Jason and the Argonauts (film)

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Jason and the Argonauts (film)

Jason and the Argonauts (1963

1963 in film

The year 1963 in film involved some significant events....
) is a Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an United States film production company and distribution company. It was one of the so-called studio system among the eight major film studios of Hollywood Cinema of the United States#Golden Age of Hollywood....
fantasy

Fantasy film

Fantasy films are films with fantasy fiction themes, usually involving Magic , supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds....
feature film

Feature film

In the film industry, a feature film is a film made for initial Film distributor in Movie theater and being the "main attraction" of the screening ....
starring Todd Armstrong

Todd Armstrong

John "Todd" Armstrong was an United Statesn actor, probably best known for playing the title role of Jason in the 1963 in film film Jason and the Argonauts ....
as the titular mythical Greek hero

Jason

Golden Fleece

In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos . It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly....
. Directed by Don Chaffey

Don Chaffey

Donald Chaffey was a United Kingdom film director, writer, Film producer, and art director.Chaffey's film career began as an art director in 1947, and his directorial debut was in 1953....
in collaboration with stop motion

Stop motion

Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small amounts between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames are played as a continuous sequence....
animation expert Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen

Ray Harryhausen is an United States film producer and, most notably, a special effects creator most famous for his brand of stop-motion model animation....
, the film is noted for its stop-motion monsters. In particular, the sequence in which seven skeleton

Skeleton

In biology, a skeleton is a rigid framework that provides protection and structure in many types of animal, particularly those of the phylum Chordata and of the superphylum Ecdysozoa....
s rise from the earth and attack Jason and his comrades is still widely considered to be among the greatest achievements of motion picture special effects.

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Plot

Pelias

Pelias was king of Iolcus in Greek mythology, the son of Tyro, daughter of Aleus, and of either Poseidon or Cretheus. His wife is recorded as either Anaxibia, daughter of Bias , or Phylomache, daughter of Amphion....
(Douglas Wilmer

Douglas Wilmer

Douglas Wilmer is an England actor....
) usurps the throne of Thessaly

Thessaly

Thessaly is one of the 13 Peripheries of Greece of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 Prefectures of Greece. The capital of the periphery and traditional Regions of Greece is Larissa....
by killing King Aristo. However, there is a prophecy that he will be overthrown by a child of Aristo wearing one sandal. When he kills one of Aristo's daughters after she had sought and been granted the protection of Hera

Hera

In the Twelve Olympians of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage....
, Pelias makes an enemy of the goddess.

Years later, Jason

Jason

Jason was a late ancient Greece Greek mythology figure, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus....
(Todd Armstrong), Aristo's son grown to manhood, saves the life of Pelias during a chance encounter, but loses a sandal doing so. He does not know that he has rescued his father's murderer, but Pelias recognizes his nemesis. Pelias keeps his identity secret. However, he cannot just kill Jason; the prophecy also says that he himself would die.

When he learns that Jason is considering undertaking a dangerous quest to obtain the fabled Golden Fleece to rally the people of Thessaly, Pelias encourages him, hoping that he will be killed in the attempt. Men from all over Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
compete for the honor of joining Jason. Since their ship is named the Argo after the ship's builder, they are dubbed the Argonauts. Among those chosen are Hercules

Hercules

Hercules is the Ancient Rome name for the mythical Ancient Greece hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italian shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength....
(Nigel Green

Nigel Green

Nigel Green was a South African-born United Kingdom character actor. Because of his strapping build and commanding demeanour he would often be found playing military types and men of action in such classic sixties films as Jason and the Argonauts , Zulu and The Ipcress File ....
) and Acastus

Acastus

Acastus is a character in Greek mythology. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar....
(Gary Raymond

Gary Raymond

Gary Raymond is a United Kingdom actor.His film debut was as Cliff Lewis in Tony Richardson's film adaptation of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger , opposite Richard Burton and Claire Bloom....
), the son of Pelias, who is sent by his father to sabotage the voyage.

Jason is taken to Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece at 2,919 metres high . Since its base is located at sea level, it is one of the highest mountains in Europe in terms of topographic prominence, the relative altitude from base to top....
by Hermes

Hermes

Hermes is the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. An Twelve Olympians, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of thieves and road travelers, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures, of invention, of general commerce, and of the cunni...
(Michael Gwynn

Michael Gwynn

Michael Gwynn was an England actor. He attended Mayfield College near Mayfield, East Sussex. During the World War II he served in East Africa as a Major and was Adjutant to the 2nd....
) to speak to the gods Zeus

Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
(Niall MacGinnis

Niall MacGinnis

Niall MacGinnis was an Ireland actor who made 80 screen appearances. He appeared in such major films as Hamlet , Martin Luther , Chance of a Lifetime and Becket ....
) and Hera (Honor Blackman

Honor Blackman

Honor Blackman is an England actor, who is perhaps best known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and as Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger ....
). Hera tells him that she wishes him well, but that Zeus has imposed restrictions on her assistance. (Jason, like all mortals, is unknowingly a piece in the game which the gods play against each other. This is an accurate portrayal of Greek theology and rarely found in any modern medium.) Jason learns that he can only invoke Hera's aid five times. In response to Jason's unasked questions, Hera also tells him that the Fleece does exist and that it lies in the land of Colchis

Colchis

In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgia , state monarchy and region in the Western Georgia , which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgians and its subgroups....
, on the other side of the world.

Many dangers threaten the expedition. When the Argonauts run perilously low on supplies, Jason turns to Hera. She guides him to the Isle of Bronze, but warns him to take nothing but provisions. However, while chasing some goats, Hercules and his young friend Hylas

Hylas

In Greek mythology, Hylas was the son of King Theiodamas of the Dryopians. Other sources such as Ovid state that Hylas' father was Heracles and his mother was the nymph Melite, or that his mother was the wife of Theiodamus, whose adulterous affair with Heracles caused the war between him and her husband....
(John Cairney

John Cairney

John Cairney is a Scottish film and television actor....
) find a partially-open treasure chamber of the gods, surmounted by an enormous bronze statue of Talos

Talos

In the Cretan tales incorporated into Greek mythology, T?los or T?lon was a giant man of bronze who protected Europa in Crete, circling the island's shores three times daily while guarding it....
. Despite Hylas' warning, Hercules steals an enormous brooch pin the size of a javelin. The statue comes to life and attacks, causing much mayhem before Jason can destroy it using Hera's advice. Hylas is missing and presumed dead, but the guilt-ridden Hercules refuses to leave until he knows for certain. The other Argonauts will not abandon Hercules, so Jason is forced to call on Hera for the last time. She confirms that Hylas is indeed dead and that Hercules is destined not to continue with them. She also directs them to seek out Phineas

Phineas

In Greek mythology, Phineas was a King of Thrace.The name 'Phineas' or 'Phineus' may be associated with the ancient city of Phinea on the Thracian Bosphorus....
(Patrick Troughton

Patrick Troughton

Patrick George "Pat" Troughton was an England actor most widely known in his role as the Second Doctor incarnation of Doctor in the long running United Kingdom science fiction on television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969....
), the blind seer, for the way to Colchis.

They find him tormented by two Harpies sent by Zeus to punish him for misusing his gift of prophesy. In return for imprisoning the flying creatures, Phineas tells Jason what he needs to know. In gratitude, Phineas also gives Jason his only possession, an amulet. To reach Colchis however, they must pass between the Clashing Rocks

Symplegades

In Greek mythology, the Symplegades , also known as the Cyanean Rocks or Clashing Rocks, were a pair of rocks at the Bosporus that clashed together randomly....
, a strait flanked by towering rock cliffs that shake and drop boulders to sink any ships attempting to pass between them. Fortunately for the Argonauts, they learn this second hand. Another ship tries to run the strait from the other direction and founders. In despair, Jason throws Phineas' gift into the water; a giant merman

Merman

Mermen are mythical male legendary creatures who are human from the waist up and fish-like from the waist down. They are less commonly known than their female counterparts, mermaids....
surfaces from the water and holds back the rocks long enough to let the Argo pass through. On the other side, they pick up the few survivors of the other ship, including Medea

Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
(Nancy Kovack

Nancy Kovack

__forcetoc__Nancy Kovack is an United States former actress....
), the high priestess of the goddess Hecate

Hecate

Hecate Hekate , or Hekat was originally a goddess of the wilderness and childbirth, naturalized early in Mycenaean Greece or in Thrace, but originating among the Carians of Anatolia, the region where most theophoric names invoking Hecate, such as Hecataeus or Hecatomnus, progenitor of Mausollus, are attested, and where Hekate re...
.

They sight Colchis the next day. Acastus and Jason disagree on how to approach the King of Colchis, which escalates into a swordfight. Eventually Acastus is disarmed and jumps into the sea to escape. Believing him dead, Jason and his men accept an invitation from King Aeëtes

Aeëtes

In Greek mythology, Ae?tes was a son of the king-god Helios and the nymph Perseis , brother of Circe and Pasiphae, and father of Medea, Chalciope and Apsyrtus....
(Jack Gwillim

Jack Gwillim

Jack Gwillim was a prolific England character actor.Born in Canterbury, England, he served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years, attaining the rank of Commander....
) to a feast, but once they are off-guard, they are captured and imprisoned. Acastus has betrayed them, telling Aeëtes about their mission. However, Medea helps Jason and his men escape.

Acastus tries to steal the Fleece himself, but is fatally wounded by its guardian, the many-headed Hydra

Lernaean Hydra

In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra The Hydra was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna , noisome offspring of the earth goddess, Gaia. It was said to be the sibling of the Nemean Lion, the Stymphalian birds, the Chimera ,and Cerberus....
. Jason succeeds in killing the monster and taking the Fleece. But Aeëtes is not far behind. He strews the teeth of the Hydra on the ground; they sprout into armed skeletons who pursue and battle Jason and two of his men (in a famous four minute stop motion sequence that took special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen four and a half months to produce). Seeing that his companions have been slain, Jason escapes by jumping off a cliff into the sea.

With the quest fulfilled, he, Medea and the surviving Argonauts start the return voyage to Thessaly.

Cast

Todd Armstrong
Todd Armstrong

John "Todd" Armstrong was an United Statesn actor, probably best known for playing the title role of Jason in the 1963 in film film Jason and the Argonauts ....
as Jason
Jason

Jason was a late ancient Greece Greek mythology figure, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus....
Nancy Kovack
Nancy Kovack

__forcetoc__Nancy Kovack is an United States former actress....
as Medea
Medea

Medea is a woman in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Aeetes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of the sun god Helios, and later wife to the hero Jason, with whom she had two children: Mermeros and Pheres....
Gary Raymond
Gary Raymond

Gary Raymond is a United Kingdom actor.His film debut was as Cliff Lewis in Tony Richardson's film adaptation of John Osborne's Look Back in Anger , opposite Richard Burton and Claire Bloom....
as Acastus
Acastus

Acastus is a character in Greek mythology. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar....
Laurence Naismith
Laurence Naismith

Laurence Naismith was an England actor.Naismith appeared in films such as Richard III , Jason and the Argonauts , , Sink the Bismarck! and as Edward Smith of the RMS Titanic in A Night to Remember ....
as Argos
Argos

Argos is a city in Greece in the Peloponnese near Nafplion, which was its historic harbour, named for Nauplius ....
Niall MacGinnis
Niall MacGinnis

Niall MacGinnis was an Ireland actor who made 80 screen appearances. He appeared in such major films as Hamlet , Martin Luther , Chance of a Lifetime and Becket ....
as Zeus
Zeus

Zeus in Greek mythology is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky father and List of thunder gods. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull , and oak....
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman

Honor Blackman is an England actor, who is perhaps best known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and as Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger ....
as Hera
Hera

In the Twelve Olympians of classical Greek Mythology, Hera or Here was the wife and older sister of Zeus. Her chief function was as goddess of women and marriage....
Michael Gwynn
Michael Gwynn

Michael Gwynn was an England actor. He attended Mayfield College near Mayfield, East Sussex. During the World War II he served in East Africa as a Major and was Adjutant to the 2nd....
as Hermes
Hermes

Hermes is the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. An Twelve Olympians, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of thieves and road travelers, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures, of invention, of general commerce, and of the cunni...
John Cairney
John Cairney

John Cairney is a Scottish film and television actor....
as Hylas
Hylas

In Greek mythology, Hylas was the son of King Theiodamas of the Dryopians. Other sources such as Ovid state that Hylas' father was Heracles and his mother was the nymph Melite, or that his mother was the wife of Theiodamus, whose adulterous affair with Heracles caused the war between him and her husband....
Nigel Green
Nigel Green

Nigel Green was a South African-born United Kingdom character actor. Because of his strapping build and commanding demeanour he would often be found playing military types and men of action in such classic sixties films as Jason and the Argonauts , Zulu and The Ipcress File ....
as Hercules
Hercules

Hercules is the Ancient Rome name for the mythical Ancient Greece hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italian shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength....
Douglas Wilmer
Douglas Wilmer

Douglas Wilmer is an England actor....
as Pelias
Pelias

Pelias was king of Iolcus in Greek mythology, the son of Tyro, daughter of Aleus, and of either Poseidon or Cretheus. His wife is recorded as either Anaxibia, daughter of Bias , or Phylomache, daughter of Amphion....
Jack Gwillim
Jack Gwillim

Jack Gwillim was a prolific England character actor.Born in Canterbury, England, he served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years, attaining the rank of Commander....
as King Aeëtes
Aeëtes

In Greek mythology, Ae?tes was a son of the king-god Helios and the nymph Perseis , brother of Circe and Pasiphae, and father of Medea, Chalciope and Apsyrtus....
Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton

Patrick George "Pat" Troughton was an England actor most widely known in his role as the Second Doctor incarnation of Doctor in the long running United Kingdom science fiction on television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969....
as Phineas
Phineas

In Greek mythology, Phineas was a King of Thrace.The name 'Phineas' or 'Phineus' may be associated with the ancient city of Phinea on the Thracian Bosphorus....
Andrew Faulds
Andrew Faulds

Andrew Matthew William Faulds was a United Kingdom actor and politician.Born in Isoko, Tanzania, Tanganyika , to missionary parents, Faulds married Bunty Whitfield in 1945....
as Phalerus

Legacy

In April 2004, Empire magazine ranked Talos as the second best movie monster of all time, after King Kong

King Kong

King Kong is the name of a fictional giant gorilla from the fictional Skull Island, who has appeared in several works since 1933. These include the groundbreaking King Kong , the film remakes of King Kong and King Kong , and numerous sequels....
.

Ray Harryhausen regards this as his best film. Previous Harryhausen films had been generally shown as part of double feature

Double feature

The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown....
s in "B" theatres. Columbia was able to book this film as a single feature in many "A" theatres in the United States. The skeletons' shields are adorned with designs of other Harryhausen creatures, including an octopus

Octopus

The octopus is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda that inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. The term may also refer to only those creatures in the genus Octopus ....
and the head of the Ymir from 20 Million Miles to Earth
20 Million Miles to Earth

20 Million Miles to Earth is a Cinema of the United States science fiction film written by Bob Williams and Christopher Knopf from an original treatment by Charlott Knight....
.

Jason and the Argonauts (film)

Plot

Cast

Legacy

See also

External links