Harryhausen Centenary!

[Keebleman]

My childhood hero, Ray Harryhausen, was born one hundred years ago today!  Ten years ago I sent him a birthday card for his 90th (I got his address from directory enquiries, where I was working at the time) and he didn't reply, the bitch, but I'm still massively grateful to him even so, for creating so many moments of awe that for me have never been matched anywhere else in cinema.

[notjosh]

I was lucky enough to see him in the flesh, I think maybe on his 90th birthday actually, doing a talk at the BFI. Such a towering figure in cinema but still came across as a bloke who liked to make models in his garage.

Besides the pretty-peerless skeleton fight, I'd say his finest creation might be the Giant Ymir.

[sirhenry]

The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford announced that Harryhausen had left his models, armatures, etc. to  them when he died and that they would have an exhibition of it all. I waited a couple of months, checked online that there was an exhibition and headed over. On getting there it took an hour or so to find the exhibition - one small cabinet with the cyoclps model, a notebook (closed) and a couple of other bits. When I asked what was happening with all his stuff they said that it was being catalogued and that there would be a huge exhibition when that was done.

Seven years later still nothing. So I've just had a look and I'm not sure that he ever gave them anything: https://www.rayharryhausen.com/about/. The only mention of him on their site is the description of an exhibition they had in 2006 (https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/what-was-on/myths-and-visions-art-ray-harryhausen), so fuck knows.

And I know it's not a false memory because I still have a bookmark to the announcement (even though it is no longer online...)

"Animation had been used only for things like King Kong and the destruction of cities, which was very popular in the 1950s. I got tired of destroying cities. I destroyed New York, I destroyed San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Rome, and Washington. I was looking for a new outlet, and I came across the Sinbad legends."

~ Ray Harryhausen

[notjosh]

The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford announced that Harryhausen had left his models, armatures, etc. to  them when he died and that they would have an exhibition of it all. I waited a couple of months, checked online that there was an exhibition and headed over. On getting there it took an hour or so to find the exhibition - one small cabinet with the cyoclps model, a notebook (closed) and a couple of other bits. When I asked what was happening with all his stuff they said that it was being catalogued and that there would be a huge exhibition when that was done.

Seven years later still nothing. So I've just had a look and I'm not sure that he ever gave them anything: https://www.rayharryhausen.com/about/. The only mention of him on their site is the description of an exhibition they had in 2006 (https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/what-was-on/myths-and-visions-art-ray-harryhausen), so fuck knows.

Pretty sure I went to the 2006 exhibition, which would have been back when it was still the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television. The last time I was there I got the sense that they were even stepping back from the 'Media' in their name in favour of a more school-friendly, interactive science type affair. Which would be a shame, cos the glass cases full of musty old cameras and film props were great. I remember being mesmerised by the museum set from The Wrong Trousers as a teenager.

[Keebleman]

Being a Harryhausen fan gave me my first feeling of being left behind by progress...at the age of 9.  Watching Star Wars on its first release I realised, even if I couldn't have articulated it, that the relatively tatty production values of Harryhausen productions would no longer be accepted by audiences.  And a few years later I was reading how Phil Tippett had invented go-motion to compensate for the 'jerkiness' of stop motion.  I wanted to scream, "No, no, you don't understand!  It's the jerkiness that makes it so great!"

[Noodle Lizard]

I've been lucky enough to see most of his major creations at various exhibitions over the years: I saw the Hydra at MOMI (I think), the skeleton warriors, Talos and Medusa at some pop-up exhibition on the South Bank, and a few things from the Sinbad movies somewhere else. I loved those movies as a kid and still think they hold up[nb]Although my stepson did say Jason and the Argonauts was "kinda boring". No dessert for a week.[/nb]. Knowing a bit about how special effects worked back then (and how limited they were) makes some bits incredibly impressive to this day.

I did see someone #cancel Harryhausen on here a few years ago, I think, can't remember what for.

[notjosh]

Bumping this to let you know that there's a year-long Harryhausen exhibit at the National Gallery in Edinburgh starting Saturday.
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/ray-harryhausen-titan-cinema

Will be a lovely morning activity for me if we actually get a Fringe next year.

[Glebe]

Imagine if Jason and the Argonauts didn't exist (or was done without Harryhausen).

[Hand Solo]

His test footage for the unmade War Of The Worlds (complete with alien sweat)

[bgmnts]

Just want to say Talos is still one of the coolest things i've ever seen.