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This old dubbed in and poorly acted epic is actually entertaining in its own right. Some of the transparent plot sequences are a joy despite their obvious nature. I have never forgotten sitting in the movie theater as a boy watching Hercules throw a Discus into the heavens at the shock of all onlookers or his fight to the death with the Creten Bull. Hercules would smite the creature with the godlike half of his being and then bleed with his mortal half. It did not matter that the Creten Bull was just an ordinary steer, or that Hercules struggled with a taxidermist's rendition of a different bull in the close-ups. While it was better dubbed than--say--a Bruce Lee movie, it tried to be an action movie, but failed miserably by todays standards. It's a given that no child will ever choose this film over the Walt Disney animated version. However, it,s a classic spaghetti adventure film that will continue to provide entertaining footage for the next hundred years.
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Legendary director John Huston's "The Bible...In the Beginning" is something of a mixed bag. Though undeniably reverent and generally (though not totally) faithful to the original Scriptures, Huston's film is ultimately epic in scope but too often cold and unmoving. There are certainly some fine scenes, particularly in the Creation , the story of the Garden of Eden (Adam and Eve's storm-shrouded exile from Paradise is perhaps the most powerful moment in the whole film), Cain and Abel, and an especially moving interlude between Abraham and only son Isaac in the ruins of sinful Sodom. But Huston fails to make the movie emotionally appealing on a consistent basis, so that what should have been an enthralling picture is merely adequate--which, after all, is not so bad. The cast is very powerful, featuring Richard Harris, Ava Gardner, George C. Scott, Peter O'Toole, and Huston himself as an endearing Noah. If only Huston had let his performers live a little on camera, this might have rivaled The Ten Commandments. As it is, the whole is respectable but flawed, too passionless and slow-paced to match The Ten Commandment's grandeur. Even so, "The Bible" does bring the opening chapters of Scripture to life, and if this movie is not thrilling, it is nonetheless enlightening.
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JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS – 1963
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Arguably the most intelligently written film to feature the masterful stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen, Jason and the Argonauts is a colorful adventure that takes full advantage of Harryhausen's "Dynarama" process. Inspired by the Greek myth, the story begins when the fearless explorer Jason (Todd Armstrong) returns to the kingdom of Thessaly to make his rightful claim to the throne, but the gods proclaim that he must first find the magical Golden Fleece. Consulting Hera, the queen of gods, Jason recruits the brave Argonauts to crew his ship, and they embark on their eventful journey. Along the way they encounter a variety of mythic creatures, including the 100-foot bronze god Talos, the batlike Harpies, the seven-headed reptilian Hydra, and an army of skeletons wielding sword and shield. This last sequence remains one of the finest that Harryhausen ever created, and it's still as thrilling as anything from the age of digital special effects. Harryhausen was the true auteur of his fantasy films, and his brilliant animation evokes a timeless sense of wonder. Jason and the Argonauts is a prime showcase for Harryhausen's talent--a wondrous product of pure imagination and filmmaking ingenuity. The DVD contains an informative interview with Harryhausen by filmmaker John Landis.
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I first saw this movie when I was a kid. I've always remembered the knights that came back to life to help the hero and I always found that fascinating. It's a kid's film and if your kid isn't too spoiled by the high-tech special effects of today, then I think they will like this movie. Don't expect today's technology to be intertwined in this classic. It is a fabuluos movie on the path of "Jason and the Argonauts" and "The seven adventures of Sinbad". The aspect of the heros "magical knights" and their demise due to the various pitfalls between the orgin and the destination is wonderful, only to give the viewer a delightful surprise about those rascals at the end. Given it's time period when it was made,
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no doubt it is truely a piece an adventurer would want to have in his or her collection. If you saw this film when it first came out, like I did, you'll be delighted that it's available. If you didn't and you are expecting something from the "digital era" you may be very disappointed. This is a kids film. I love this film for the escape. Are there ruff edges? Sure. I am a fan of Gary Lockwood (2001:a space odyssey)and it is fun to see him back then. Basil Rathbone can never do any wrong. Ann Helm is pretty. So...take it for what it is like I do and you'll love it. The 1963 version of "The Thief of Bagdad" with Steve Reeves is the same kind of escape. If you what to get a bit "heady" about these films, they are about struggle. I can always place myself somewhere in there (they both have 7 stages of strife) and it can actually help me figure out things at times. I read the other reviews and thought there needed a contrasting opinion. Go figure!
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7th Voyage 1958 / Golden Voyage 1973 / Eye Of The Tiger 1977
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A skeleton grabs a sword and slashes viciously at Sinbad. A 9-foot-tall Neanderthal man fights to the death with a saber-toothed tiger. All the while, the boys and girls in the fourth row forget about their popcorn and are hypnotized by the images on the screen. It's hard to believe so many years have passed since the last Sinbad movie held kids spellbound at Saturday matinees. The movies were never perfect, with stories that were sometimes little more than frameworks to drape Ray Harryhausen's special effects over. The performances left a bit to be desired at times, and the direction could be a bit choppy. What they did accomplish, however, was to give countless 8- and 10-year-olds their first taste of the magic that motion pictures were really capable of. Those grade-schoolers, of course, took with them an appreciation of that movie mojo that would extend to films like 2001,
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Star Wars, and countless other movies in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. Considering the tedious frame-by-frame repositioning of stop-motion figures, something like the six-armed Kali figure in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is astonishing in the untold hours of labor that went into giving it life. Even more mind-boggling is the fact that it comes alive with grace and fluidity, without a trace of abruptness or jerkiness. It's always a good time to revisit the Sinbad series, for all its imperfections and flaws. The movies are still tremendously entertaining escapist fare, still capable of inspiring new generations of budding movie buffs to create imaginary worlds with the magic of movies.
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Legendary silent film director Cecil B. DeMille didn't much alter the way he made movies after sound came in, and this 1956 biblical drama is proof of that. While graced with such 1950s niceties as VistaVision and Technicolor, The Ten Commandments (DeMille had already filmed an earlier version in 1923) has an anachronistic, impassioned style that finds lead actors Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner expressively posing while hundreds of extras writhe either in the presence of God's power or from orgiastic heat. DeMille, as always, plays both sides of the fence as far as sin goes, surrounding Heston's Moses with worshipful music and heavenly special effects while also making the sexy action around the cult of the Golden Calf look like fun. You have to see The Ten Commandments to understand its peculiar resonance as an old-new movie, complete with several still-impressive effects such as the parting of the Red Sea.
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