Clash of the Titans (Snap Case)
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DVD details
Actor: Harry Hamlin, Maggie SmithBrand: Warner
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); Chinese (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Japanese (Subtitled); Korean (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Taiwanese Chinese (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
Published: 2004-06-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-01
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Clash of the Titans (Snap Case)
DVD Review: Greek mythology Hollywood style for the 80s.
Summary: 4 Stars
It was nearly twenty years after I last saw this movie repeatedly on cable premium channels that I heard Clash of the Titans being mentioned, and that was the movie Randall was trying to watch in Jay and Silent Bob but the title characters were making a fuss outside the video store.
The story is about Perseus and his battle with the Medusa, rescuing Princess Andromeda, and marrying her, but inbetween, there are a series of adventures, mostly due to the machinations of the gods and goddesses. It begins with Acrisius, Perseus's grandfather and King of Argos, sending his daughter Danae and her infant son Perseus into the sea, locked in a large ornate box. Perseus grows up gifted, handsome, strong, lucky, all because Zeus is his father-at least the reference to him inpregnating Danae as a shower of light is mentioned.
Part of Perseus's conflict is with Calibos, the son of Thetis (the goddess of the sea, whereas actually she was chief of the sea nymphs or Nereids). Calibos is the opposite of Perseus, killing and despoiling everything, and all but one of Zeus's sacred winged horses, for which despite Thetis's pleas for mercy, he is metamorphosed into a hideous satanic-looking half-human monster. Thetis in turn decides to mess with Perseus, transporting him from Seraphos to Joppa. Perseus meets and is befriended by the playwright Ammon, as well as making allies with Thallo, one of Queen Cassiopeia's soldiers.
Joppa is under a curse by Calibos, whose thrall Princess Andromeda is under. Suitors who fail to answer a riddle end up as barbecue. However, Andromeda doesn't seem to have the body of a lion and this is the story of Perseus, not Oedipus. Indeed, Thomas Bulfinch and Edith Hamilton will have major cows on seeing this mishmash of Greek mythology cranked out by Hollywood. Charon was the ferrymen to the underworld Hades, and not to the Isle of the Dead, and Cerberus, the guardian of Hades loses a head to become the two-headed Dioskilos. The Graea, who had a movable eye and tooth between, lose the tooth to become the Stygian Witches. And Bubo the golden mechanical owl was clearly meant for the kids, its whistling and tooting a reference to Star Wars and R2-D2.
As for Ray Harryhausen's special effects, Bubo, the giant scorpions, and Medusa are best realized, the vulture being another disaster like the baboon in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. The scene in Medusa's lair and the battle of the giant scorpions are the best. And the gifts Perseus gets from the gods come in handy for the action sequences. But compare Perseus's invisible helmet and golden owl to Harry Potter's invisible cloak and Hedwig-interesting parallels there. Those growing up on Potter and the newer Star Wars films will be disappointed with the dated effects here.
The mostly British allstar cast does well, especially Laurence Olivier giving credible authority as Zeus, angry and yet fatherly. Ursula Andress has only a few lines as Aphrodite, yet it's ironic, that as Honey Rider in Dr. No, she was a modern-day Aphrodite rising from the sea. Maggie Smith (Thetis) is the only other goddess who figures prominently. The mortals do just as well, Judi Bowker radiant as Andromeda, Burgess Meredith (Ammon) coaching someone other than Sylvester Stallone, Tim Pigott-Smith (Thallo). Neil McCarthy's lantern-jawed features and large hands are recognizable behind the makeup of Calibos.
But let's examine the title. The Titans were the primordial deities banished by Zeus and the other deities of Olympus. On one level, the main story involves the battle between Perseus and Calibos, but behind them, it's Zeus against Thetis. And the rows of clay figures in Mount Olympus mirrors how the gods messed with the heads of mortals, due to their whims. The Greek deities were thus no better than the flawed mortals they were supposedly morally superior to.
After finally getting this, I enjoyed it well enough only because I saw it so many times in the 80s, but there are more gripes about it, not from the special effects but because the historian/scholarly part of me frowns when it comes to inaccuracy in Hollywood. 3.5 out of 5.
Description of Clash of the Titans (Snap Case)
The classic Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda re-told with an all-star cast. To win the right to marry his love (Andromeda) and fufill his destiny, Perseus must complete various tasks including taming Pegasus, capturing Medusa, and answering riddles. The result is a timeless adventure that's a treat for kids and adults.You have a classic tale full of drama, passion, and adventure. A tale of universal archetypes that speak to everyone. A tale that has remained unfailingly popular for thousands of years. Why not spice it up with a wacky mechanical owl? Such was the thinking behind Clash of the Titans. Maggie Smith, Laurence Olivier, and Harry Hamlin (one of these things is not like the others...) star in a toga-ripper about a valiant hero, capricious immortals, and lots and lots of giant stop-action monsters. Perseus (Hamlin) is the favored son of the god Zeus (Olivier), but he has unwittingly ticked off the sea goddess Thetis (Smith). Just to make things worse, Perseus falls in love with the lovely Princess Andromeda, who used to be engaged to Thetis's son. Soon Perseus is off on one quest after another, with Zeus helping, Thetis hindering, and lots of innocent bystanders getting stabbed, drowned, and squished. Of course, the whole thing is just an excuse to show as much of Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion animation as possible, and good thing too. It's an old technique, but it still looks pretty darn cool, and it means the cast can just relax and do a bunch of reaction shots. Don't use this one to study for that big classical mythology exam, but if you just turn your brain off and enjoy the Kraken, it's pretty good fun. --Ali Davis
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