Falcon
I haven't seen too many of Harryhausen's flicks, but I am aware of quite a few and I must say I may have to seek out some more of them. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms was amazing, and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers is amazingly classic. May have to check out more of these.
as a fellow cable tv and VHS kid, Ray Harryhausen was huge. As an Adult, and an art teacher, its crazy to think just how hard he worked. he really loved what he did.He is the reason stop motion animation still exists.
Great tribute. I was gutted when Ray passed away. I don't know if Hollywood could ever repay him for all he did to inspire wonderment.
Just a question: Just about every RH fan I've talked to like Eye of the Tiger least out of all the Sinbad films. It's also my least favorite but I still like it well enough. Why do you think that is?
Good question. I actually prefer it over Golden Voyage, but, it is a little slower, and the variety of monsters isn't there. I actually saw it at the theater when it first came out and I remember thinking that, as a 3rd Sinbad movie, it should have gone into new territory, but, it didn't, giving it kind of a tired feeling. The woman who played the witch is one of the best villains in any Sinbad film, however, love the nature of the quest and I see now that this movie, as well as Golden Voyage, is what inspired so many fantasy wizards, especially in the Conan pastiche novels. BTW, I also had a thing for Taryn Power, who played the old Greek philosopher Patrick Troughton's (the 2nd Doctor Who!) daughter.
Mysterious Island was the first Harryhausen film I ever saw and since then I've loved his films.
fun fact, in the game Marvel Ultimate Alliance, there is a boss fight WITH THE KRAKEN, and what does he look like? the one made by Ray himself
wow i wanted to know how the Kraken was made, stumbled onto your video now i got to know more about Ray Haryhausen. great video
I always got excited when I saw one of his movies as a kid. I had no idea who he was, but when I got older and found out that he was behind so many of the movies I loved, I was amazed. He's one person I wish I could have worked with.
I met him once... spent a little time with him. Nice man.
Ah so that’s where that voluptuous Kali is from in your end cards. Thank you for a great tribute, definitely gonna check some of these out now!
Great countdown. Classic movies growing up when there was only 3 channels and Saturdays as a kid meant great stop motion movies. The last 3 on the list take me back. Good work my man. 👍
I grew up watching quite a bit of Monstervision so I got to enjoy most of Ray's work as well. The effects work he did was always something I enjoyed and probably led to my fascination on stop motion work in general. Years later when I checked IMDB I found out Ray Harryhausen and I share the same birthday. Awesome!
Wonderful tribute to Ray Harryhausan. Thank you Brandon.
My sister and I once caught the end of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. The Kali sword fight and the Griffin versus the Centaur was one of the coolest things I remember watching on TV.
my appreciation to you for showcasing such an amazing and yet almost forgotten talent
Most of those movies really do bring back lots of memories. I just adored them as a kid and watched them over and over.
Great list. Great tribute to one of the legends of film. Great job.
Man, I saw several of these on TV when I was a kid, and remember just being mesmerized by them!
Watching this video reminded me of being a kid again!
*7:03* ah yes the guy who has the willham scream
FYI, that music Brandon keeps using is the Main Theme to the 7th Voyage of Sinbad. I had to look it up. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is my favorite Harryhausen movie. The ship's figurehead coming to life was the first of his effects that I saw and both it and the Hindu idol left a huge impression.
My oh my the man that possess them all made history in the making I love Ray Harryhuasen movies of course I have them all,I grow up watching black scorpion, sinbad, mighty Joe young,etc when did he passed away...oh my God! My he rest in peace...his movies will always be an inspiration to me.thanks for sharing brandon.